Sports in California
overview of sports in California
California has 19 major professional sports franchises, far more than any other US state. The Greater Los Angeles Area has ten major league teams. The San Francisco Bay Area has five major league teams spread amongst three cities: San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Clara. As of 2025, San Diego and Sacramento each host two major league teams.
California is home to some of most successful collegiate sports teams in the country. Among the list of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships the Stanford Cardinal, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans and California Golden Bears rank #1, #2, #3 and #10 on the list by teams with the most titles, and #1, #4, #2, and #7 by most individual titles, respectively.
It is the only U.S. state to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 summer games, and will host the 2028 Summer Olympics. The 1960 Winter Olympics were held at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe region.
Major league professional teams
Current teams
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Athletics (since 2025) – based in West Sacramento; set to move out of state to Las Vegas in 2028 or 2029
Los Angeles Angels (since 1961) – based in Anaheim
Los Angeles Dodgers (since 1958)
San Diego Padres (since 1969)
San Francisco Giants (since 1958)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Golden State Warriors (since 1962) – based in San Francisco
Los Angeles Clippers (since 1984) – based in Inglewood
Los Angeles Lakers (since 1960)
Sacramento Kings (since 1985)
National Football League (NFL)
Los Angeles Chargers (1960; since 2017) – plays in Inglewood; headquarters in El Segundo
Los Angeles Rams (1946–1994; since 2016) – plays in Inglewood; headquarters in Agoura Hills
San Francisco 49ers (since 1946) – plays in Santa Clara; headquarters also in Santa Clara
National Hockey League (NHL)
Anaheim Ducks (since 1993)
Los Angeles Kings (since 1967)
San Jose Sharks (since 1991)
Major League Soccer (MLS)
LA Galaxy (since 1996) – based in Carson
Los Angeles FC (since 2018)
San Diego FC (since 2025)
San Jose Earthquakes (since 1996)
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries (since 2024) – based in San Francisco
Los Angeles Sparks (since 1997)
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC (since 2022) – based in Los Angeles
Bay FC (since 2024) – based in San Jose
San Diego Wave FC (since 2022)
Former teams
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Oakland Athletics (1968–2024)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
San Diego Rockets (1967–1971)
San Diego Clippers (1978–1984)
National Football League (NFL)
Oakland Raiders (1960–1981; 1995–2019)
Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1994)
San Diego Chargers (1961–2016)
National Hockey League (NHL)
California Golden Seals (1967–1976)
Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chivas USA (2005–2014)
American Basketball Association (ABA)
Oakland Oaks (1967–1969)
Anaheim Amigos / Los Angeles Stars (1967–1970)
San Diego Conquistadors (1972–1975)
North American Soccer League (NASL)
Oakland Clippers (1967–1968)
San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1984)
Los Angeles Wolves (1967–1968)
Los Angeles Aztecs (1974–1981)
California Surf (1978–1981)
San Diego Toros (1968)
San Diego Jaws (1976)
San Diego Sockers (1978–1984)
Major league professional championships
San Francisco Bay Area
Greater Los Angeles
San Diego
San Diego Chargers (NFL)
1 AFL championship (pre–Super Bowl)
1963
Other professional teams
Premier Lacrosse League
California Redwoods (PLL) (2019)
Pro Football
California has produced the most Super Bowl winning Head Coaches in the history of the NFL, whether born or raised in the state (at least having attended High School in CA).
The public source identifies “Sports in California” as overview of sports in California. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sports, California and overview.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Sports in California”, the useful work is to connect “overview of sports in California” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5557822. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2025, 1932, 1984 and 2028.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sports in California”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sports in California primary sources, Sports in California archive and Sports research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sports in California”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sports in California” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.