Common and Unique Sports Watched and Played in the Islands

Caribbean visitors might think they would play golf, sail, and snorkel all the time if they lived in the islands, but Caribbean residents themselves have a much broader range of interests when it comes to sports. If it’s true that the way people play says a lot about how they live, then visitors can learn a lot (and have a great time, too) by joining the crowd at these popular Caribbean pastimes.

Cricket

Cricket is a significant sport throughout the former British colonies (and current members of the Commonwealth) in the Caribbean. In Trinidad, for example, Brian Lara, who holds the individual cricket scoring record with 501 runs in a match, is a national hero. In Bermuda, the biggest holiday of the year is not the Queen’s birthday but rather Cup Match, a two-day midsummer festival where the entire island shuts down for the match between the Somerset Cricket Club and the St. George’s Cricket Club.

The West Indies is a world cricket powerhouse, and cricket ovals can be found in Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Trinidad & Tobago — all were match hosts during the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

Baseball

Baseball is played with fiery passion in the Dominican Republic, which has sent dozens of players to the major leagues and hosts a popular Winter League that features both established and up-and-coming stars. Moreover, baseball is also huge in Cuba, and visitors can attend festive Cuba National League games in cities like Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, and Holguin. The Curacao Little League is a perennial international powerhouse that has produced notable players like Andruw Jones and Xander Bogaerts. Furthermore, MLB Winter League baseball is also played in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Soccer

As is true the world over, soccer ranks among the most popular sports in the Caribbean, where most nations participate in FIFA’s CONCACAF federation. They compete in the annual CONCACAF Champions League, while regional teams challenge for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, held biannually, and the Digicel Caribbean Cup, another popular tournament. Consequently, teams like the Soca Warriors of Trinidad & Tobago and the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica attract huge crowds and play for national pride year-round under the sunny Caribbean skies.

Horse Racing

Although horse racing isn’t automatically associated with the Caribbean, the “sport of kings” enjoys popularity on islands like Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Nevis, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, and St. Croix (which also features dog racing). Perhaps the most famous and tourist-friendly events are the Barbados Turf Club races at Garrison Savannah, located just outside Bridgetown. This Turf Club runs three annual meets featuring thoroughbred racing, parimutuel gambling, and an upscale atmosphere infused with Caribbean flavor and British charm. The Nevis Turf and Jockey Club hosts monthly meets at the Indian Castle Race Track, a colorful combination of racing, BBQ, and Carnival festivities, while the action in Martinique occurs at the Hippodrome de Carrère in Lamentin.

Polo

Polo may not have the widespread appeal of cricket or horse racing, but it remains popular in Barbados, where the Barbados Polo Club regularly hosts public matches at Holders in St. James and other locations across the island. Jamaica and the Dominican Republic also have their teams, with the Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic offering three polo fields.

Auto Racing

Aruba is a unique destination with quirky attractions, and among them is the Aruba International Raceway Park, featuring drag racing, street-legal races, motorcycle races, and more. The racetrack is conveniently located in St. Nicholas.

Curacao also shines as a racing hotspot, home to the Curacao International Raceway, which hosts an international drag-racing festival each spring. Additionally, informal drag racing can be found at the former Pearls airstrip in Grenada and Waller Field in Trinidad.

Goat Racing and Crab Racing

Tobago’s Buccoo village is home to a uniquely Trini tradition known as goat racing, a quirky alternative to horse racing. Since 1925, goats and their “jockeys” have competed on a 100-yard track during the Buccoo Goat Race Festival, held on the Tuesday after Easter. The competition features jockeys running barefoot while using twigs to encourage their goats to speed up. There’s plenty of drinking and gambling, creating an atmosphere resembling a “real” racecourse, complete with stables, trainers, and even a post parade. Furthermore, Buccoo hosts another entertaining event known as crab racing, where blue crabs are guided with strings and bamboo poles towards the finish line — a surprisingly engaging spectacle.

Cockfighting

Despite its controversy, cockfighting is ingrained in the local culture in various parts of the Caribbean, especially in Puerto Rico, where the sport remains immensely popular and generates hundreds of millions of dollars in betting annually. If one wishes to experience the excitement surrounding this sport — where two roosters fight, often to the death — the best place is in San Juan. Here, visitors can walk to the relatively tourist-friendly Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico from the resorts in Isla Verde. Notably, Vieques features well-regarded “gayelles,” or cockfighting pits. Cockfighting is also widespread in the Dominican Republic, boasting around 1,500 certified cockfighting venues, and is popular in Cuba and Haiti.

Bullfighting

Although the Spanish attempted to introduce bullfighting in their Caribbean colonies, including Cuba, the only location in the region where this sport persists is in Mexico. Cancun, situated in the Mexican Caribbean, hosts a small bullring, the Plaza de Toros, where bullfights occur on Wednesday afternoons from January to April. This unique event features traditional dancers, riding exhibitions by skilled Mexican charros (cowboys), culminating in an exciting bullfight. The bullring is located conveniently near the Cancun hotel zone, easily accessible by taxi.