Professional Sports

Cincinnati Reds
 
The Cincinnati Reds moved into a new stadium in 2003 (Great American Ball Park) which is a state-of-the-art, intimate facility that seats just over 42,000 and there is not a bad seat in the park that overlooks the Ohio River just east of Downtown Cincinnati's business district. The Reds continue to possess one of the most productive offensive lineups in baseball.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals also moved into a new facility, Paul Brown Stadium, in 2001 and the combination of a world-class football venue and new Head Coach Marvin Lewis have revitalized the Bengals into one of the youngest and most talented teams in the National Football League. The Bengals made it into the Playoffs in 2005 and have an emerging array of up and coming stars who are entering the prime of their football careers.

Thoroughbred Horse Racing
Thoroughbred horse racing, including the Spiral Stakes -– the $600,000 precursor to the Kentucky Derby – is run at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky. River Downs (Cincinnati), Keeneland and Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, are less than two hours away.

Frontier League Professional Baseball at Champion Window Field in Florence
Florence Freedom Baseball adds affordable, family-focused entertainment option that enhances our quality of life. The Florence Freedom are a member of the Frontier League, Independent Professional Baseball League established in 1993. The Freedom play a 96 game schedule with 51 home games between late May and August.

 NASCAR
NASCAR racing at Kentucky Speedway. The 1.5 mile tri-oval speedway is 70 feet wide, and is banked 14 degrees in the turns, eight degrees coming out of turn 4 and into turn 1, and 10 degrees at the start/finish line.

Other annual events include the Tennis Masters Series (formerly known as the ATP Championship), a Men’s Senior Golf Tour event, and a Ladies Professional Golf Association event.

Collegiate Athletics

College sports generate a variety of NCAA-sanctioned events in the immediate region, particularly from such basketball strongholds as University of Kentucky, Indiana University, University of Cincinnati, and Xavier University. The Northern Kentucky University women's fast pitch softball won the national championship in 2000 and the women’s team won the National NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball championship in 1999, while the men’s team competed in the championship game of NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball in 1996 and 1997.