Sports In Columbia And South Carolina

College sports

College sports — particularly college football — are very big in South Carolina. The Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers have a huge following that draws more than 70,000 spectators at the schools’ home football games, placing them among the top twenty schools in average attendance. Clemson’s football team won the National Championship in 1981, 2016 and 2018. Both South Carolina’s and Clemson’s baseball teams are consistently ranked. The Gamecocks won the national title in 2010 and 2011.

South Carolina’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have made it to the Final Four with the Women’s team winning the NCAA Championship in 2017 and was in the top 2 at the time Covid-19 hit in 2020 and were favored to win the 2020 Championship.

The Clemson Tigers additionally have an ice hockey team that competes at club level in the South Division of the Atlantic Coastal Conference.

NASCAR

The professional sport of NASCAR racing was born in the South and South Carolina has in the past hosted some very important NASCAR races, at the Darlington Raceway.

Golf

 With the almost year round mild weather South Carolina is a popular golf destination. With nearly one hundred golf courses. Some have hosted PGA and LGPA events in the past, but most have been designed for the casual golfer.
Places like Hilton Head Island & Kiawah Island have several very nice golf courses and host professional events every year.