The Tampa Bay Lightning professional hockey franchise represents the Tampa area in the National Hockey League. First awarded to Hall of Fame player Phil Esposito, who was backed by Japanese golf and resort company Kokusai Green, the Lightning joined the NHL in 1992 as an expansion franchise. The team won a Stanley Cup championship in 2004, defeating the Calgary Flames in a seven-game series. The Lightning play host at St. Pete Times Forum. Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, group led by Boston Red Sox minority owner Jeff Vinik purchased the team and its home arena from Oren Koules and Len Barrie in 2010.

Marriott Vacation Club International operates about 50 time-share resort properties with one-, two-, and three bedroom villas in prime vacation destinations in the US and about five other countries. The villas are jointly owned by more than 390,000 people who have exclusive use of the properties for limited periods of time. Owners can also trade their intervals for time at other Marriott Vacation Club resorts, or for other rewards programs. A division of hotel giant Marriott International, many of the resorts are located near Marriott hotels.

The San Diego Padres Baseball Club joined Major League Baseball as an expansion team in 1969, the same year as the Kansas City Royals, Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals), and the Seattle Pilots (later the Milwaukee Brewers). The franchise boasts two National League pennants, its first in 1984 and its last in 1998. San Diego fans attend baseball services at PETCO Park. A group led by CEO Jeff Moorad controls more that third of the team; BMC Software co-founder John Moores owns the rest.

Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) operates the Central Hockey League (CHL), a development league with 16 teams located in Texas, Oklahoma, and a half dozen other states. Affiliated with the National Hockey League, the CHL serves as a proving ground for young players before they are called up through the ranks. Teams including the Arizona Sundogs (Prescott Valley), the Corpus Christi Rayz (Texas), and the Texas Brahmas (Fort Worth) compete each season for the Ray Miron President's Cup. Started in 1992, the CHL regulates franchise ownership and helps promote its teams. WPHL is a subsidiary of Global Entertainment Corporation.

Texas Rangers Baseball Club is a professional baseball team that represents the Dallas area in Major League Baseball. Founded in 1961 as the second incarnation of the Washington Senators, the franchise moved to Texas in 1972. Playing host at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the Rangers have yet to win a pennant. Texas businessman Tom Hicks, who has owned the team since 1998 through his Hicks Sports Group Holdings company, is selling control of the Rangers to a group led by sports lawyer Chuck Greenberg and current team president and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. The total purchase price is valued at $593 million.

Heart of Midlothian operates the Heart of Midlothian Football Club, which plays in the Scottish Premier League. Better known to supporters as Hearts, the team was founded in 1874 and boasts four league titles (its last in 1960) and seven Scottish Cups. Hearts' home ground is Tynecastle Stadium. Russian businessman Vladimir Romanov controls the team through his Ukio Bankas Investment Group (UBIG).

Noble Investment Group was founded in 1979 by former chairman Dr. Bharat Shah. (Shah retired in 2005.) Noble Investment Group holds its head high when walking through a hotel lobby. Noble Investment Group company owns or manages more than 30 upscale hotels under the Starwood, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott brands. Another sector of the Noble operation is its development arm, Noble Development Group, which develops hotels, convention centers, conference centers, and resorts; it also acquires existing hotel properties. In addition, the firm manages several golf courses and restaurants.

Panther Racing has its cars purring and competing in about 20 car-racing events a year, including the Indianapolis 500, with drivers Buddy Lazier, Tomas Enge, and Tomas Scheckter. The company's sponsors include Chevrolet, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Puma, Segway, and Snap-on. Like other Indy Racing League teams, the company also sells Panther Racing brand apparel and other items.

Adult Shop Limited operates a chain of 17 sex shops in Australia under the name Adult Shop.com, and eight New Zealand retail stores under the VideoExpo name. The shops sell adult videos and DVDs, sex toys, body jewelry, novelties, books, and other adult products. The company also sells its wares online and through mail-order catalogs. In addition, it operates online entertainment sites offering subscription-only adult content and video-on-demand. It also owns a wholesale distribution business (Calvista), which supplies adult products to other Australian and New Zealand retailers and hotel operators. In early 2010, Adult Shop rejected a takeover bid from Sexyland Pty Ltd.

The Los Angeles Dodgers sports franchise is one of the oldest and most storied franchises in Major League Baseball, boasting six World Series championships and 21 National League pennants. The team was started in Brooklyn, New York, in 1884 but moved west to Los Angeles in 1957. Hall of Famers such as Sandy Koufax and Roy Campanella have played for the Dodgers, which was the first team to break the color barrier with the signing of Jackie Robinson. The team plays home games at Dodger Stadium. Real estate developer Frank McCourt has owned the Dodgers since 2004.

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