Sports in California

{{see also|List of professional sports teams in California}}

{{see also|History of baseball in the United States#The Major Leagues move west}}

• Major League Baseball (MLB)
• Athletics (since 2025) – based in 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)

• 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)

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4 World Series titles{{efn|name="philly"|Does not include titles won by the franchise when they were in Philadelphia}}

• 1972
• 1973
• 1974
• 1989

3 World Series titles{{efn|Does not include titles won by the franchise when they were in New York}}

• 2010
• 2012
• 2014

5 Super Bowl titles

• 1981 (XVI)
• 1984 (XIX)
• 1988 (XXIII)
• 1989 (XXIV)
• 1994 (XXIX)

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2 Super Bowl titles{{efn|Does not include titles won by the franchise when they were in Los Angeles}}

• 1976 (XI)
• 1980 (XV)

5 NBA Finals titles{{efn|name="philly"}}

• 1975
• 2015
• 2017
• 2018
• 2022

1 ABA Finals title

• 1969

1 NASL Final title

• 1967

2 MLS Cup titles

• 2001
• 2003

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1 NFL championship (pre–Super Bowl)

• 1951

1 Super Bowl title

• 2021 (LVI)

1 Super Bowl title

• 1983 (XVIII)

1 NASL Final title

• 1967

1 NASL Final title

• 1974

6 MLS Cup titles

• 2002
• 2005
• 2011
• 2012
• 2014
• 2024

1 MLS Cup title

• 2022

7 World Series titles

• 1959
• 1963
• 1965
• 1981
• 1988
• 2020
• 2024

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1 World Series titles

• 2002

12 NBA Finals titles

• 1972
• 1980
• 1982
• 1985
• 1987
• 1988
• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2009
• 2010
• 2020

2 Stanley Cup titles

• 2012
• 2014

1 Stanley Cup title

• 2007

3 WNBA Finals titles

• 2001
• 2002
• 2016

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1 AFL championship (pre–Super Bowl)

• 1963

• Premier Lacrosse League
• California Redwoods (PLL) (2019)
• Women's National Basketball Association
• Los Angeles Sparks (1997)
• Golden State Valkyries (2025) – based in San Francisco
• National Women's Soccer League
• Angel City FC (2022) – based in Los Angeles
• San Diego Wave FC (2022)
• Bay FC (2024) – based in San Jose

California has produced the most Super Bowl winning Head Coaches in the history of the NFL,{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballhof.com/news/2020/02/news-super-bowl-coaches/|title=Super Bowl Coaches - History}} whether born or raised in the state (at least having attended High School in CA). Collecively, California Head Coaches have accounted for 17 Super Bowl wins. In chronological order of first Super Bowl win: John Madden (Jefferson HS, Daly City), Tom Flores (Sanger; Sanger Union HS), Bill Walsh (Los Angeles; Hayward HS, Hayward), Joe Gibbs (Santa Fe HS, Santa Fe Springs), George Seifert (San Francisco; San Francisco Poly HS), Mike Holmgren (San Francisco; Abraham Lincoln HS), Dick Vermeil (Calistoga; Calistoga HS), Brian Billick (Redlands HS, Redlands), Sean Payton (San Mateo), Pete Carroll (San Francisco; Redwood HS, Larkspur), Andy Reid (Los Angeles; John Marshall HS).

File:2008-1226-Pasadena-008-RoseBowl.jpg stadium in Pasadena]]

File:California Memorial Stadium in 2024.jpg in Berkeley]]

Home to some of most prominent universities in the United States, California has long had many respected collegiate sports programs, in particular the University of Southern California (Trojans), University of California, Berkeley (Golden Bears), University of California, Los Angeles (Bruins), Stanford University (Cardinal), all of which were members of the Pac-12 Conference until the 2023–24 academic year. In 2024, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten Conference, while California and Stanford joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They are often nationally ranked in the various sports and dominate media coverage of college sports in the state. In addition, those Universities boast the highest academic standards (on average) of all major college (NCAA Division I) programs. All 4 schools are ranked, academically, in the top 30 nationally with either Cal or UCLA ranked as the #1 public university in the country (usually #20 overall) and Stanford as the highest academically ranked Division 1A university in the country (usually #5 overall).

