Editing New Jersey (section)

==Sports==
{{main|Sports in New Jersey}}
[[File:New Meadowlands Stadium Mezz Corner.jpg|thumb|[[MetLife Stadium]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford]], one of only two [[National Football League|NFL]] stadiums shared by two teams, is home to the [[New York Giants]] and [[New York Jets]].]]

New Jersey currently has six teams from [[major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports leagues]] playing in the state, although one [[Major League Soccer]] team and two [[National Football League]] teams identify themselves as being from the [[New York metropolitan area]].

===Professional sports===
[[File:Pudcentnewarkjeh.JPG|thumb|[[Prudential Center]] in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], home of the [[National Hockey League|NHL]]'s [[New Jersey Devils]]]]
The [[National Hockey League]]'s [[New Jersey Devils]], based in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] at the [[Prudential Center]], is the only major league [[sports franchise]] to bear the state's name. Founded in 1974 in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], as the [[Kansas City Scouts]], the team played in [[Denver, Colorado]], as the [[Colorado Rockies (NHL)|Colorado Rockies]] from 1976 until the spring of 1982 when naval architect, businessman, and [[Jersey City]] native [[John J. McMullen]] purchased, renamed, and moved the franchise to [[Brendan Byrne Arena]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford's]] [[Meadowlands Sports Complex]]. While the team was poor to mediocre in Kansas City, Denver, and its first years in New Jersey, qualifying for the playoffs once in the 13 seasons from 1974 to 1987, the Devils ultimately established themselves in late 1980s and early 1990s during the tenure of Hall of Fame president and general manager [[Lou Lamoriello]]. As of 2023, the Devils have appeared in 23 postseasons in 40 seasons in New Jersey, reaching five [[Stanley Cup]] Finals (most recently in [[2012 Stanley Cup playoffs|2012]]) and winning it in [[1995 Stanley Cup playoffs|1995]], [[2000 Stanley Cup playoffs|2000]], and [[2003 Stanley Cup playoffs|2003]]. The organization is the youngest of the nine "Big Four" major league teams based in New York metropolitan area, ultimately establishing its core following throughout the northern and central portions of the state and carving a place in a media market once dominated by the [[New York Rangers]] and [[New York Islanders|Islanders]] which has the distinction of being the only metropolitan area in the country with three major league professional sports teams participating in the same sport.

In 2018, the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] renovated and expanded their training facility, the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone, in [[Voorhees Township, New Jersey|Voorhees Township]] in the southern portion of the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2018/02/22/virtua-flyers-training-facility-voorhees-remodeled.html |url-access=subscription |first1=John |last1=George |title=Check out the Flyers renovated & expanded South Jersey training facility|work=Philadelphia Business Journal|date=February 22, 2018|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225053737/https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2018/02/22/virtua-flyers-training-facility-voorhees-remodeled.html|archive-date=February 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[New York metropolitan area]]'s two [[National Football League]] teams, the [[New York Giants]] and the [[New York Jets]], play at [[MetLife Stadium]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford's]] [[Meadowlands Sports Complex]].<ref name="newmeadowlandsstadium.com">{{Cite web |title=Official Website of MetLife Stadium, Home of Super Bowl 48, New York Giants and New York Jets |url=http://www.newmeadowlandsstadium.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221032534/http://www.newmeadowlandsstadium.com/ |archive-date=December 21, 2013 |access-date=June 14, 2010 |website=newmeadowlandsstadium.com }}</ref> Built for about $1.6&nbsp;billion,<ref name="Belson">{{cite news|first=Ken|last=Belson|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/sports/football/09stadium.html |url-access=subscription |work=The New York Times|title=New Stadium, a Football Palace, Opens Saturday With Lacrosse|date=April 8, 2010|access-date=March 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413043347/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/sports/football/09stadium.html|archive-date=April 13, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> the venue is one of the most expensive stadiums ever built.<ref name="Esteban">{{cite web|url=http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/10/27/11-most-expensive-stadiums-in-the-world/|title=11 Most Expensive Stadiums In The World|publisher=Total Pro Sports|author=Esteban|date=October 27, 2011|access-date=September 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827201315/http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/10/27/11-most-expensive-stadiums-in-the-world/|archive-date=August 27, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> On February 2, 2014, MetLife Stadium hosted [[Super Bowl XLVIII]].

