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California has 19major professional sports franchises, far more than any other US state. TheGreater Los Angeles Area has ten major league teams. TheSan Francisco Bay Area has five major league teams spread amongst three cities:San Francisco,San Jose andSanta Clara. As of 2025,San Diego andSacramento each host two major league teams.
California is home to some of most successful collegiate sports teams in the country. Among thelist of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships theStanford Cardinal,UCLA Bruins,USC Trojans andCalifornia 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 theSummer andWinter Olympics.Los Angeles hosted the1932 and1984 summer games, and will host the2028 Summer Olympics. The1960 Winter Olympics was held at theSquaw Valley Ski Resort in theLake Tahoe region.
Oakland Athletics (MLB)[edit]4 World Series titles[a] San Francisco Giants (MLB)[edit]3 World Series titles[b] San Francisco 49ers (NFL)[edit]5 Super Bowl titles | Oakland Raiders (NFL)[edit]2 Super Bowl titles[c] Golden State Warriors (NBA)[edit]5 NBA Finals titles[a] Oakland Oaks (ABA)[edit]1 ABA Finals title Oakland Clippers (NASL)[edit]1 NASL Final title San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)[edit]2 MLS Cup titles
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Los Angeles Rams (NFL)[edit]1 NFL championship (pre–Super Bowl) 1 Super Bowl title Los Angeles Raiders (NFL)[edit]1 Super Bowl title Los Angeles Wolves (NASL)[edit]1 NASL Final title Los Angeles Aztecs (NASL)[edit]1 NASL Final title Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)[edit]6 MLS Cup titles Los Angeles FC (MLS)[edit]1 MLS Cup title Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)[edit]8 World Series titles | Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels (MLB)[edit]1 World Series titles Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)[edit]12 NBA Finals titles Los Angeles Kings (NHL)[edit]2 Stanley Cup titles Anaheim Ducks (NHL)[edit]1 Stanley Cup title Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA)[edit]3 WNBA Finals titles
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1 AFL championship (pre–Super Bowl)
California has produced the most Super Bowl winning Head Coaches in the history of the NFL,[1] 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).
Home to some of most prominent universities in the United States, California has long had many respected collegiate sports programs, in particular theUniversity 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 thePac-12 Conference until the 2023–24 academic year. In 2024, USC and UCLA joined theBig Ten Conference, while California and Stanford joined theAtlantic 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 annualRose Bowl (Pasadena), as well as theHoliday Bowl (San Diego) andSan Francisco Bowl. A second San Diego game, thePoinsettia Bowl, was discontinued after the 2016 season.
According to thelist 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),[2] 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).
California has produced moreHeisman Trophy winners than any other state.
Trivia
The following California universities are members of NCAA Division I.
California has hosted theOlympic Games three times. Los Angeles, the largest city in the state, hosted both the1932[3] and1984 Summer Olympics.[4]Squaw Valley, California hosted the1960 Winter Olympics.[5] Los Angeles and San Francisco were in the race for the United States Olympic Committee nomination to host the2016 Summer Olympics, but eventually lost to Chicago. Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games for a third time in2028.
Besides the Olympics, California has also hosted several major international soccer events:
San Diego hosted the2023 World Lacrosse Championship in men's field lacrosse, with San Diego State'sSnapdragon Stadium as the main venue and the University of San Diego'sTorero 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 ofCalifornia Sports activities listed on FindSportsNow's California database.
California has also long been a hub for motorsports and auto racing. The city of Long Beach, as part of theIndyCar Series, hosts theLong 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.[6] Long Beach has hostedFormula One events there in the past, and also currently hosts an event on theUnited SportsCar Championship schedule.
Auto Club Speedway was a speedway inFontana and had hostedNASCARCup Series racing along with the 2nd-tierXfinity Series annually.Sonoma Raceway is a multi-purpose facility outsideSonoma, 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 yearlyNHRA event.Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a road course nearMonterey that currently hosts an ALMS event, a round of theRolex Sports Car Series and theRolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. TheAuto Club Raceway at Pomona has hosted NHRA drag racing for over 50 years.
TheNASCAR Cup Series currently holds two races in California, previously atAuto Club Speedway in Fontana (originally named California Speedway), and currently atSonoma Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway. Beginning in 2022, anexhibition race has been held at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a temporary oval at the beginning of the Cup Series season. TheIndyCar 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 atAuto Club Raceway at Pomona (formerly Pomona Raceway) and at the aforementioned Sonoma Raceway.
Notable off-road courses includeLake Elsinore Motorsports Park,Glen Helen Raceway andPrairie 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, likeCypress Point Club,Olympic Club,Pebble Beach Golf Links,Riviera Country Club –Pacific Palisades, California andTorrey Pines Golf Course. Notable tournaments include theAT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am,Northern Trust Open,Farmers Insurance Open.
Notable Californian golfers includeTiger Woods,Phil Mickelson,Johnny Miller,Gene Littler,Collin Morikawa,Amy Alcott,Paula Creamer,Juli Inkster, andXander Schauffele.
Horse racing is regulated by theCalifornia Horse Racing Board. Notable racetracks includeSanta Anita Park,Del Mar Fairgrounds,Los Alamitos,Golden Gate Fields andPleasanton Fairgrounds. Notable races include theSanta Anita Derby,Santa Anita Handicap,Pacific Classic Stakes andChampion of Champions.
Former racetracks includeBay Meadows,Fairplex Race Track andHollywood 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 skateboarderTony Hawk was born inCarlsbad, California in 1968 and was involved in many bowl riding and vert competitions there.
TheCalifornia State Games, a statewide Olympics-like sport event, take place in California every year. TheUnited States Olympic Committee governs this event.[7]
Cricket is growing in California due to the growth of theSouth Asian community,[8] with one team from the state (San Francisco Unicorns) playing inMajor League Cricket.[9]
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.
Former:
Various rivalries involved two teams from specific metro areas in either Northern or Southern California.
Los Angeles and San Diego:
Former:
Former:
Future venues initalics.
In the late 19th century, organized sports became more prevalent in California, enabling city dwellers and immigrants to come together.[16] 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 theGreat Flood of 1862.[17] Certain activities, such assurfing, became emblematic of state culture and geography.[18]
