Sports in Pennsylvania includes numerous professional sporting teams, events, and venues located in theU.S. state ofPennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is home to eight teams from thefive major American professional sports leagues.

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Football is the most popular sport in Pennsylvania, especially in theLehigh Valley,Northeastern Pennsylvania, Central Pennsylvania, andWestern Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania in particular was home to some of theearliest moments in football history, and the earliest professional clubs played in theWestern Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit.Pudge Heffelfinger was the first known professional football player,^[1] whileJohn Brallier was the first openly professional player. TheAllegheny Athletic Association fielded the first entirely openly professional team in 1896.^[2] In 1902, three Pennsylvania teams founded theNational Football League (which has no ties to today'sNFL), the first attempt at a national professional football league.Jim Thorpe, a multi-sport athlete who played in the NFL and won Olympic gold medals in thepentathlon anddecathlon, attendedCarlisle Indian Industrial School inCarlisle, Pennsylvania.Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania is named after him.

Today, football is popular on all levels, fromhigh school,college, and professionally. The high school games get regular attention in the local newspapers and games regularly draw over 10,000 fans. Pennsylvania produces several college and professional players every year, and Western Pennsylvania is noted for being the home ofnumerous quarterbacks, includingDan Marino,Joe Montana, andJohnny Unitas.

Professionally, thePittsburgh Steelers andPhiladelphia Eagles of theNFL are also hugely popular. Both franchises entered the NFL in1933, and the two franchisesbriefly merged during World War II. Both teams have fan bases across the entire state, and in the case of the Steelers, are one of the most popular sports teams in the United States, if not the world. (This is likely due to that team's dominance in the NFL during the 1970s.) While the Eagles are not quite as popular as the Steelers outside Pennsylvania, they still maintain a passionate fan base in thePhiladelphia area and across the United States as they are one of the more popular teams in the NFL. Often one of the rowdiest in the NFL, the Eagles fanbase is known for their passion and dedication. In fact, the Eagles' old home field,Veterans Stadium, was the first sports stadium in the United States to have ajail cell as a result of the rowdiness of the fans, but was removed only a couple years later after incidents settled down. Both fanbases though are considered to be among the best traveled fanbases in the NFL. During games in which the teams are on the road, Steelers fans and Eagles fans alike migrate to the opposing team's stadium and always have a strong presence, and in some cases, their numbers have made opposing teams feel as if they are not in their home stadium—a testament to the die-hard fanbases of professional football in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has also been home to two defunct NFL franchises, both of which played in the 1920s. ThePottsville Maroons played inPottsville, Pennsylvania; the franchise is notable for its part in the1925 NFL Championship controversy.Frankford (a neighborhood in Philadelphia) also briefly had its own team in the 1920s, known as theFrankford Yellow Jackets. The team won the1926 NFL Championship, but disbanded during theGreat Depression. A third NFL franchise, theDallas Texans, was briefly headquartered inHershey, Pennsylvania during the1952 season. Pennsylvania also had teams in four national leagues that competed with theNFL: the1920s AFL, the1930s AFL, theWorld Football League, and theUSFL.

Philadelphia was also home to anArena Football League team, thePhiladelphia Soul who played in the league from 2004 to 2019. Pittsburgh was also the home to one of the foundingArena Football League franchises, the Pittsburgh Gladiators. After four seasons in Pittsburgh, the team moved toTampa, Florida, in 1991 and became theTampa Bay Storm. Pittsburgh got another AFL team in 2011, thePittsburgh Power, which folded in 2014. TheWilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers played in the AFL's minor leagueaf2 until that league disbanded in 2009.

In addition to NFL and arena football teams, Pennsylvania is also home to minor professional teams from numerous other leagues. Men's teams include theChambersburg Cardinals and thePittsburgh Colts. There are also severalwomen's football teams, including theKeystone Assault,Pittsburgh Passion, andPhiladelphia Firebirds.

TheHarrisburg Stampede played in theNational Arena League before folding, and arena football returns with theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Mavericks set to play inArena Football One.