The [[New York Red Bulls]] of [[Major League Soccer]] play in [[Sports Illustrated Stadium]], a soccer-specific stadium in [[Harrison, New Jersey|Harrison]] across the [[Passaic River]] from downtown [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]]. On July 27, 2011, Red Bull Arena hosted the [[2011 MLS All-Star Game]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Manchester United's 4–0 Romp Over MLS All-Stars More Proof U.S. Pro Soccer Not Up to Snuff|first=Filip|last=Bondy|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2011/07/28/2011-07-28_results_show_mls_lacks_solid_footing.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908224831/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2011/07/28/2011-07-28_results_show_mls_lacks_solid_footing.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 8, 2012|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=July 28, 2011|access-date=December 26, 2017}}</ref> New Jersey hosted matches during the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]] at [[Giants Stadium]] and will be one of 16 cities to host matches during the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]], at [[MetLife Stadium]], which will also host the [[2026 FIFA World Cup final|tournament final]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sobko |first=Katie |date=February 6, 2024 |title=World Cup 2026: Murphy estimates $2B impact for NJ as funding questions linger |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2024/02/06/world-cup-2026-nj-financial-impact-gov-phil-murphy/72486312007/ |work=NorthJersey.com |accessdate=February 14, 2024 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213101720/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2024/02/06/world-cup-2026-nj-financial-impact-gov-phil-murphy/72486312007/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 1977 to 2012, New Jersey had a [[National Basketball Association]] team, the [[New Jersey Nets]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Jozsa Jr.|first=Frank P. |author-link= |date= October 2014|title= National Basketball Association Strategies: Business Expansions, Relocations, and Mergers |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=H02qBAAAQBAJ |location= |publisher= [[Springer International Publishing]]|pages= 54–55|isbn= 9783319100586}}</ref> [[WNBA]]'s [[New York Liberty]] played in New Jersey from 2011 to 2013 while their primary home arena, [[Madison Square Garden]] was undergoing renovations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nypost.com/2018/02/09/liberty-leaving-madison-square-garden-re-sign-two-free-agents/ |title=Liberty leaving Madison Square Garden, re-sign two free agents |website=New York Post |access-date=December 25, 2019 |date=February 10, 2018 |archive-date=December 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225121037/https://nypost.com/2018/02/09/liberty-leaving-madison-square-garden-re-sign-two-free-agents/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2016, the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] of the NBA opened their new headquarters and training facility, the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex, in [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Seltzer|first1=Brian|title=On the Beat: New Training Complex Brings Modern Feel, Promise|url=http://www.nba.com/sixers/beat-new-training-complex-brings-modern-feel-promise|publisher=National Basketball Association|access-date=January 31, 2018|date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119061947/http://www.nba.com/sixers/beat-new-training-complex-brings-modern-feel-promise/|archive-date=November 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Meadowlands Sports Complex is home to the [[Meadowlands Racetrack]], one of three major [[harness racing]] tracks in the state. The Meadowlands Racetrack and [[Freehold Raceway]] in Freehold are two of the major harness racing tracks in North America. [[Monmouth Park Racetrack]] in Oceanport is a popular spot for [[thoroughbred racing]] in New Jersey and the northeast. It hosted the [[Breeders' Cup]] in 2007, and its turf course was renovated in preparation.

===Major league sports===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Club !! Sport !! League !! Stadium (capacity) !! Established !! Titles
|-
| '''[[New Jersey Devils]]''' || rowspan="2" | Ice hockey || [[National Hockey League|NHL]] || [[Prudential Center]] (16,514) || 1974 || 3
|-
| '''[[Metropolitan Riveters]]''' ||[[National Women's Hockey League (2015–)|NWHL]] ||[[American Dream Meadowlands]] Ice Rink (1,000) || 2015 || 1
|-
| '''[[NJ/NY Gotham FC]]''' || Soccer || [[National Women's Soccer League|NWSL]] || [[Red Bull Arena (New Jersey)|Red Bull Arena]] (25,000) || 2007 || 1
|-
| '''[[New York Giants]]''' || rowspan="2" | Football || rowspan="2" | [[National Football League|NFL]] || rowspan="2" | [[MetLife Stadium]] (82,500) || 1925 || 8
|-
| '''[[New York Jets]]''' || 1959 || 1
|-
| '''[[New York Red Bulls]]''' || Soccer || [[Major League Soccer|MLS]] || [[Red Bull Arena (New Jersey)|Red Bull Arena]] (25,000) || 1994 || 0
|}

===Minor league sports===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Club !! Sport !! League !! Stadium (capacity) !! Established !! Titles
|-
| '''[[Somerset Patriots]]''' || rowspan="5" | Baseball || [[Minor League Baseball|MiLB]] ([[Eastern League (1938–present)|Eastern League]]) || [[TD Bank Ballpark]] (6,100) || 1997 || 7
|-
| '''[[Jersey Shore BlueClaws]]''' || [[Minor League Baseball|MiLB]] ([[South Atlantic League]]) || [[ShoreTown Ballpark]] (6,588 ) || 1987 || 3
|-
| '''[[Trenton Thunder]]''' || [[MLB Draft League]] || [[Trenton Thunder Ballpark]] (6,440) || 1980 || 5
|-
| '''[[New Jersey Jackals]]''' || rowspan="2" |[[Frontier League]]||[[Hinchliffe Stadium]] (10,000) || 1998 || 6
|-
| '''[[Sussex County Miners]]''' ||[[Skylands Stadium]] (4,200) || 2015 || 1
|-
| '''[[New York Red Bulls II]]''' || Soccer || [[USL Championship]] || [[MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field]] (5,000) || 2015 || 1
|}

