Sports & Recreation

As one of the nation’s most sporting destinations, New Haven welcomes world-class athletes and every year with events like the New Haven Road Race, the New Haven Grand Prix and the Closer to Free Ride. Yale Golf Course is one the Top100 golf courses in the U.S. and a handful of professional and collegiate sports teams including the Yale Bulldogs, New Haven offers boundless indoor and outdoor opportunities for fans and athletes alike.

From the football field to the hockey rink, Yale’s athletic teams boast a riveting tradition of excellence in year-round competition. Football season calls for Saturday afternoons at the Yale Bowl, where thousands of fans converge every year to cheer on the Bulldogs and vie for a coveted ‘selfie’ with his majesty, Handsome Dan XVIII. As any knowledgeable sports fan knows, there’s no rivalry more deep-seated than Yale’s beef with Harvard, and every year’s infamous Ivy League showdown (famously referred to as the “The Game”) is always more riveting than the last. Fun fact: Walter Camp, the Godfather of U.S. Football rules, was a Yale alum.