Miami Heat, the Panthers and the Rays: Florida is the new home of US sport

Not since Boston in 2019 and Los Angeles in 2020 has the focus and attention of the sports world been so concentrated on one area of America as Florida in 2023.

By the summer of 2019, the Boston Red Sox were the reigning World Series champions, the New England Patriots were Super Bowl champions, and the Boston Bruins had reached the Stanley Cup Finals.

The following year belonged to LA – as the Dodgers snapped a 32-year championship drought and the Lakers had captured an NBA title in the bubble.

Now, Florida has the chance to take that mantle for this year – with the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. They’re looking to become the first teams from the same city to win both those titles in sports history.

Earlier this year, the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton reached college basketball’s Final Four for the first time in their schools’ histories. In the major leagues, the Tampa Bay Rays are the hottest team in baseball and the Miami Marlins are fighting for a wild card spot. In racing, Formula One just completed a second successful Miami Grand Prix.

Additionally, this past NFL season was also the first time since 1999 that all three Florida-based teams (the Buccaneers, Jaguars, and Dolphins) made the playoffs in the same season. In the college game, 2023 marks a year of transition and change for one of Florida’s most dominant sports historically. 

Florida’s takeover of the world of American sports has combined underdogs with favorites, upstarts with legends, and sprinkled all those stories with enough magic dust to capture the nation’s attention.

Now, with the NBA Finals underway and the Stanley Cup Finals starting Saturday, Mail Sport looks at what has made this year so particularly bright for the sports teams of the Sunshine State.

NBA

The Miami Heat have made the NBA Finals on a wave of grit, determination, and role players hitting their marks at the right time in a combination that may never be seen again in the league’s history.

They’re only the second team to make the finals as an eight-seed out of the East in NBA history and the first since the 1999 New York Knicks.

Miami got here in spite of finishing the regular season with the worst average points per game mark of the entire league at 109.5. 

Their road to the finals was jagged and mountainous – requiring endurance to overcome the two best teams in the Eastern Conference in Milwaukee and Boston. 

They also showed their scrappiness in the play-in tournament against Atlanta and Chicago and their second round series against the Knicks.

Sure, the Heat’s usual suspects of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have played the roles demanded out of their combined eight All-Star appearances. But this is truly a story about how the rest of the team has come together to succeed.

Injuries early in the playoffs to Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo have seen star performances come out of the likes of Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent – two third-season role players performing at their playoff best.

Martin averaged 4.5 points a game in the playoffs last year, but now averages 14.1 points in this postseason run. His performances in Games 2, 6, and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals were highlight-reel worthy.

The same can be said for Vincent, whose 22 points in Game 5 of the first round helped eliminate the Bucks earlier than many expected. His 29-point outburst in Game 3 of the conference finals was equally noteworthy.

Top notch games have also been had from the likes of Max Strus and Duncan Robinson as Miami looks to win its first title since the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh era in 2013.

But they’ll have to get past the Western Conference’s top team, the Denver Nuggets, who took Game 1. Nikola Jokic should prove to be a problem and their role players like Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Aaron Gordon have been equally phenomenal.

NHL

A Floridian hockey team has made the Stanley Cup Finals for four years in a row – with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning two of three appearances. Now, it’s the Panthers turn. 

Yet, they should not have even made the playoffs – let alone the final. If the Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t lose to Chicago and Columbus – two of the worst teams in the league – in their last two games of the season, they would have gone to the playoffs over Florida.

Florida should have lost to the Boston Bruins – the best regular season team in league history. But Bruins coach Jim Montgomery abandoned the goalie rotation that served him well this year and watched as Boston ruined series-clinching chances in Game 5 and Game 7.

They should have lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs – one of the most well-crafted offensive units in the league. But Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander combined to score just three goals in five games after they totaled 110 goals together in the regular season.

The Panthers should have lost to the Carolina Hurricanes – one of the top defensive teams in the league. But a regular season injury to Andrei Svechnikov and playoff injuries to Ondrej Kase, Stefan Noesen, and Max Pacioretty hampered their offensive output and the ‘Canes got swept out of the playoffs – losing each game by one goal.

