What are New Jersey's Favorite Sports?

New Jersey is a fascinating place when it comes to sports as it sits next door to neighboring New York⎯a lot of the biggest sports teams based in New Jersey don’t actually use the state in their name!

For example, the New York Red Bulls soccer team play in, you’ve guessed it…New Jersey.

The state is full of sports lovers and in this guide, we’ll explain some of the teams in the region. Online sportsbook operators are legal in the area and many people like to check out the latest betting offers and gamble on some of the state’s sports teams.

Let’s dive into some of the sports that are loved in the state of New Jersey.

Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is in the news at the moment in this area due to the fact that the New Jersey Devils have just managed to make it to the playoffs in their regional division for the first time in five years.

The NJ Devils have an interesting history as they haven’t always been based in the region. They used to be based in Colorado, nearly 2,000 miles away.

They relocated in the 1990s and have become known as the Devils, appearing in five separate Stanley Cup Finals and winning in 1995, 2000, and 2003.

In 2007, their home at the Prudential Center was opened. This incredible, purpose-built venue can stage up to 19,500 spectators and regularly sells out, proving that the people of NJ certainly do enjoy their hockey.

Junior teams also use the arena as the coaches try to develop the next generation of talent.

Football

Onto some of the quirky teams who may claim to be New York teams but actually play in New Jersey.

Football gives us the best examples of this as two huge teams, the New York Giants and the New York Jets both play home fixtures at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

If you go to their websites they describe their teams as being based in the “New York Metropolitan Area,” but their stadium is over in neighboring NJ.

This stadium is not small, either. Over 80,000 fans cram in there on busy match days and while there are undoubtedly plenty of people making the short trip from New York, plenty of residents of NJ also follow the sport and the teams.

Basketball

Basketball is absolutely huge across America, and while at face value it doesn’t look like New Jersey has a team, the Brooklyn Nets have actually been based in New Jersey multiple times in their history.

Though those who want to watch the team now have to head to Brooklyn to do so, there are plenty who still follow having watched the Nets play in their original NJ home. These two states are linked in pretty much every sport, it seems.

While playing in NJ, the Nets reached the NBA Finals in two NBA seasons back-to-back⎯in 2001–02 and 2002–03⎯but didn’t manage to win on either occasion.

Golf

Golf is also huge in the region, in fact, people come from far and wide to enjoy the facilities in the state.

The Pine Valley Golf Club is one of the most famous golf clubs in the world and has been ranked the best in the world on multiple occasions. From 2002−2023, the course won the “Best Golf Course in the United States” award from Golf Magazine.

There are plenty of other courses in the state too, including Bernardsville-based Somerset Hills. Whether you want to play or watch, New Jersey is a great place to get involved in the sport of golf.

Baseball

It may surprise you to learn that baseball is so huge in the region, because there isn’t a top baseball team based in New Jersey.

The teams that are from the region play in minor leagues, but like all of the other sports on this list, there are close links to New York⎯where you can enjoy the Mets or the Yankees, who are both huge teams with a global appeal.

Soccer

The New York Red Bulls, formerly the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, were involved in the inaugural season of the MLS.

The team has been one of the main reasons why soccer has grown so much in the US in recent years. When they sold to Red Bull and took on the branding - the team went on to receive global acclaim. They’ve also signed some huge megastars, like Thierry Henry.

They now compete in the Hudson River Derby, too. As relative newcomers New York City FC entered the league in 2015 and now compete in the same tournaments.

As you can see, just like lots of the other names on this list, we’re relying on the famous New York and New Jersey linkup, which is evident in a lot of the biggest teams that compete in this part of the country. New Jersey is a region that loves sports, even if it does have to share a lot of teams with its neighboring state.