California is also home to the oldest college bowl game, the annual Rose Bowl (Pasadena), as well as the Holiday Bowl (San Diego) and San Francisco Bowl. A second San Diego game, the Poinsettia Bowl, was discontinued after the 2016 season.

According to the list of American universities with Olympic medalist students and alumni the top 4 universities on the list are, #1 USC Trojans (326), #2 Stanford Cardinal (302), #3 UCLA Bruins (270), and #4 Cal Berkeley Golden Bears (223). Also on the list of top 50 universities are, #27 Long Beach State Beach (47) and #38 UC Irvine Anteaters (33). Referencing a differing source, OlympStats (as of 2017),{{cite web | url=https://olympstats.com/2017/09/21/usa-olympians-and-their-colleges/ | title=USA Olympians and Their Colleges | date=21 September 2017 }} the all-time total number of Olympic athletes from California universities (1668) was nearly triple the amount from the next state, New York (559). The medal count was even more impressive, with California (678) accounting for more than 4 times the Gold medal count than the next state, Texas (157).

File:Qualcomm Interior.jpg game. The Fresno State–San Diego State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Fresno State Bulldogs football team of California State University, Fresno and San Diego State Aztecs football team of San Diego State University. Both schools are members of the Mountain West Conference. The winner of the game receives the "Old Oil Can" trophy]]

California has produced more Heisman Trophy winners than any other state.

Trivia

• Sixteen winners were born in and played high school football in the Golden State.
• Mater Dei High School has produced 3 Heisman winners; more than any other high school in the country.
• Seven winners played collegiately at USC and one each at UCLA, Stanford, Army, Texas, Colorado, Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama, and LSU.
• Until 2022 winner Caleb Williams of the University of Southern California, who attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C., every winner from a California-based university was born in and played high school football in California.

• 1945 Glenn Davis attended Bonita High School in La Verne won the Heisman at United States Military Academy
• 1964 John Huarte attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at University of Notre Dame
• 1965 Mike Garrett attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles won the Heisman at University of Southern California
• 1967 Gary Beban attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City won the Heisman at University of California Los Angeles
• 1968 O. J. Simpson attended Galileo Academy of Science and Technology in San Francisco won the Heisman at University of Southern California
• 1970 Jim Plunkett attended James Lick High School in San Jose won the Heisman at Stanford University
• 1979 Charles White attended San Fernando High School in San Fernando won the Heisman at University of Southern California
• 1981 Marcus Allen attended Abraham Lincoln High School (San Diego, California) in San Diego won the Heisman at University of Southern California
• 1992 Gino Torretta attended Pinole Valley High School in Pinole won the Heisman at University of Miami
• 1994 Rashaan Salaam attended La Jolla Country Day School in La Jolla won the Heisman at University of Colorado
• 1998 Ricky Antwan Williams attended Patrick Henry High School in San Diego won the Heisman at University of Texas
• 2002 Carson Palmer attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita won the Heisman at University of Southern California
• 2004 Matt Leinart attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at University of Southern California
• 2005 Reggie Bush attended Helix High School in La Mesa won the Heisman at University of Southern California - Heisman Trophy vacated in 2010 and reinstated in 2024
• 2021 Bryce Young attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at University of Alabama
• 2023 Jayden Daniels attended Cajon High School in San Bernardino won the Heisman at Louisiana State University

The following California universities are members of NCAA Division I.

California has hosted the Olympic Games three times. Los Angeles, the largest city in the state, hosted both the 1932[http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1932 1932 Summer Olympics], International Olympic Committee website. and 1984 Summer Olympics.[http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1984 1984 Summer Olympics], International Olympic Committee website. Squaw Valley, California hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics.[http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=1960 1960 Winter Olympics], International Olympic Committee website. Los Angeles and San Francisco were in the race for the United States Olympic Committee nomination to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, but eventually lost to Chicago. Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games for a third time in 2028.