It’s perhaps too easy to say that on paper, the Panthers don’t deserve to be here. But they’ve shown their tenacity and have ridden a hot goaltending performance from Sergei Bobrovsky all the way to the cup final for the second time in their history.

Thanks to Bobrovsky and amazing outings from Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe, the Panthers could become the second eight-seed to win the Stanley Cup – joining the 2012 Los Angeles Kings.

But much like their NBA counterparts, the Panthers will also need to beat the best from the West in the Vegas Golden Knights. They too have a great goaltender in Adin Hill and plenty of scoring options from Jack Eichel to William Karlsson to former Panther Jonathan Marchessault to keep Florida busy.

College Basketball

Since 2000, only four states have had multiple schools in the Final Four: Kentucky (Louisville and Kentucky in 2012), Texas (Baylor and Houston in 2021), North Carolina (Duke and UNC in 2022) and now, Florida (Miami and Florida Atlantic in 2023).

While the first six schools all had great basketball traditions, the same could not be said for Florida’s two representatives.

The University of Miami has a great sports tradition, but they hadn’t found significant success on the basketball court until recently. After falling in the Elite Eight in 2022 to eventual title winners Kansas, head coach Jim Larranaga helped lead his ‘Canes all the way to Houston and the 2023 Final Four – their first ever appearance at that stage.

Florida Atlantic University had also never made a Final Four but their sporting success was not so evident.

Coming into 2023, the Owls had never won a game in the NCAA Tournament – and had only appeared once before in March Madness all the way back in 2002.

But this year, head coach Dusty May led FAU to their best regular season ever – winning the Conference USA title and entering the Big Dance as a severely underrated nine seed.

Not only did Florida Atlantic win their first tournament game ever, they ran the table all the way to join Miami in Houston on the opposite side of the bracket – setting up the potential for an all-Florida championship game.

But while both team’s journeys ended before the title game – as Miami fell to champions UConn and FAU suffered a heartbreaking buzzer beater to San Diego State – their appearances were surprising and inspiring. 

MLB

Florida hasn’t had a World Series winner since 2003, when the then-Florida Marlins upset the New York Yankees to claim their second crown.

Since then, the Tampa Bay Rays have picked up the baton as Florida’s top baseball team – reaching the World Series in 2008 and 2020, but losing both times.

The Rays repeated their AL East title in 2021, but lost to Boston in the divisional series. They lost early in the playoffs again in 2022 – falling to Cleveland in the Wild Card round.

Similar success has not followed their counterparts to the south in the Marlins. Ever since winning the 2003 title, they’ve made just one playoff appearance in the 2020 bubble season – where they got swept in the NLDS.

But so far this season, the prospects of both teams looks higher than ever.

Tampa Bay is by far the best team in the major leagues – ending May as the first team to 40 wins and sitting atop MLB’s standings. They’re one of five teams to have lost less than 10 games at home.

Meanwhile in Miami, the Marlins are fighting for a Wild Card spot in what should be a tough NL East division. They’re led by the likes of Luis Arraez – whose .376 batting average is best in the league – and Jorge Soler with his 17 home runs.

If they both make the playoffs, it’ll be the second time in MLB history that happens.

Formula One 

If the Monaco Grand Prix represents the ‘old money’ in the ever so lucrative world of motorsport, consider the Miami Grand Prix as ‘Monaco for the Nouveau Riche’.  

In the second ever running of the Miami Grand Prix, the celebrities, influencers, athletes, and anyone lucky enough to get a ticket got a better race than the previous year.

Much like Monaco, the racing itself may not be as exciting or close as on tracks such as Spa, Silverstone, or Suzuka.

But in spite of that, the spectacle itself is grand and full of an air of anticipation that few other grands prix rival.

This season, we were treated to a race much more compelling than its inaugural predecessor around the Hard Rock Stadium.

A crash off the first turn between Nyck de Vries and Lando Norris began the carbon fiber carnage that was expected.