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Baseball is one of the more popular sports in Pennsylvania. The state has both major league and minor league baseball teams. The two major league baseball teams in Pennsylvania are thePhiladelphia Phillies and thePittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies and the Pirates are two of theeight National League franchises that originated in the nineteenth century. As such, the Phillies and the Pirates have had arivalry for over one hundred years. The rivalry was particularly strong during the 1970s and 1980s, when the two teams frequently competed to win theNational League East. The rivalry has cooled off since the Pirates moved to theNL Central in1994, but the two teams continue to play each other every year. Although the Pirates have won moreWorld Series (five in total), the Phillies won the World Series more recently (in2008). Both teams have had stretches of success and futility. Pennsylvania is the only state with two teams that are in the same league (National League) but in separate divisions (Pittsburgh in the NL Central and Philadelphia in the NL East).

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were also the home of numerous defunct and relocated major league franchises, including theAmerican League'sPhiladelphia Athletics, which moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1950s. The franchise now plays in Oakland, California, as theOakland Athletics. Pittsburgh briefly hosted a second major league team in the 20th century: thePittsburgh Rebels played in theFederal League during the fledgling league's two seasons of existence.Altoona also had a short-livedteam in the 19th centuryUnion Association. Prior to theintegration ofMajor League Baseball that occurred after World War II, both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh hadnegro league baseball teams.

Pennsylvania is the original home ofLittle League Baseball. In 1939,Carl Stotz (1910-1992), founded Little League Baseball in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and the organization was incorporated in 1950.^[3] TheLittle League World Series is still held for youth teams from the United States and foreign nations in a tournament every year in South Williamsport.

As of 2021, Pennsylvania has nineminor league baseball teams. Six of these teams areaffiliates ofmajor league teams, while the remaining teams areindependent. Pennsylvania has also been home to minor leagues and minor league teams that are now defunct, such as thePennsylvania State Association and theAllentown Peanuts. Pennsylvania is also home to two teams in the newMLB Draft League, theState College Spikes and theWilliamsport Crosscutters, as well as a collegiate summer baseball in Johnstown, theJohnstown Mill Rats.

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Unlike the othermajor professional sports leagues, theNational Basketball Association only has one team inPennsylvania. ThePhiladelphia 76ers, which relocated from Syracuse, New York, in 1963, have wonthree NBA championships and, as of 2018, the franchise has won the fifth most championship games in NBA history (tied with theDetroit Pistons andMiami Heat). Philadelphia also hosted another NBA team from 1946 to 1962, thePhiladelphia Warriors, but the franchise moved to San Francisco and later became what is now known as theGolden State Warriors.

Pittsburgh briefly had a team in theBasketball Association of America known as thePittsburgh Ironmen,^[4] and anAmerican Basketball Association franchise called thePittsburgh Condors,^[5] but no NBA franchise has ever called Pittsburgh home.

In addition to the 76ers, Pennsylvania also has a few other professional basketball teams. TheErie BayHawks are anNBA G League team affiliated with the NBA'sNew Orleans Pelicans. This team will play in Erie until moving to its intended permanent home ofBirmingham, Alabama, in 2022. TheSteel City Yellow Jackets play in theABA. TheHarrisburg Horizon are a member of theEastern Basketball Alliance, while the Harrisburg Lady Horizon are a member of the Women's Eastern Basketball Alliance.

Pennsylvania has never had a team in theWomen's National Basketball Association, the top women's basketball league in the United States, though anew team in Philadelphia was announced in June 2025 with an opening season in 2030.^[6]

ThePhiladelphia area has produced NBA players such asWilt Chamberlain,Kobe Bryant, andPaul Arizin, whilePete Maravich was fromAliquippa.

Due in large part to Pennsylvania's cold winter climate and the state's geographic location in theNortheast, hockey is fairly popular throughout Pennsylvania. In all, seven professional hockey teams call Pennsylvania home, including two NHL teams.

Perhaps the strongest current in-state professional sports rivalry is between thePhiladelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, both of which play in theMetropolitan Division of the NHL. With the exception of a seven-year period in the 1970s, the two teams have been divisional rivals since they joined the NHL in the1967 expansion. The rivalry is generally considered to be one of the fiercest in the NHL.^[7][8] The two franchises have been among the most successful teams since they joined the league, as the Flyers have the mostStanley Cup Finals appearances among the non-Original Six teams, while the Penguins are tied for thethird most Stanley Cup wins among non-Original Six teams.