Besides the Olympics, California has also hosted several major international soccer events:

• Two of the venues for the 1994 FIFA World Cup were in the state—Stanford Stadium at Stanford University, with San Francisco serving as the official host city, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, with Los Angeles as the host city. The Rose Bowl hosted the final, won by Brazil in a penalty shootout with Italy.
• Both stadiums were also used for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, along with Spartan Stadium (now CEFCU Stadium) in San Jose. The Rose Bowl again hosted the final, in which a crowd of over 90,000—the largest to witness a women's sporting event for more than 20 years—saw the USA defeat China in another penalty shootout, capped off by Brandi Chastain's famous shirt-stripping moment.
• The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup used one California venue, The Home Depot Center (now Dignity Health Sports Park) in Carson. It hosted the final of that competition, won by Germany over Sweden.
• The Rose Bowl and Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara hosted matches in the Copa América Centenario, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of South America's international competition and was hosted by the U.S. in 2016.
• During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, SoFi Stadium and Levi's Stadium will host matches, making California one of two US states to have two venues hosting matches during the tournament; the other state being Texas.

San Diego hosted the 2023 World Lacrosse Championship in men's field lacrosse, with San Diego State's Snapdragon Stadium as the main venue and the University of San Diego's Torero Stadium, plus various fields at both universities, also hosting matches.

Most city municipals house a variety of sports activities. The available sports are typically listed on their city websites. Additionally, there are a variety of [http://www.findsportsnow.com/sports/state/ca/sports-in-california California Sports] activities listed on FindSportsNow's California database.

File:The Corkscrew.jpg]]

California has also long been a hub for motorsports and auto racing. The city of Long Beach, as part of the IndyCar Series, hosts the Long Beach Grand Prix every year in the month of April. The race that take place in the streets of downtown Long Beach is the longest running major street race held in North America.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-himi-long-beach-grand-prix-michaelian-20190407-story.html|title=Jim Michaelian steers the Long Beach Grand Prix with a steady hand|last=Peltz|first=James F.|date=April 7, 2019|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2019-04-10}} Long Beach has hosted Formula One events there in the past, and also currently hosts an event on the United SportsCar Championship schedule.

Auto Club Speedway was a speedway in Fontana and had hosted NASCAR Cup Series racing along with the 2nd-tier Xfinity Series annually. Sonoma Raceway is a multi-purpose facility outside Sonoma, featuring a road course and a drag strip. Different versions of the road course are home to a NASCAR event and an IndyCar event. The drag strip hosts a yearly NHRA event. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a road course near Monterey that currently hosts an ALMS event, a round of the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. The Auto Club Raceway at Pomona has hosted NHRA drag racing for over 50 years.

The NASCAR Cup Series currently holds two races in California, previously at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana (originally named California Speedway), and currently at Sonoma Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway. Beginning in 2022, an [[Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum|exhibition race

]] has been held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a temporary oval at the beginning of the Cup Series season. The IndyCar Series competes every April in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, through the streets of downtown Long Beach. IndyCar also holds an event at Sonoma in the summer. The NHRA Drag Racing Series holds three national events in California, as well; two at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (formerly Pomona Raceway) and at the aforementioned Sonoma Raceway.

Notable off-road courses include Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, Glen Helen Raceway and Prairie City State Park. Also, the AMA Supercross Series holds several events in stadiums at Californian cities such as Anaheim, Oakland, and San Diego.

California has several notable golf courses, like Cypress Point Club, Olympic Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Riviera Country Club – Pacific Palisades, California and Torrey Pines Golf Course. Notable tournaments include the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Northern Trust Open, Farmers Insurance Open.

Notable Californian golfers include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Johnny Miller, Gene Littler, Collin Morikawa, Amy Alcott, Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster, and Xander Schauffele.

Horse racing is regulated by the California Horse Racing Board. Notable racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Del Mar Fairgrounds, Los Alamitos, Golden Gate Fields and Pleasanton Fairgrounds. Notable races include the Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita Handicap, Pacific Classic Stakes and Champion of Champions.

Former racetracks include Bay Meadows, Fairplex Race Track and Hollywood Park.

California is widely regarded as the "mecca of MMA" for being the birthplace of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), Strikeforce MMA, the WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting), among other prominent MMA promotion orgs, and also for the quality and quantity of MMA fighters born or bred there. Bruce Lee, a California native, is considered one of the pioneering figures in the development of MMA.

Not only is California a hotbed for producing native-born MMA fighters, but it also draws many elite athletes from around the world with level of training/gyms. California is home to many of the most successful and historic professional MMA gyms: AKA, Alliance MMA, Team Alpha Male, Black House (MMA), Kings MMA, Lion's Den (original), RVCA Training Center, Skrap Pack-Cesar Gracie Fight Team.

