Southwest Florida is a sports vacation destination where sporting activity never takes days the day off.
Countless people flock to the region for sports, some as participants and some as spectators. And some, presumably, for both.
Four Major League Baseball teams call the area their spring-training headquarters. Fans flock to see the 15 big-league teams that train in Florida, with 11 other teams scattered not all that far away from Southwest Florida.
The other 15 big-league teams are very far away, training in Arizona. Spring training’s Grapefruit League is a short window of opportunity for local fans and northern tourists as teams play practice games preparing for the crucible of a 162-game regular season.
In 2025, there were 231 games played in a bit more than a month, Feb. 22 to March 25. Three of the four teams that train in Southwest Florida attracted more than 100,000 in that short time.
The Boston Red Sox attracted 133,881 fans to JetBlue Park in Fort Myers. It’s been their home sine 2012. They previously played at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers from 1993 to 2011.
The Minnesota Twins attracted 106,836 fans to the Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers. It’s been their home since 1991.
The Atlanta Braves had 100,855 fans flock to their home games at CoolToday Park in North Port. Only the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park failed to crack the 100,000 barrier.
The Rays had 64,395 fans attend their home games.
Although fans flocked to Southwest Florida spring-training venues and provided boffo box-office numbers that did not translate to banner seasons for the area’s four teams.
Three of the four failed to make the Major League Baseball playoffs. The only team to snag a postseason berth was the Red Sox. They were eliminated in the wild-card round by their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees.
The Yankees hold spring training in Tampa.
All those fans at all those games do more than purchase hot dogs from ballpark vendors. They stay in hotels, dine in restaurants, drink in bars and grab coffee at local coffee shops.
They pay bills and leave tips for servers. It adds up.
The Florida Sports Foundation pegs the annual economic impact of spring training on the state at $687.1 million. That pays for lots of hot dogs.
Many of those fans presumably also spend part of their days as more than spectators.
Maybe they played a round of golf in the morning at a local course or some Pickleball or tennis before heading to one of the local stadiums.
Maybe they headed to a bowling alley after a game or went for an evening run following a game.
Or maybe after a baseball game at JetBlue Park or the Lee Health Sports Complex, many fans drove a few miles south to Hertz Arena to see the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, a local minor-league hockey team.
The Everblades averaged 6,578 fans during the 2025-25 season. The Hertz Arena listed capacity is 7,084, so that means the Everblades nearly filled the arena for all the home games.
Joining the Southwest Florida sports lineup earlier this year was professional soccer, FC Naples of the United Soccer League.
In its inaugural season, FC Naples proved there is an appetite for a pro sports team in Collier County. FC Naples averaged 3,558 fans at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex stadium, which has a listed seating capacity of 3,500 with room for more fans on berms.
Just up the road, across the county line, the Everblades and the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels minor-league baseball team of the Florida State League play in Lee County, as do the Red Sox and Twins.
Although it was a rough year on the field for the Mighty Mussels, the franchise has a grand local tradition.
The 2025 Mussels were 52-73. Its 0.416 winning percentage was the worst in the FSL.
But over the years, as the Mussels, or its previous incarnation, the Miracle, the franchise has won championships and produced outstanding players. Hall of Famers David Ortiz and Joe Mauer played for the Miracle on their respective march through the minor leagues and induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. When the franchise was known as “The Miracle,” it won FSL titles in 2014 and 2018.
The Everblades have been even more successful, winning the Kelly Cup, emblematic of the ECHL title, in 2012, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The Everblades were also ECHL runner-up in 2004, 2005 and 2018.
The region is also home to three thriving collegiate athletic programs competing at various levels.
Florida Gulf Coast University boasts Division 1 teams in 15 sports.
The most successful program at the Lee County school is women’s basketball, which has won 12 Atlantic Sun Conference championships since 2012. The school’s basketball and volleyball teams play home games and matches in 4,500-seat Alico Arena, an on-campus facility.
Florida SouthWestern State College is a JUCO powerhouse winning conference and national championships in various sports. The Bucs field five teams and play home volleyball and basketball games in a 3,500-seat on-campus facility, Suncoast Credit Union Arena.
As autumn began, the volleyball team, coming off three successive national championships, was ranked No. 1 in the national poll.
Down in Collier County, Ave Maria University plays in 24 sports in NAIA competition. In addition to the usual sports such as football, basketball and indoor volleyball, the Gyrenes have teams in Pickleball, dance, and beach volleyball.
Speaking of Pickleball. ….
A short drive from Ave Maria in Collier County is the site of the Minto U.S. Open Pickleball championships, which are held every spring.
The event website touts it as “The Biggest Pickleball Party in the World!”
The 2025 Open attracted 3,450 players who participated in 5,600 matches. The games were watched by about 55,000 spectators at the USOP National Pickleball Center at the East Naples Community Park.
That’s quite a party, indeed.
Naples is also home to the Chubb Classic, a stop on the PGA Tour, which was once known as the Senior PGA Tour and Champions Tour.
By whatever its name, it has become a Collier County fixture since it was launched in 1988. The event has been played at several Collier County courses, but has been at the Tiburon Golf Club since 2021.
Whatever the sport, whether it’s golf or pickleball or baseball or volleyball, Southwest Florida remains a prime sports destination.
With abundant sunshine and 12 months of warm weather, Southwest Florida is essentially a non-stop sports party.
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