===College sports===
{{See also|List of college athletic programs in New Jersey}}

====Major schools====
New Jerseyans' collegiate allegiances are predominantly split among the three major [[NCAA Division I]] programs in the state: the [[Rutgers University–New Brunswick|Rutgers University]] (New Jersey's flagship state university) [[Rutgers Scarlet Knights|Scarlet Knights]], members of the [[Big Ten Conference]]; the [[Seton Hall University]] (the state's largest [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholic]] university) [[Seton Hall Pirates|Pirates]], members of the [[Big East Conference]]; and the [[Princeton University]] (the state's [[Ivy League]] university) [[Princeton Tigers|Tigers]].

The intense rivalry between Rutgers and Princeton athletics began with the [[1869 college football season|first intercollegiate football game]] in 1869. The schools have not met on the football field since 1980, but they continue to play each other annually in all other sports offered by the two universities.

Rutgers, which fields 24 teams in various sports, is nationally known for its football program, with a 6–4 all-time [[bowl game|bowl]] record; and its women's basketball programs, which appeared in a [[2007 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|National Final]] in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, Rutgers expanded their football home, [[SHI Stadium|Rutgers Stadium]], now called SHI Stadium, on the [[Busch Campus of Rutgers University|Busch Campus]]. The basketball teams play at the [[Rutgers Athletic Center]] on [[Livingston Campus (Rutgers University)|Livingston Campus]]. Both venues and campuses are in [[Piscataway Township, New Jersey|Piscataway]], across the [[Raritan River]] from [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick]]. The university also fields men's basketball and baseball programs. Rutgers' fans live mostly in the western parts of the state and [[Middlesex County, New Jersey|Middlesex County]]; its alumni base is the largest in the state.

Rutgers' satellite campuses in Camden and Newark each field their own athletic programs—the [[Rutgers–Camden Scarlet Raptors]] and the [[Rutgers–Newark Scarlet Raiders]]—which both compete in NCAA [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]].

Seton Hall fields no football team, but its men's basketball team is one of the [[Big East Conference|Big East]]'s storied programs. No New Jersey team has won more games in the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]], and it is the state's only men's basketball program to reach a modern [[1989 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|National Final]]. The Pirates play their home games at [[Prudential Center]] in downtown [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], about {{Convert | 4 | mi | 0}} from the university's [[South Orange, New Jersey|South Orange]] campus. Their fans hail largely from the predominantly Roman Catholic areas of the northern part of the state and the [[Jersey Shore]]. The annual inter-conference rivalry game between Seton Hall and Rutgers, whose venue alternates between Newark and Piscataway, the Garden State Hardwood Classic, is planned through 2026.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.app.com/story/sports/college/2018/04/30/rutgers-seton-hall-basketball-garden-state-hardwood-classic/563768002/ |title=Rutgers vs. Seton Hall basketball series formally extended |work=Ashbury Park Press |last=Carino |first=Jerry |date=April 30, 2018 |access-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-date=January 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129233047/https://www.app.com/story/sports/college/2018/04/30/rutgers-seton-hall-basketball-garden-state-hardwood-classic/563768002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Other schools====
The state's other Division I schools include the [[Monmouth Hawks|Monmouth University Hawks]] (West Long Branch), the [[NJIT Mens Soccer|New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Highlanders]] (Newark), the [[Rider University#Athletics|Rider University Broncs]] (Lawrenceville), and the [[Saint Peter's College, New Jersey#Athletics|Saint Peter's University Peacocks and Peahens]] (Jersey City).

[[Fairleigh Dickinson Knights|Fairleigh Dickinson University]] competes in both Division I and Division III. It has two campuses, each with its own sports teams. The teams at the Metropolitan Campus are known as the FDU Knights, and compete in the [[Northeast Conference]] and NCAA Division I. The college at Florham (FDU-Florham) teams are known as the FDU-Florham Devils and compete in the [[Middle Atlantic Conferences#Freedom Conference|Middle Atlantic Conferences' Freedom Conference]] and NCAA Division III.

Among the various Division III schools in the state, the [[Stevens Tech Ducks football|Stevens Institute of Technology]] Ducks have fielded the longest continuously running collegiate men's lacrosse program in the country. 2009 marked the 125th season.

===High school===
New Jersey high schools are divided into divisions under the [[New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association]] (NJSIAA).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.njsiaa.org/|title=NJSIAA—New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association—NJSIAA|access-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525203826/http://www.njsiaa.org/|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>'<ref>[http://www.ihigh.com/NJ/ New Jersey High School News and Sports] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418224118/http://www.ihigh.com/NJ/ |date=April 18, 2009 }}. iHigh.com, Inc—The High School Internet Network. Retrieved January 26, 2011.</ref>