5 Reasons why Long Beach, California is a great city for all sports fans to visit
The seventh most populous city within the state of California, Long Beach has well over 400,000 residents. It is also a mecca for tourism, given that it is a hub for cruise ships and home to both Long Beach Airport and one of the world's largest shipping ports.
As Long Beach is only 20-something miles away from Los Angeles -- the second largest metropolitan area within the United States -- often it is easy to forget how much of an impact Long Beach has had and continues to have on the sports world.
This not only pertain to sporting events and their participating athletes but also the tremendous sports-related history that has taken place in Long Beach since the city became incorporated in 1897.
I had the pleasure of visiting Long Beach for four days in July 2019, and over the course of the time spent there I had the chance to experience the latest and greatest that the city had to offer.
Below and on the following pages are reasons why Long Beach, California is a great city for sports fans, while more on Long Beach can be found online by visiting www.visitlongbeach.com.
#1 Its Live Venues
The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a multi-venue space which is host to the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach Arena and the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. The Long Beach Arena specifically has been host to numerous hockey and basketball events.
The Long Beach Arena was the site of volleyball events from the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. It has also been played host to the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Rounds of 64 and 32, the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament from 1989 to 1993, 2017's New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Special in the U.S., and the 2018 mixed martial events known as PFL 9.
The Grand Prix of Long Beach, as started in 1975, is held in the streets near the Convention Center. Also nearby is the Long Beach Marathon, which takes place annually in October.
It has not yet been announced where all events of the 2028 Summer Olympics will be taking place, but it is anticipated that its BMX cycling, water polo, swimming, sailing, handball and triathlon events will be held in Long Beach.