Iowa might not have the Lakers or Yankees, but we've got something even better: affordable tickets, parking that won't require a second mortgage, and players who actually stick around long enough to learn your name. From Triple-A baseball to professional lacrosse (yes, that's a thing here), Iowa's professional sports scene proves you don't need a coast to have a good time.
The heavy hitters: Iowa's top professional teams
Let's start with the teams that draw the biggest crowds and offer the most polished game-day experiences. These are your gateway drugs into Iowa professional sports, and honestly, they're pretty addictive once you get started.
Baseball rules the summer
The Iowa Cubs in Des Moines are the crown jewel of Iowa professional sports, playing at Principal Park where 11,000 fans can watch future Chicago Cubs stars while enjoying a view of the state capitol dome. As the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate since 1982, they've sent 63 players to the majors, including Hall of Famers Harold Baines and Goose Gossage. The 2025 roster is particularly loaded with talent, featuring eight of Chicago's top 30 prospects.
Here's what makes the I-Cubs experience special beyond just the baseball:
- Tickets from $7-26 (cheaper than parking at Wrigley)
- "Twos-days" special: $40 for everything in pairs
- Friday night fireworks after every game
- The best pork tenderloin in professional sports
- Kids run the bases after Sunday games
The team draws about 187,000 fans annually, which might not sound like much until you realize that's more people than live in most Iowa cities. The economic impact has been huge too… downtown Des Moines has grown from 1,000 to over 20,000 residents since the ballpark opened, with local restaurants directly tied to the team's success.
Moving east, the Cedar Rapids Kernels have been playing baseball since 1890, which is older than sliced bread (literally, that wasn't invented until 1928). The Minnesota Twins' High-A affiliate plays at Veterans Memorial Stadium, a cozy 5,300-seat park where Mike Trout and Joe Mauer once roamed. The Kernels guarantee player autographs before every game, which is either really cool or slightly desperate depending on your perspective. Their Dollar Dog Wednesdays and $1.50 Thirsty Thursday beers make this the best cheap date in eastern Iowa.
The Quad Cities River Bandits round out our baseball trio, playing at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, which USA Today named America's best minor league ballpark three different times. Built in 1931 right on the Mississippi River, the stadium features a 110-foot Ferris wheel because why not? As the Royals' High-A team, they've developed stars like Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa. Tickets run $12-28, and for $15 extra you can ride the Ferris wheel until you're too dizzy to care about the score.
Hockey brings the heat in winter
The Iowa Wild keeps Des Moines entertained during the cold months at Casey's Center (yes, like the gas station… welcome to Iowa corporate naming rights). As Minnesota's AHL affiliate, they've sent 63 players to the NHL since arriving in 2013, including current stars like Naz Reid. The 15,181-seat arena rocks during games, and the team's outdoor rink initiative has created seven new hockey facilities across the metro, because apparently we needed more ice in Iowa winters.
Down in Coralville, the Iowa Heartlanders bring ECHL action to the state-of-the-art Xtream Arena. Despite averaging just 2,025 fans (in a 5,100-seat arena… awkward), the team made its first playoff appearance in 2025 with a franchise-best 36-25-7-4 record. The Minnesota Wild pipeline runs through both Iowa teams, creating a clear path from Coralville to Des Moines to the NHL, assuming you're incredibly talented and lucky.
Basketball development in corn country
The Iowa Wolves serve up NBA G League action at Casey's Center, functioning as the Minnesota Timberwolves' development squad. Despite a rough 7-27 record in 2024-25, they maintain surprisingly strong fan support with over 102,000 attending 24 home games last season, second-highest in the G League.
The ticket prices are absolutely ridiculous in the best way:
- Full season adult membership: $79.99
- Full season child membership: $39.99
- Kids 5 and under: Free
- Alpha's Pup Club (ages 3-12): Free tickets to all games
Notable alumni include Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid and former Iowa Hawkeye legend Luka Garza. The team's Read to Achieve program has reached thousands of students, proving they're better at literacy than winning games lately.
The middle tier: Solid entertainment, smaller crowds
These teams might not make SportsCenter, but they offer legitimate professional sports at prices that won't require selling a kidney.
Indoor football lives on
The Iowa Barnstormers have been Des Moines' indoor football team since 1995, when Kurt Warner was still bagging groceries (and playing quarterback on the side). They won the 2018 IFL Championship and regularly draw over 8,000 fans to Casey's Center from March through July. The "Battle of I-80" rivalry games against the Quad City Steamwheelers are legitimately intense, or at least as intense as indoor football on artificial turf can get.
Speaking of the Steamwheelers, they play just across the river in Moline, Illinois, but serve the Iowa Quad Cities market. The 2025 team went 11-5 to claim the IFL Eastern Conference's top seed, hosting their first playoff game since 2007. Playoff tickets started at just $10, which is less than a movie ticket and way more entertaining.
Soccer's slow build in Iowa
The Des Moines Menace represents Iowa's most successful soccer story, winning the 2021 USL League Two national championship in front of 7,342 fans at Valley Stadium. Owner Kyle Krause, who also owns Italy's Parma Calcio (casual flex), has plans for a $95 million USL Championship stadium, though construction faces more delays than a Chicago O'Hare flight in winter.
The Iowa Raptors FC joined the National Premier Soccer League in 2022, playing at Prairie High School Stadium in Cedar Rapids. They're focusing heavily on youth development, which is code for "we're building a fanbase from scratch." Meanwhile, Des Moines United FC (now the Iowa Demon Hawks) offers both outdoor and indoor soccer options, because Iowans apparently need year-round soccer despite most of us not understanding the offside rule.
