SPORTS
Southern Indiana is a hotbed for sports off all kinds .
BELOW : The field races for the finish line during the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby at
Churchill Downs in May 2021 .
High school rivalries , especially those on the basketball court , are taken very seriously in the area
If you prefer participatory sports , Clark , Floyd and Harrison counties are home to many golf courses . Included among those are Covered Bridge and Champions Pointe , which are owned by 1979 Masters champion and 1984 U . S . Open champ Fuzzy Zoeller .
If auto racing is more up your alley , the area features Sportsdrome Speed-way , which will begin its 75th year of racing in March .
Across the Ohio River , Louisville has a lot to offer .
Churchill Downs is home to the Kentucky Derby , which is known as the “ most exciting two minutes in sports .” Traditionally the first jewel of horse racing ’ s Triple Crown draws more than 100,000 spectators .
There are several professional sports as well .
The Louisville Bats baseball team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds . The bats ’ home , Louisville Slug-ger Field , is regarded as one of the top minor league ballparks in the country . The Bats have plenty of giveaways , theme nights and fireworks shows throughout their season .
The Louisville City Football Club is a two-time champion of the United Soc-cer League . LouCity plays in state-of-the-art Lynn Family Stadium .
The Racing Louisville Football Club is a popular team as part of the National Women ’ s Soccer League ( NWSL ). The team plays its home games at Lynn Stadium in Louisville .
If college sports are more your thing , the University of Louisville has 21 varsity sports programs , many of which are traditionally nationally-ranked and play in state-of-the-art facilities . In 2016 , Lamar Jackson became the school ’ s first Heisman Trophy winner .