Many consider Boston to have a strong sense of cultural
identity, perhaps as a result of its intellectual reputation;
much of Boston's culture originates at its universities.[66]
The city has several ornate theatres, including the Cutler
Majestic Theatre, Boston Opera House, The Wang Center
for the Performing Arts, Shubert Theater, and the Orpheum
Theater. Renowned performing arts groups include the Boston
Ballet, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston
Lyric Opera Company, and the Handel and Haydn Society
(one of the oldest choral companies in the United States).[67]
There are also many major annual events such as First
Night, which occurs during New Year's Eve, Italian summer
feasts in the North End honoring Catholic saints, and
several events during the Fourth of July. These events
include the weeklong Harborfest festivities[68] and a
Boston Pops concert accompanied by fireworks on the banks
of the Charles River
Baseball is the most closely followed sport in Boston.
The Boston Red Sox (or "the Sox", as they are
colloquially called) are a founding member of the American
League of Major League Baseball and are the 2007 World
Series champions. The team plays its home games at Fenway
Park, near Kenmore Square in the Fenway section. Built
in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active
use in the United States among the four major professional
sports. Boston was also the site of the first game of
the first modern World Series, in 1903. The series was
played between the Red Sox (then known as the "Pilgrims")
and the Pittsburgh Pirates.The Boston Braves were Boston's
NL team (1871-1953) until they moved to Milwaukee in 1953,
then later Atlanta in 1966 where they currently play as
the Atlanta Braves.
The TD Banknorth Garden (formerly called the Fleet Center,
and the Shawmut Center) is adjoined to North Station and
is the home of two major league teams: the Boston Bruins
ice hockey team of the National Hockey League and the
Boston Celtics basketball team of the National Basketball
Association. The Bruins were the first American member
of the National Hockey League and an Original Six franchise.
The Boston Celtics were founding members of the Basketball
Association of America, one of the two leagues that merged
to form the NBA. The Celtics have the distinction of having
more national titles than any other NBA team with 16 championships
from 1957 to 1986.
A Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway ParkAlthough
the team has played in suburban Foxboro since 1971, the
New England Patriots are Boston's football team. The team
was founded in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, a charter
member of the American Football League, and in 1970 the
team joined the National Football League. The team has
won three Super Bowl titles (2001, 2003, and 2004) since
the 2001 season. They share Gillette Stadium with the
New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. There has
also been talk of a possible Arena Football League expansion
team coming to Boston sometime in the next few years