Champa Bay Is Back

Tampa sports are looking like they were back in 2020.

Brielle Hoover, Staff Writer

December 16, 2025

Tampa Bay Lightning, Buccaneers, and Rays games

Over the past couple of years, Tampa Bay has lost its sports spark. The Tampa Bay Lightning have gotten knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Tampa Bay Rays haven’t even been close to making the MLB playoffs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten taken out in the 1st or 2nd round of the NFL playoffs. Up until this season, sports have not been looking good for Tampa; the last time every sports team made the playoffs and went far was back in the 2020-21 season. The Bucs and Lightning both won that season, but the Rays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series finals.

During the 2025 season for the Tampa Bay Rays, they played the best baseball they have played in a long time, almost making the playoffs and having one of the best records during the month of June. The Rays went through a hard time when Tampa got hit with 2 hurricanes, which destroyed Tropicana Field, forcing them to play at Steinbrenner Field. The field was not designed for MLB games, as it was owned by the Yankees for spring training. The Rays got lucky when the Yankees organization let them use it for their season; the field was very small, but it got the job done for the Rays. I would consider it better than Tropicana Field, due to the close proximity to the field; no matter where I was sitting, I had an amazing view of all the action on the field.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have had one of their best seasons to date. Preseason showed everyone how good the Lightning are; going 6-1 in games that didn’t matter, with hardly any starters playing. As a big fan myself, you could see the difference in the team’s chemistry; everything they had before the 2024-25 season ended was not the same. The connection the team had was visible to me and other fans in previous seasons. However, the bond that looked like it was somewhat gone showed back up in the late October and early November games. The team is now dominating in the Atlantic division and is close to the top in the Eastern Conference.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have played their best football games since the Tom Brady era. Ever since the team lost Brady, they haven’t been the same until Baker Mayfield showed how good he really is. I would say that the team didn’t have the best preseason ever, but coming into the regular season, they look completely different. Through a ton of injuries to key players, the team has managed to keep a well-balanced record and stay in 1st place in the NFC South. Watching the team on TV and in person was difficult, especially when you could see the mistakes the team made, but as every game progressed, you could see the team fix everything up and play the best game of football that they could. Through it all, the team has put their best foot forward through the hardships they have had at the beginning of the season.

I think it’s safe to say that Champa Bay has returned, and all the teams are doing their best to represent what this town is about. Tampa has become one of the best sports towns in the nation, and the teams are trying to keep it that way. As a long-time fan myself, all Tampa teams have changed a lot in 5 years, with big wins that make an impact on the entire league and shocking victories that surprise everyone. The Rays, Lightning and Bucs have made a huge impact on sports this season.

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About the Contributor

Brielle Hoover, Staff Writer

Brielle Hoover is an IB Freshman at Robinson High School and serves as a staff writer for the Knight Writers. This is her first year on the staff. As she begins her journey into newspaper, Hoover hopes to grow as both a photographer and writer. “Coming into high school, I wanted to join newspaper because I want to be a journalist when I’m older, so I thought this would be an amazing opportunity that will prepare me for it,” Hoover said. Outside of newspaper, Hoover enjoys following sports and is especially passionate about hockey. Passionate to the fact that she even loves reading nonfiction hockey books. ”I like reading nonfiction hockey novels because when I get older, I want to work in the hockey field as a commentator or photographer or maybe even a coach,” Hoover said. She also enjoys watching Only Murders in the Building for its mix of comedy, music, mystery and of course Selena Gomez. On a lighter note, she still loves her favorite childhood show, Paw Patrol, which continues to bring her joy. ”I want to stay in newspaper for my whole high school career because I want to become a better writer, so I can be prepared for when I write my college essay,” Hoover said. Three words that Hoover would describe herself with are funny, resilient and joyful. She likes making jokes and cheering people up. Hoover also tries her hardest on everything and is willing to do anything to set herself up for success. She’s excited to be a part of the Knight Writers staff and looks forward to learning new skills, meeting new people and sharing stories that will inspire others. (Profile by Destiny Velazquez)