Who doesn’t want to watch a winner? With 26 men’s and women’s athletic programs at UNC, Carolina fans have plenty to choose from. Everybody knows about the men’s basketball program, its four NCAA titles, and its long list of famous alums. The women’s basketball team is coming off back-to-back Final Four appearances. In the spring and summer, Carolina fans can follow a baseball team that has made the College World Series two years in a row, and starting in 2008, they will be watching in a new ballpark. In the fall, pack into Kenan Stadium with 60,000 other fans to watch the Tar Heels’ football team. Or, if you prefer the other kind of football, both the men’s and women’s soccer programs are perennially among the top teams in the nation. The men’s team won the national title in 2001, while the women’s team hasn’t gone more than three years without a championship since 1981.

The action isn’t limited to campus. The 2006 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are only twenty minutes away. Those who prefer baseball can treat themselves to a night at beautiful Durham Bulls Athletic Park watching the minor-league team made famous by the movie “Bull Durham”. For racing fans, nearby Orange County Speedway features local stock car action on a 3/8-mile oval, and a two-and-a-half-hour drive puts you in Charlotte, the home of NASCAR.

If you would rather be a participant than a spectator, UNC and the surrounding area have plenty to offer. UNC features a multitude of intramural sports, as well as numerous fitness and recreation facilities. The award-winning UNC Finley Golf Course is just outside campus, and those who are looking to lace up their skates will find an NHL-size ice rink and recreation hockey leagues at Triangle SportsPlex in nearby Hillsborough. There are also many trails for jogging and biking.