Choose your sporting passion, there's plenty here

South entrance, Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, where the University of Iowa Hawkeyes play / Gazette file photo

Iowa.com

Iowans love their sports, whether playing recreationally or attending one of the state's many sports venues. And no matter your favorite sports flavor, you'll be able to sample it somewhere in Iowa.

Prep sports

If you like the unpredictability, raw talent and adrenaline-pumping action of high school athletics, then check out the numerous games throughout Iowa. Iowa Prep Sports follows the action.

Here's a roundup of some of the state's many sports opportunities.

Football

Iowans get jazzed about football. There are lots of athletic events happening in the state in the winter, spring and summer, but football fans swarm to the state's college stadiums starting in late August. Black and gold clad Hawkeye fans cheer for the University of Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, part of the Big Ten Conference, while Iowa State University fans celebrate the red and gold of the Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames as part of the Big 12 Conference. Panther fans are proud to wear the purple and gold of the University of Northern Iowa at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, where they compete in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Arena football season runs March to July, and the Iowa Barnstormers, part of the af2 arena football league, keep it lively in Des Moines.

Wrestling

From undefeated Iowa State wrestler Cael Sanderson's appearance on a Wheaties box to a reference in the teen sitcom "Saved by the Bell," the terms "Iowa" and "wrestling" have become virtually synonymous worldwide.

In college wrestling, the University of Iowa has won 22 NCAA championships, all since 1975, establishing the program firmly on the national stage and leading to Sports Illustrated naming Iowa wrestling program one of the top sports dynasties of the 20^th century. The Hawkeyes have also won 31 Big Ten titles and crowned 74 individual NCAA champions. Iowa State, meanwhile, has won eight NCAA team titles, and the University of Northern Iowa won the team crown in 1950.

Former Iowa coach Dan Gable is arguably the most famous figure in amateur wrestling history, leading the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA team titles between 1976 and 1998. Gable, a Waterloo native, lost only one match in his entire collegiate career, and won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

High school wrestling is also alive and well in Iowa, with the annual state wrestling championships serving as one of the most iconic high school athletic events in Iowa.

Iowa is also the home of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Musuem and Museum in Waterloo, which chronicles the sport's storied history on both the amateur and professional levels.

Hockey

Hockey is alive and well in Iowa.  Teams like the Waterloo Blackhawks, Sioux City Musketeers, Dubuque Thunderbirds, Des Moines Buccaneers, the Iowa Chops and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders take to the ice and continue to wow fans across the state.

Basketball

Collegiate basketball offers plenty of excitement in Iowa, including Division I men's programs for the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Iowa State Cyclones, the UNI Panthers and the Drake Bulldogs. All four schools also have top-notch women's programs.

Track & Field

The spring brings the famed Drake Relays, an outdoor track meet held on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines. The four-day event draws of thousands of spectators from the state to view national men and women competitors along with the state's premier prep athletes.

Baseball

In baseball, fans of the sport can follow the Burlington Bees (MLPBC), Burlington; Cedar Rapids Kernels (MLPBC), Cedar Rapids; Clinton Lumberkings (MLPB), Clinton; Quad Cities River Bandits (MLBC), Davenport; Sioux City Explorers (American Association), Sioux City; Waterloo Bucks (Northwoods League), Waterloo; and Iowa Cubs (AAA), Des Moines.

Auto racing

According to a recent report on Iowa Public Television's Iowa Journal, Iowa has more auto racing tracks per capita than any other state. Iowa's 79 tracks include everything from high-profile venues like the Iowa Speedway in Newton, which hosts Indy Racing League and NASCAR Nationwide Series races, and the Knoxville Raceway (dubbed the "Sprint Car Capital of the World"), to dozens of dirt tracks across the state and even a dragway in the Eddyville Raceway Park. So if you're a race fan, chances are you'll be able to find a venue in Iowa to suit your motorsports interests. For more on Iowa's auto racing scene, check out Racing in Iowa.

Soccer

In soccer, Iowa's only United Soccer Leagues team is the Des Moines Menace. And actually, the team plays in the Premier Development League (PDL), an entry level of the United Soccer Leagues (USL). The Menace is part of the Heartland Division of the PDL's Central Conference and competes against divisional opponents from Boulder, Colo., Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis, Mo., and Thunder Bay, Ont., Canada. The Menace has reached the PDL playoffs eight times since its 1994 inaugural season. winning the PDL championship in 2005.

Your Turn: Who plays better football: The Hawkeyes or the Cyclones? Comment on this page or start a conversation in iTalk.