Countless of Champions in the sport of MMA are California born or bred, or have their fight training in California.

Skateboarding is a sport heavily associated with California as it is the place where the sport started. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk was born in Carlsbad, California in 1968 and was involved in many bowl riding and vert competitions there.

The California State Games, a statewide Olympics-like sport event, take place in California every year. The United States Olympic Committee governs this event.[http://www.calstategames.org/ Official site of the California State Games]

Cricket is growing in California due to the growth of the South Asian community,{{Cite web |last=McDede |first=Holly |date=2022-12-16 |title=Cricket!: One of the World's Most Popular Sports Goes to Bat in the Tri-Valley {{!}} KQED |url=https://www.kqed.org/news/11935325/cricket-one-of-the-worlds-most-popular-sports-goes-to-bat-in-the-tri-valley |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=www.kqed.org |language=en}} with one team from the state (San Francisco Unicorns) playing in Major League Cricket.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-17 |title=San Francisco is Getting its Own Major League Cricket Team |url=https://sfstandard.com/2022/11/17/san-francisco-is-getting-its-own-major-league-cricket-team/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en}}

Most of the teams from Northern California and Southern California are involved in intrastate rivalries. There are particularly strong rivalries between the Bay Area and SoCal teams, even extending to college teams.

• Dodgers–Giants rivalry
• Angels–Athletics rivalry

• 49ers–Rams rivalry

• Kings–Lakers rivalry
• Lakers–Warriors rivalry

• Kings–Sharks rivalry

• Stanford–USC football rivalry
• California–UCLA football rivalry

• California Clásico

Former:

• Chargers–Raiders rivalry (Raiders relocated to Las Vegas in 2020)

Various rivalries involved two teams from specific metro areas in either Northern or Southern California.

• Freeway Series
• Freeway Face-Off
• Lakers–Clippers rivalry
• Chargers–Rams rivalry
• El Tráfico
• UCLA–USC rivalry

Los Angeles and San Diego:

• Dodgers–Padres rivalry

Former:

• LA Derby

• Kings–Warriors rivalry
• The Big Game

Former:

• 49ers–Raiders rivalry (Raiders relocated to Los Angeles in 1982, returned in 1995, then Las Vegas in 2020)
• Bay Bridge Series (Athletics relocated to Sacramento in 2024, then Las Vegas in 2028)

Future venues in italics.

{{See also|Western sports (North America)|California League|label 2=California League (baseball)}}

File:California - Los Angeles - NARA - 23934521.jpg

In the late 19th century, organized sports became more prevalent in California, enabling city dwellers and immigrants to come together.{{Cite journal |last=Franks |first=Joel |date=1989 |title=California and the Rise of Spectator Sports, 1850-1900 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41171452 |journal=Southern California Quarterly |volume=71 |issue=4 |pages=287–310 |doi=10.2307/41171452 |issn=0038-3929|url-access=subscription }} California's recent American statehood saw the rise of baseball, though the sport initially struggled to grow in rural areas due to natural disasters such as the Great Flood of 1862.{{Cite book |last=Fairbanks |first=Robert Bruce |url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=kUBh9Qdja7gC&oi=fnd&pg=PA8 |title=Baseball in America and America in Baseball |date=2008 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=978-1-60344-435-4 |language=en}} Certain activities, such as surfing, became emblematic of state culture and geography.{{Cite journal |last=Rider |first=Toby C. |last2=Llewellyn |first2=Matthew P. |last3=Gleaves |first3=John T. |date=2019-04-01 |title=Sun, Surf, and Toned Bodies: California’s Impact on the History of Sport and Leisure: Introduction |url=https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jsh/article-abstract/46/1/1/218295/Sun-Surf-and-Toned-Bodies-California-s-Impact-on?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Journal of Sport History |language=en |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=1–4 |doi=10.5406/jsporthistory.46.1.0001 |issn=0094-1700|url-access=subscription }}

{{Portal|Sports|California}}

• Sports in Los Angeles
• Sports in Sacramento, California
• Sports in San Diego
• Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Professional sports in the Western United States

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{{commons category}}

{{California sports}}

{{Sports in the United States}}

{{California}}