While the result may have not surprised many – a Max Verstappen victory – the Dutchman truly made a show out of it.

Starting from P9, the Red Bull champion scythed his way through the pack – overtaking teammate Sergio Perez within the final laps of the race and holding off an ambitious tire change from his counterpart.

Verstappen extended his lead atop the driver’s championship as the first chapter of the newly minted American Formula One triumvirate closed – with races in Texas and Las Vegas to come.

NFL 

Last season was the first time in over two decades that the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Miami Dolphins all advanced to the NFL playoffs. It’s not likely that feat will be repeated this season.

While the Dolphins and Jaguars will likely be in contention for a spot, the Buccaneers will likely suffer after the retirement of future Hall-of-Famer Tom Brady.

It leaves the Bucs in transition – with a current quarterback room of ex-Browns starter Baker Mayfield and second-year passer Kyle Trask.

Meanwhile in Jacksonville, their dramatic comeback victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card game has inspired the team to now being the favorites to win the AFC South.

With quarterback Trevor Lawrence leading a young offense opposite a burgeoning talented defense, the Jaguars should be a sneaky good team in the 2023 season.

But all eyes in Florida football may be on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, whose concussion filled 2022 season was controversial and led to a deeper look into how head injuries are dealt within the league.

It’s not likely that this team does well if Tagovailoa goes down – even with offensive weapons like Tyreek Hill on the team. 

While Mike White will likely be a better backup option than Skylar Thompson, this team showed that they are rudderless without a QB of Tagovailoa’s caliber at the helm. 

The Dolphins will surely be a team to watch for – especially in a competitive AFC East that just added Aaron Rodgers and hosts perennial MVP candidate Josh Allen. 

College football

The sport that Florida may have the best history in is also currently the state’s worst – as its major programs are currently in transition.

Both the University of Florida and the University of Miami are entering the second years of new projects with head coaches Billy Napier and Mario Cristobal, respectively. 

Neither made a great impression in 2022. The Gators of Florida limped into a bowl game at 6-6 before losing to Oregon State 30-3. Miami never made a bowl as the Hurricanes suffered with a 5-7 record after months of hype.

Two other schools also face transition periods as they join new conferences. The University of Central Florida will make the jump to a ‘Power Five’ group in the Big XII as Florida Atlantic makes a half step up from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference.

If there’s any hope for success in college football this season, it lies in the state capital of Tallahassee and Florida State.

The Seminoles are poised for a breakout year under Mike Norvell and could challenge for an ACC title – or even a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

After years of underachieving (by the school’s standards), FSU is ready for a return to national relevancy and could bring glory back to Doak Campbell Stadium.

Florida’s moment in the sun is a bright one for now, but it could burn out quick and fast.

Take New York City for example. After the metro area’s nine Big Four sports teams took home a combined five titles in the 2000’s, the self-professed ‘Greatest City in the World’ hasn’t held a ticker-tape parade since the 2011-12 season, after the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI. 

Since then, the Mets have made and lost the World Series, the Yankees have made and lost three ALCS appearances, the Rangers and Devils have both lost in the Stanley Cup Final, the Islanders have lost twice in the conference finals, and the  Jets, Giants, Knicks, and Nets failed to make impressions in the playoffs.

Even Boston – the most successful American sports city in the 21st century so far has seen heartbreak for the Bruins (2019) and Celtics (2022) in championship series’ since their city’s last title.

Whether or not the state – and South Florida in particular – can seize their moment remains to be seen. 

The weight of hosting the NHL and NBA finals is a heavy occasion for any sports city – and hasn’t been done since 2003, when New Jersey saw the Devils and Nets make their respective championship series.

That year, only the Devils came out on top – beating the Ducks in seven games – as the Nets fell to the Shaq and Kobe led Lakers in six.

As the Heat seek their first title since 2013 and the Panthers try to win their first ever crown, attention will turn to the Sunshine State – whose moment in the sun could last a lifetime or just these few weeks.