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Sports in Rochester, New York
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Sports in Rochester, New York
The city and metropolitan area of Rochester, New York, has several sports teams. Rochester was named the top minor league sports market in the country by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal in July 2005, the number 10 "best golf city" in America by Golf Magazine in 2007, and the fifth-best "sports town" in the country by Scarborough Research in September 2008.
Although Rochester is home territory to the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres, Rochester has several professional sports teams of its own.
Rochester does not have a team in any of the top leagues in major North American team sports (American football, Baseball, Basketball, or Ice Hockey). Of the current teams, two play in affiliated minor leagues: the baseball Rochester Red Wings, affiliated with the Washington Nationals, and the hockey Rochester Americans, affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres. Only one professional team in Rochester plays at the highest level of its sport, the indoor lacrosse Rochester Knighthawks; all others are independent minor-league teams.
As recently as 1994, there were only two professional sports franchises in Rochester: the baseball Red Wings and the hockey Americans. Since then, a number of new teams have been instituted and several have folded. In 2007, among cities in North America with at least seven (at the time) professional teams, Rochester was determined to be the only one whose teams all had cumulative winning regular season records.
The Rochester Red Wings baseball club, the AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals, are one of the oldest existing franchises in all of professional sports. They play in the International League and have won at least one pennant or championship in each decade of the 20th century. The Rochester Americans ice hockey team are the AHL affiliate for the NHL Buffalo Sabres and are known as the "Amerks."
Lacrosse has seen some popularity in Rochester. The Rochester Knighthawks play box lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League during winter and spring. The current Knighthawks team replaced the former Rochester Knighthawks that played in Rochester from 1995 until 2019. In outdoor lacrosse, the Rochester Rattlers were a charter member of Major League Lacrosse, but the franchise was transferred away after winning the championship in 2008; the Rattlers were then re-established in 2011 before being relocated a final time in 2017.
There have been several basketball teams over time including the Rochester Razorsharks who were active from 2008 to 2017 most recently in the Premier Basketball League and the Rochester Kingz from 2023-2025.
Professional soccer, once a popular sport in Rochester, has declined over the years. The Rochester Rhinos soccer club played for many years in the A-League, which was the second-highest level American soccer league; the Rhinos won the U.S. Open Cup against Major League Soccer competition in 1999 and won league championships in 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2015. Despite the success, the popularity of the club declined into dire levels and the club suspended operations in 2018. The Rhinos team was rebranded as Rochester New York FC and in 2022 played one season prior to again ceasing operations. The Rochester Lancers started in indoor soccer in 2011 and folded by 2015. The Lancers were re-launched in 2018 and played in Major Arena Soccer League 2 until the end of the 2024 season. In 2020, the National Independent Soccer Association approved a team for Rochester and the Flower City Union took the field in 2022. For the 2024 season, they moved play to the National Premier Soccer League.
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Sports in Rochester, New York
The city and metropolitan area of Rochester, New York, has several sports teams. Rochester was named the top minor league sports market in the country by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal in July 2005, the number 10 "best golf city" in America by Golf Magazine in 2007, and the fifth-best "sports town" in the country by Scarborough Research in September 2008.
Although Rochester is home territory to the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres, Rochester has several professional sports teams of its own.
Rochester does not have a team in any of the top leagues in major North American team sports (American football, Baseball, Basketball, or Ice Hockey). Of the current teams, two play in affiliated minor leagues: the baseball Rochester Red Wings, affiliated with the Washington Nationals, and the hockey Rochester Americans, affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres. Only one professional team in Rochester plays at the highest level of its sport, the indoor lacrosse Rochester Knighthawks; all others are independent minor-league teams.
As recently as 1994, there were only two professional sports franchises in Rochester: the baseball Red Wings and the hockey Americans. Since then, a number of new teams have been instituted and several have folded. In 2007, among cities in North America with at least seven (at the time) professional teams, Rochester was determined to be the only one whose teams all had cumulative winning regular season records.
The Rochester Red Wings baseball club, the AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals, are one of the oldest existing franchises in all of professional sports. They play in the International League and have won at least one pennant or championship in each decade of the 20th century. The Rochester Americans ice hockey team are the AHL affiliate for the NHL Buffalo Sabres and are known as the "Amerks."
Lacrosse has seen some popularity in Rochester. The Rochester Knighthawks play box lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League during winter and spring. The current Knighthawks team replaced the former Rochester Knighthawks that played in Rochester from 1995 until 2019. In outdoor lacrosse, the Rochester Rattlers were a charter member of Major League Lacrosse, but the franchise was transferred away after winning the championship in 2008; the Rattlers were then re-established in 2011 before being relocated a final time in 2017.
There have been several basketball teams over time including the Rochester Razorsharks who were active from 2008 to 2017 most recently in the Premier Basketball League and the Rochester Kingz from 2023-2025.
Professional soccer, once a popular sport in Rochester, has declined over the years. The Rochester Rhinos soccer club played for many years in the A-League, which was the second-highest level American soccer league; the Rhinos won the U.S. Open Cup against Major League Soccer competition in 1999 and won league championships in 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2015. Despite the success, the popularity of the club declined into dire levels and the club suspended operations in 2018. The Rhinos team was rebranded as Rochester New York FC and in 2022 played one season prior to again ceasing operations. The Rochester Lancers started in indoor soccer in 2011 and folded by 2015. The Lancers were re-launched in 2018 and played in Major Arena Soccer League 2 until the end of the 2024 season. In 2020, the National Independent Soccer Association approved a team for Rochester and the Flower City Union took the field in 2022. For the 2024 season, they moved play to the National Premier Soccer League.