Update: Hurricane Milton Forcing Teams to Scramble As Storm Nears

Several professional and college sports teams are likely to be impacted by Hurricane Milton, which intensified to a Category 5 storm Monday. 

A projected path has it making landfall in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday, leading to evacuation orders by local and state officials.

The NFL’s Buccaneers announced they would leave Tampa on Tuesday morning to travel to New Orleans, where they will stay for the remainder of the week, ahead of Sunday afternoon’s game against the Saints. Coaches and players’ media availability will be conducted virtually. 

The University of South Florida, which plays its home games at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium, delayed its home game against Memphis, scheduled for Friday night, to Saturday night. The Bulls are relocating their football operations to Orlando for the remainder of the week, and the school’s campuses are closed through at least Thursday. One men’s soccer game scheduled for Tuesday night was also postponed. 

The NHL’s Lightning left departed the Tampa area Tuesday and traveled to Raleigh, where they will open the season against the Hurricanes on Friday night. The teams are still scheduled to play back in Florida on Saturday night. The Lightning’s final preseason game against the Predators, scheduled for Monday night in Nashville, was canceled Sunday.

Last week, the ownership groups of the Buccaneers and Lightning donated $1 million and $2 million, respectively, to relief efforts surrounding damage from Hurricane Helene.

Impact Outside of Tampa

Jacksonville could also be hit by Hurricane Milton. The NFL’s Jaguars are still scheduled to depart Thursday evening to London for a 10-day trip and a pair of games in the U.K., but they are monitoring the situation, head coach Doug Pederson said Monday.

Miami is not in the direct projected hurricane path, and the Dolphins are on a bye week. The University of Miami also has an off week.

The University of Central Florida is scheduled to host Cincinnati in Orlando on Saturday afternoon. The football team’s X account said they were “actively tracking Hurricane Milton and its possible effects on this weekend’s matchup.” In the SEC, Florida is scheduled to play at Tennessee on Saturday.