SAP Center at San Jose officially opened in 1993. In July of 2013, the stadium received its current moniker. The arena hosts nearly 100 sporting events annually, and it can seat up to 17,500 spectators. In 2005 and 2007, Pollstar nominated the center as the “Arena of the Year.” For the last ten years, the stadium has ranked among the top five stadiums in North America as well as one of the top ten in the world. SAP Center at San Jose is home to the San Jose Sharks and the San Jose SaberCats. On March 23rd and 25th in 2017, the SAP Center at San Jose will host the Pac-12 NCAA Men's Basketball West Regional. It is the second time the conference has taken place in the arena since 1961.
The San Jose SaberCats are the area's Arena Football League Franchise. The team founded their organization in 1995. The team mascot is Pounce, a large-fanged, wily saber cat. During games, the SaberKittens cheerleaders entertain the fans.
The arena's home hockey team is the San Jose Sharks. Sharks fans refer to the SAP Center as the “Shark Tank.” The San Jose Sharks are the first NHL team based in San Jose since 1976. Since their start in 1991, they have won six division titles. In 1993, they took up residence in the SAP Center. At the beginning of each game, the lights dim and a 17 foot shark -– with red glowing eyes and smoke spewing breath - descends from the ceiling. The team members then enter the arena by exiting out of the shark's mouth. When the Sharks go on the power play, the theme from Jaws blasts from the loud-speaker and the fans do “The Chomp,” a chomping jaw formed by spreading their arms forwards and moving them up and down. The team's official mascot, SJ Sharkie, arrived on the ice in 1992. In 2012, Cartoon Network awarded Sharkie the “Most Awesome Mascot Award,” a title bestowed upon him by fan votes. The most notable moment in Sharkie's career was during a game against the Detroit Red Wings in March of 1999. Sharkie repelled into the arena from the rafters and bit through a Red Wing banner on his way down. 40 feet above the ice, Sharkie's repelling line snagged on his jersey. He was safely rescued after dangling above the ice rink for 20 minutes.