Build your own Olympics

While the Olympics will not be coming to NYC in 2012, you can still watch many of the same summer as well as winter sports.  NYC is one of the few regions where you can see so many professional sports teams & events in one place.  

Tennis
There are only four Tennis Grand Slams and one of them takes place as the U.S. Open in Flushing, Queens.  For two weeks in late August/early September the best tennis players from around the world compete to win the U.S. Open.  While the final matches are played in Arthur Ashe Stadium, games also take place in smaller side courts.  You can purchase day or evening game tickets as well as ground passes.

Baseball
Fans of baseball have two baseball teams to choose from in NY - the Yankees and the Mets.  The Yankees play in the Bronx, while the Mets play in Flushing, Queens.  Even though there will be no NYC Olympics, both teams have brand new stadiums.  The baseball season runs for seven months (April - October), so if you want to see a game there's a good chance you'll have the opportunity.

Marathon
Every November, over 100,000 runners from around the world run the 26 mile course through all five boroughs of NYC.  While winners don't receive a gold medal they do walk away with fame and a small fortune.  The New York City Marathon attracts two million spectators and over 300 million worldwide TV viewers.

Equestrian
While you won't be able to see an exact duplicate of the Olympic equestrian events you have the option of heading to Belmont Park to watch the Belmont Stakes.  The Belmont Stakes which takes place in November is the final and most demanding leg of the Triple Crown horse race.  The other two events are the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.  The Belmont Stakes has the longest track at 1 1/2 miles (2.4 km) and a stadium which can accommodate nearly 90,000 spectators.  The race is named after August Belmont who was a leading banker and horse racer of the 19th century.  The first running of this famous race took place in 1867.

Basketball
Directly above Penn Station lies Madison Square Garden where the NY Knicks have played since 1968.  The Knicks team name is short for Knickerbockers.  If you are curious what a Knickerboker is you can visit the team website for what is perhaps the longest explanation of a name I have ever seen.  The basketball season lasts from October/November through April.

Ice Hockey
Another team which plays in Madison Square Garden is the NY Rangers.  The ice hockey season runs from October through April.