Newport News has been the home to sports franchises, including the
semi-pro football Mason Dixon League's Peninsula Pirates and Peninsula
Poseidons and now the Virginia Crusaders.[61] The Christopher Newport University Captains field fourteen sports and compete in the USA South Athletic Conference in Division III of the NCAA.[62]
High school sports (especially football) play a large role in the city's culture. Sporting stars such as Michael Vick, Mike Tomlin, Al Toon, Aaron Brooks and Antoine Bethea are from Newport News. The city's stadium, John B. Todd Stadium,
houses five high schools' worth of football games usually spread over
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The stadium also holds the
schools' track and field meets.[63][64]
Additional sports options can be found just outside Newport News. On the collegiate level, the College of William and Mary, Hampton University, Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University offer NCAA Division I athletics. Virginia Wesleyan College also provides sports at the NCAA Division III level. The Peninsula Pilots play just outside the city limits at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton. The Pilots play in the Coastal Plain League, a summer baseball league. In Norfolk, the Norfolk Tides of the International League and the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. In Virginia Beach, the Hampton Roads Piranhas field men's and women's professional soccer teams.[65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72] The Atlantic 10 Conference has been headquartered in Newport News since 2009.
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