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, is scheduled to host Memphis on Friday night. The Bulls had not released a football-specific update as of Monday afternoon, but the school’s campuses are already closed through at least Thursday. One men’s soccer game scheduled for Tuesday night has been postponed.
The NHL’s Lightning’s final preseason game against the Predators, scheduled for Monday night in Nashville, was canceled Sunday. Tampa Bay opens its NHL season Friday night at Carolina, and is scheduled to host the Hurricanes back in Florida on Saturday night.
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. FBS program Jacksonville State is scheduled to host New Mexico State on Wednesday evening.
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.