TheHershey Bears are renowned for being the oldest existingAHL franchise, and the oldest existing hockey franchise outside of the NHL'sOriginal Six. TheLehigh Valley Phantoms, also of the AHL, are the primary development team of thePhiladelphia Flyers and play their home games atPPL Center inAllentown.

Pennsylvania is notable for being one of the few states with a team in theCanadian Hockey League, and the state was also home to theWestern Pennsylvania Hockey League, one of the first professional hockey leagues. In addition to the two current NHL teams thatjoined the league in the 1960s, Pennsylvania also had an NHL franchise in the 1920s: a hockey team named thePirates played in the NHL for five seasons before moving to Philadelphia and becoming thePhiladelphia Quakers. The franchise disbanded after its only season in Philadelphia. Philadelphia also briefly had aWHA franchise.

A number of notable current and former professional hockey players are Pennsylvania natives:Mike Richter, one of the most successful American-born goaltenders inNHL history;Pete Babando;Bob Beers;Jay Caufield;Ryan Malone;Gerry O'Flaherty;George Parros;Jesse Spring; andR.J. Umberger. Legendary amateur hockey playerHobey Baker, namesake of U.S. college hockey'sHobey Baker Memorial Award, was also born in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has three active professional outdoor soccer teams. Since 2010,Chester, Pennsylvania has been home to thePhiladelphia Union ofMajor League Soccer, the top league in theUS Soccer Pyramid. Additionally, Pennsylvania has one team in thesecond-tierUSL Championship (previously the United Soccer League), thePittsburgh Riverhounds SC, as well as a third-tier team inMLS Next Pro:Philadelphia Union II. The state had a third team in the USL Championship, the Harrisburg-basedPenn FC, but that team suspended professional operations for the 2019 season and ultimately folded. Pennsylvania also has several indoor soccer and amateur teams, including theHarrisburgh Heat of theMajor Arena Soccer League,Reading United A.C. and thePittsburgh Riverhounds U23 ofUSL League Two (formerly the Premier Development League), and numerous teams in theNational Premier Soccer League. Pennsylvania also women's teams, including theLancaster Inferno of theWomen's Premier Soccer League. As of 2020, Pennsylvania does not have a team in the top-level women's league, theNational Women's Soccer League.

Pennsylvania has a long history with soccer. The first professional American soccer league, theAmerican League of Professional Football, included a team named the "Philadelphia Phillies" (all of the teams were affiliated withNational League baseball teams). The originalBethlehem Steel won championships in theNational Association Football League and theAmerican Soccer League. Despite disbanding in the 1930s, the club still shares the record (withMaccabi Los Angeles) for mostU.S. Open Cup wins, withfive. TheNorth American Soccer League, which was perhaps the most prominent American soccer league until the formation ofMajor League Soccer, had two teams in Pennsylvania: thePhiladelphia Atoms and thePhiladelphia Fury.

Pennsylvania-based clubs have captured theU.S. Open Cup a total of 14 times, thethird-most among states, and Pennsylvania teams have won theNational Amateur Cup several times. Pennsylvania has also been home to numerous soccer players, includingWalter Bahr, the captain of theU.S. national team at the1950 FIFA World Cup.

There are 15NCAADivision I schools spread across Pennsylvania. In addition to the Division I schools listed below, there are also several othercollege athletic programs in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is home to several prominentcollegiate rivalries. ThePenn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry began in the 19th century, and was once considered one of the most important rivalries north of theMason–Dixon line.^[9] Although the two schools have not played as frequently since Penn State and Pittsburgh joined football conferences in the 1990s, the rivalry between the two schools continues to divide the state. Before the 2023–24 season, whena sixth school was officially added to the rivalry, thePhiladelphia Big 5 played a basketball round robin every year to determine the top basketball school in thePhiladelphia area. The round-robin series has been replaced by a mini-tournament in which each team plays three games. Pittsburgh is also home to a heated basketball rivalry, as Duquesne and Pittsburgh play each other every year in theCity Game. TheLehigh Valley is home to a heated college football rivalry so deeply ingrained into both schools' traditions that the annual game is simply known as "The Rivalry."

