With tons of die-hard fans, three major league sports teams, and a long history of sports dedication, Pittsburgh is truly a great sports town. Few things define Pittsburgh like the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL team, who go down in history as one of the greatest NFL franchises of all time and have one of the largest fan bases in all of American football. The Steelers play all their home games at Acrisure Stadium (renamed from Heinz Field in 2022, but most locals still use the old name) in the North Side. Also in the North Side is PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB team. While the Pirates had a hard go of it for two decades, they've found new energy and manage to keep a loyal fan base, with a ballpark that is considered one of the most beautiful in the major leagues.
Pittsburgh is home to the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL team, who play Downtown at PPG Paints Arena.
College sports are very big in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) are very popular in the region, with teams in a variety of sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the so-called "Power Five conferences" of NCAA Division I. The men's and women's basketball teams have been very competitive lately, with the men's frequently ranking in the top 15 in the NCAA basketball playoffs. Both basketball teams play at the Petersen Events Center on the Pitt campus in Oakland. The Panthers football team is quite popular; they share Acrisure Stadium with the Steelers. The city has a second NCAA Division I program in the Duquesne Dukes of Duquesne University near Downtown, whose basketball and football teams remain popular, though unlike the Panthers, the Dukes football team plays in the second-level Division I FCS. For a Division III school, the Carnegie Mellon Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland enjoy a high level of popularity. The Robert Morris Colonials of Robert Morris University, also a Division I program (FCS for football), are in the northwest suburb of Moon Township.
Pittsburgh is home to a minor league soccer team, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, who play on the South Side in the second-level USL Championship. They've expressed a desire to join Major League Soccer by 2023.