The development leagues: Future stars and cheap thrills
Iowa dominates junior hockey with more USHL teams than any neighboring state. These aren't beer league players… they're 16-20 year olds headed to college hockey and potentially the NHL.
The state's USHL lineup includes:
- Waterloo Black Hawks (Young Arena, 3,000 seats)
- Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (ImOn Ice Arena, 4,000 seats)
- Des Moines Buccaneers (Buccaneer Arena, 2,500 seats)
- Dubuque Fighting Saints (Mystique Ice Center)
The North Iowa Bulls in Mason City made the jump from Tier III to Tier II in 2021 after winning three national championships. They play in a brand new $12 million arena, which in Mason City terms is basically the Taj Mahal of hockey.
The wild cards: Niche sports finding their footing
This is where things get interesting, or weird, depending on your perspective.
The Iowa Dogfish brings professional box lacrosse to the Quad Cities, competing in the Interstate Box Lacrosse Association since 2019. The team features players from Iowa's universities, and honestly, box lacrosse is surprisingly violent and entertaining. Think hockey fights but with sticks and a ball.
Des Moines Roller Derby keeps the spirit of the 1970s alive with women's flat track competition. After reaching WFTDA Division 1 playoffs as Team United, they rebranded in 2019 and are building toward competitive play in 2026. It's empowering, athletic, and slightly terrifying, which is basically the perfect Iowa sport.
For racing fans, Iowa Speedway in Newton hosts NASCAR and IndyCar events in its 30,000-seat facility, while Knoxville Raceway remains the sprint car capital of the world. The Knoxville Nationals each August draws 25,000 visitors who apparently enjoy watching cars turn left at terrifying speeds on dirt.
Making the most of your Iowa sports experience
When to go and what to pay
Baseball season runs April through September, with the best weather in June and July (avoiding both Iowa's bipolar spring and the August humidity that could drown a fish). Hockey and basketball take over from October through March, while indoor football and soccer bridge the gap from March through August.
Ticket prices across all sports remain shockingly reasonable:
- Baseball: $7-28 per game
- Hockey: $15-40 depending on level
- Basketball: Often under $20
- Indoor football: $10-30
- Soccer: Usually $10-15
Most teams offer family packages, group rates, and season ticket deals that make major league prices look like highway robbery. The Iowa Wolves' full season for $79.99 costs less than decent seats at a single NBA game.
Getting there and getting fed
Downtown Des Moines venues charge $5-12 for parking, which beats the $50 nightmare at major league stadiums. Smaller cities typically offer free parking because they're just happy you showed up. The Des Moines skywalk system connects Casey's Center to downtown hotels and restaurants, meaning you can stumble back to your hotel without facing Iowa winter.
Stadium food varies wildly in quality and price. Principal Park's pork tenderloin is legitimately worth the trip alone, while some other venues serve nachos that could double as construction material. Most venues now offer local craft beers, because even Iowa has succumbed to the IPA invasion.
Following from home
Can't make it to the game? Modern technology has you covered. MLB At-Bat and MiLB.TV stream all minor league baseball games, most hockey and basketball teams offer streaming packages, and local radio still provides free audio coverage like it's 1955. The production quality ranges from "surprisingly professional" to "did someone's nephew run this camera?" but hey, it's live sports.
The future: What's next for Iowa sports
The biggest pending addition would be Pro Iowa's USL Championship soccer team, though the planned $95 million stadium faces more delays than a teenager cleaning their room. No current timeline exists, and at this point, locals are taking bets on whether the stadium or the next ice age comes first.
The Caitlin Clark phenomenon has sparked serious WNBA expansion discussions, with Iowa's rabid women's basketball fanbase and available venues making a compelling case. If you've seen Iowa fans travel for women's basketball, you know this could actually work.
Several teams have folded over the years, including the original Arena Football League Barnstormers and various minor league experiments. But for every team that folds, another seems to pop up, like sports whack-a-mole across the state.
Why Iowa sports actually matter
Here's the thing about Iowa professional sports: they're not trying to be something they're not. Nobody pretends the Iowa Cubs are the same as watching the Chicago Cubs, but that's exactly the point. You can take your family of four to a game for less than $100, park without needing a loan, and actually see the players' faces without binoculars.
These teams generate serious economic impact too. The Iowa Cubs alone transformed downtown Des Moines from a ghost town to a legitimate urban center. Local restaurants live and die by game schedules, thousands of jobs depend on these teams, and youth programs serve over 10,000 kids annually through camps and clinics.
The players become part of the community in ways that would never happen in larger markets. They shop at HyVee, show up at local schools, and some even stick around after their playing days because they fell in love with Iowa nice (or Iowa girls, let's be honest).
Whether you're catching future MLB stars in Des Moines, watching tomorrow's NHL players in Cedar Rapids, or trying to figure out what's happening at a roller derby bout, Iowa's professional sports scene offers something increasingly rare: authenticity, affordability, and accessibility. In a world of $200 NFL tickets and $15 beers, Iowa sports feel like a throwback to when sports were actually for everyone, not just people with trust funds.
So next time someone says Iowa doesn't have professional sports, remind them we've got 26 teams across multiple leagues, drawing over 2 million fans annually. We might not have the bright lights of the big city, but we've got something better: sports that don't require a payment plan to enjoy.
