There's lots to cheer about!
Whether its the crack of the bat or the chill of the ice, college sports or professional, there's lots of sports action in the Smithfield-Selma area and the nearby Triangle.
The Sporting News consistently ranks the Triangle area as one of the nation’s hottest sports markets. That’s due in large part to the rich Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) basketball and football heritage, and the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes. There's also stock car racing throughout the state and the National Football League's Carolina Panthers down the road in Charlotte.
College basketball here isn’t just a game. It’s a way of life. With perennial powerhouses like the North Carolina State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Duke Blue Devils calling the Triangle home, college basketball isn’t only bigger, but better than anywhere else in the country. This is where legends like Michael Jordan, Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith, and the late Jimmy V were born, and area teams have won eight NCAA Men’s Division I National Basketball Championships.
ACC football also offers action-packed fall Saturdays as the Wolfpack, Tar Heels and Blue Devils take on some of the most prominent football programs in the country right here in our own backyard.
Regionally, a number of college's programs are nearby, including the East Carolina Pirates, Wake Forest Deamon Deacons and UNC-Wilmington Seahawks.
Over the decade hockey has also taken the Triangle by storm in the form of a Hurricane – the Carolina Hurricanes to be exact. The NHL Eastern Conference Hurricanes whave had tremendous success on the ice since their arrival in Raleigh, including a magical run for the Stanley Cup in 2005. The Canes play their home games in Raleigh's RBC Center as does the N.C. State basketball team.
But amazing performances on the gridiron, hardwood, and ice rinks aren’t the only game in town. Stock car racing is a religion in North Carolina. NASCAR races are held in Rockingham and Charlotte. Locally, the Southern National Raceway in Kenly holds weekly NASCAR-sanctioned events.
If you love the nation's pasttime, there are two minor league baseball teams in the Triangle. The Carolina Mudcats play in Five County Stadium, just over the Johnston County line in Zebulon. And the Durham Bulls, the team that made the movie Bull Durham famous, play in Durham Bulls Athletic Park on the western end of the Triangle.
For golfers, the nearby Triad area hosts the PGA tour's Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic every year in October. The golfing village of Pinehurst, with some of the world's best courses, regularly hosts championship tournaments, including the upcoming U.S. Open in 2012.
