Springfield, voted "Sports Illustrated - Sportstown USA" in 2004, is host to a variety of sports and recreational opportunities.  Area colleges contribute significantly to the range of sporting events.

Missouri State University has one of five NCAA Division I athletic programs in Missouri and features 10 men's and 11 women's sports in its 21-sport intercollegiate program.  MSU is a member of Missouri Valley Conference, with football a member of the Division I-AA Gateway Football Conference.  MSU teams have been in the NCAA Men's Basketball Sweet 16 (1999), the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four (2001) and the NCAA Baseball College World Series (2003). 

A nationally-respected athletic program at the NAIA level for many years, the Drury University athletic program joined the NCAA in 1994.  Drury's athletic program has 13 sports and boasts teams, coaches and student athletes who have accomplished significant success at the national level.  Men's basketball has qualified for the NCAA-II National Tournament, women's basketball has been nationally-ranked and made the "Sweet 16." Men's Gold has enjoyed several years of national rankings and Drury swimmers and divers have been a national power since the 1960s, finishing among the top in the nation in recent history. 

Springfield is home to an annual PGA Tour-sponsored event, the Ozarks Open at Highland Springs Country Club featuring some of the up-and-coming PGA Tour players competing for a guaranteed purse of $150,000.

Tennis is served up in Springfield on many levels - from professional to amateur.  The city is proud to be represented on the professional circuit by serving as home to World TeamTennis - Springfield Lasers, and has served as host city for the FedCup, Missouri Valley Championships, the Volvo Regional and the USTA-sanctioned Pro Classic.  The Springfield-Greene County Park Board is the leading source of obtaining the impressive level of tennis tournaments hosted in the city.  The Park Board has also been responsible for attaining several ASA national softball tournaments, and continues to be successful in bringing future national, regional and state events to the city. 

When umpires shouted  “play ball” at Hammons Field stadium in 2005, they became the latest chapter in a 100-year baseball history in Springfield, Missouri. Hammons Field, a brand new 8,000-seat stadium, is home to the Springfield Cardinals, a Class Double-A team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Springfield Cardinals began playing in Springfield in 2005.