Despite being one of the smallest states, New Jersey is home to some of the most interesting sports teams nationwide. There might be a bit of a grey area where team origin is concerned.
Due to the Garden State’s proximity to New York, many Jersey teams actually have “New York” in their name. However, many of them play their matches within New Jersey and have become associated with the state.
NJ sports betting is now legal and local punters are making the most of this. This article presents some of the most successful sports teams to come from the area.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are located within the Garden State and are among the most talented teams to have competed in the National Hockey League. They fight for the top honors in ice hockey to this day, and their matches take place at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Devils have won the prestigious Stanley Cup three times.
Brooklyn Nets
The former New Jersey Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012. This is one of the saddest events in New Jersey sports history for locals. Notable players include Jason Kidd and Buck Williams. They played for the original Jersey team, which was formed in 1977 and ceased to exist in 2012.
While the Nets didn’t win a league title during this time, they did win two eastern NBA conferences. They took sixth place in the Eastern Conference in the 2018-19 season.
The Giants and the Jets
The New York Giants are a key element of New Jersey culture, as all of their games have taken place at MetLife Stadium since 2010. Eli Manning, Frank Gifford, and Sam Huff are among the most famous players.
The team celebrated its 85th anniversary after winning the Super Bowl four times. Their most recent win was in 2011.
The Jets and the Giants have something of a ‘sibling rivalry.’ They share MetLife Stadium, and the rivalry attracts a lot of fans to the venue.
As they’ve won the Super Bowl just once, which was back in 1969, the Jets are considered the underdogs in the local football scene. Still, they reached the league playoffs 12 times in the last 40 years.
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is a professional women’s soccer team in Piscataway, New Jersey. There are eight other such teams in the US. Sky Blue won the first WPS competition in 2009 but ranked fourth in the regular season. They reached the semifinals in 2013.
Carli Lloyd is a member of Sky Blue FC. This famous international soccer player scored three goals in the World Cup final of 2015. She is also from New Jersey.
College sports
Three universities in New Jersey are noteworthy in terms of sports, and not only that. The first is Princeton, whose Tigers are quite popular in the state. The Pirates of Seton Hall University are in the Big East Conference. The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University are in the Big Ten Conference.
Princeton and Rutgers have been adversaries since their first football faceoff in 1869. They play different sports every year. Seton Hall’s basketball team is one of the most successful in the Big East.
