Sports in Louisville, Kentucky facts for kids

Sports in Louisville, Kentucky has a long and exciting history, going all the way back to the mid-1800s! People in Louisville love all kinds of sports, from professional teams to college games and even high school rivalries. You'll find everything from baseball and basketball to horse racing and soccer here.

Louisville Slugger Field is where the Louisville Bats play their home games.

Professional Sports Teams in Louisville

Louisville is home to some cool professional sports teams. There's one major league women's team and two minor league men's teams.

Louisville Bats: Baseball Fun!

The Louisville Bats are a professional baseball team. They play in the Triple-A East league and are connected to the Cincinnati Reds, a major league team. You can catch their games at Louisville Slugger Field, which is right near downtown Louisville.

Louisville Soccer Teams: Kicking It!

Louisville has two professional soccer teams. The men's team, Louisville City FC, started playing in the United Soccer League in 2015. They used to share Louisville Slugger Field with the Bats.

In 2021, a new women's professional soccer team, Racing Louisville FC, joined the National Women's Soccer League. They play their games at Lynn Family Stadium.

College Sports: Go Cardinals! Go Knights! Go Golden Eagles!

College sports are super popular in Louisville, especially college basketball and college football. Many people think Louisville is one of the best college sports towns in the whole country!

University of Louisville Cardinals

The University of Louisville is home to the Louisville Cardinals. They compete in the top level of college sports, NCAA Division I, and are part of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Cardinals Men's Basketball

The U of L men's basketball team has won the NCAA Division I basketball championship twice, in 1980 and 1986. They've also made it to the NCAA Final Four several times, including in 2005, 2012, and 2013. In 2013, they won the National Championship, though that title was later taken away.

Cardinals Women's Basketball

The women's basketball team has also been very successful. They reached the final of the NCAA women's tournament in 2009 and 2013. Both basketball teams now play at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville.

Cardinals Football

The U of L football team has also had many great seasons. They play on campus at Cardinal Stadium. In 2013, they won the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which was a big upset victory!

Cardinals Baseball and More

The U of L baseball team has made it to the College World Series in Omaha, where the best college baseball teams compete for a national championship. In one amazing school year (2012–13), U of L became the first school ever to play in a major bowl game for football, have both their men's and women's basketball teams in the Final Four, and send their baseball team to the College World Series!

Other Louisville Universities

Bellarmine University, home of the Knights, also plays in NCAA Division I. Spalding University, home of the Golden Eagles, competes in NCAA Division III.

Horse Racing and Equestrian Events

Louisville is famous for its horse events!

The Kentucky Derby

Churchill Downs is the home of the Kentucky Derby, which is the biggest sports event in Kentucky! It's part of the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. Churchill Downs has also hosted the famous Breeders' Cup horse races many times.

World's Championship Horse Show

Besides racing, Louisville also hosts the World's Championship Horse show. This event is mostly for Saddlebred horses and happens during the Kentucky State Fair. It's a very important event for Saddle seat riding.

Golf and Extreme Sports

Louisville is also home to Valhalla Golf Club, which has hosted major golf tournaments like the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. If you're into extreme sports, check out the David Armstrong Extreme Park, which is one of the best skateparks in the U.S.!

High School Sports: Fierce Rivalries!

High school sports are very popular in Louisville, especially football and basketball.

High School Football

Louisville high schools have been super strong in American football for many years. Schools like Trinity, Male, and St. Xavier have won many state championships.

One of the most intense rivalries is between Trinity and St. Xavier. Their annual football game draws huge crowds, sometimes as many as 35,000 fans, making it one of the most attended regular-season high school football games in the country!

Another old rivalry is between Male and Manual high schools. This rivalry dates back to 1893!

Annual Competitions

Louisville hosts some exciting annual sports events.

Ironman Louisville

From 2007 to 2019, Louisville was the host city for the annual Ironman Louisville triathlon. This tough competition involves swimming, biking, and running long distances.

Cyclocross World Championships

Louisville made history by becoming the first American city to host the UCI Masters Cyclocross World Championships in 2012. The next year, it hosted even bigger cyclocross races, including for Juniors, U23, and Professional Elite athletes. These races were held at a special permanent cyclocross course at Eva Bandman Park.

Historical Teams in Louisville

Louisville has a rich history of sports, even with teams that are no longer around. The city once had teams in the National Football League and Major League Baseball.

Kentucky Colonels Basketball

One of the most famous historical teams was the Kentucky Colonels, a very strong basketball team in the American Basketball Association (ABA). They even won the ABA championship in 1975! However, when the ABA and NBA leagues merged in 1976, the Colonels were not included.

Other Past Teams

Louisville has also been home to other professional teams, including indoor soccer teams like the Louisville Lightning and several ice hockey teams such as the Louisville Icehawks, Louisville RiverFrogs, and Louisville Panthers.