Since theNCAA tournament began in 1939, Pennsylvania has producedfour Division I basketball champions:La Salle won the championship in1954, whileVillanova won the championship in1985,2016, and2018. In football, four different Pennsylvania schools claimDivision I FBS championships.Pittsburgh claims nine national titles,Penn claims seven titles,Penn State claims two titles, andLafayette claims one title. Since the division's formation in 1978,Villanova's2009 championship is the loneFCS championship won by a Pennsylvania school.Lehigh also has one appearance in the championship game.

The following is a list of championships won by Pennsylvania teams inNCAADivision I FBS football,NCAA Division I men's basketball, and thefive major leagues (MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA, NASL/MLS). For football, the list includes Division I (formerly known as the "University Division" and "Division I-A") champions prior tothe 1978 split of Division I into two subdivisions (FBS and FCS), and college football champions prior tothe 1956 split of theNCAA into divisions.^[10] For basketball, the list only includes the winners of theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, which began in 1939.

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Lacrosse in Pennsylvania has a long history.Lehigh,Swarthmore, andPenn were early members of theUnited States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, and lacrosse is now played atmany Pennsylvania colleges. Pennsylvania has had professional lacrosse teams such as thePhiladelphia Wings and thePittsburgh Bulls, and the Wings have now returned to action, beginning in 2018.

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• Giddeon Massie ofQuakertown, member, 2004 Bicycling team
• John Woodruff ofConnellsville, gold medal, 1936, in 800-meters event
• Catherine "Kit" Klein ofHarrisburg, gold and bronze, 1932 Olympics, 1936 Olympics, speed skater, World Record – 1000 meters (1935), World Record – 3000 meters (1936), 1936 World Champion
• Roger Kingdom of Monroeville, gold medal in both 1984 and 1988 Olympics, 110m hurdles
• Kurt Angle, 1996freestyle wrestling gold medalist
• Kim Gallagher, Americantrack & fieldOlympian in the 800 meters in 1984 and 1988. She also holds National High School Records andPIAA state records and was aPenn Relays champion
• Lauryn Williams2004, silver medal winner, women's 100m track, native ofRochester, Pennsylvania
• Marty Nothstein ofTrexlertown, gold medal, 2000, Cycling
• Angie Loy ofElliottsburg, eighth place, 2008, Field Hockey
• Michael Shine ofYoungsville, Pennsylvania, silver medal, 400m hurdles at the 1976 Summer Olympics

Pennsylvania hosts the Pro Cycling Tour "Triple Crown of Cycling" bicycle races each June, with theTom Bamford Lancaster Classic, theReading Classic, and thePhiladelphia International Championship. The PCT is sanctioned byUSA Cycling, the national governing body for cycling in the United States. Pennsylvania also hosts theUnivest Grand Prix professional bicycle race each year in September, sanctioned by theUnion Cycliste Internationale, the worldwide governing body for cycling. The road race starts and finishes in Souderton, while the criterium is located in Doylestown. TheValley Preferred Cycling Center annually hosts a USA Cycling Elite Nationals qualifying event.

Floyd Landis, ofFarmersville was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title due to prohibiteddoping.

TheMario Andretti dynasty of race drivers hails fromNazareth, Pennsylvania.Pocono Raceway inLong Pond is home to oneNASCAR race weekend a year, theHighPoint.com 400 in July. The track formerly had anIndyCar race weekend, thePocono 500, and a second NASCAR race weekend, thePocono 325. Pennsylvania has also seen success in the sport of drag racing in the form of five timeNHRATop Fuel championJoe Amato

Dirt ovals include Dunn Hill 2 Speedway inMonroeton, Allegheny Mountain Raceway inKane, Bedford Speedway inBedford, Big Diamond Raceway inMinersville, Blanket Hill Speedway inKittanning, Borger's Speedway inSaylorsburg, Bradford Speedway inBradford, Challenger Raceway inIndiana, Clinton County Raceway inLock Haven, Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway inSchaefferstown, Dog Hollow Speedway inStrongstown, Eriez Speedway inErie, Farmington VFD Speedway inFarmington, Gamblers Raceway Park inClearfield,Grandview Speedway inBechtelsville, Greenwood Valley Action Track inMillville, Hamlin Speedway inHamlin, Hesston Speedway inHuntingdon, Hill Valley Speedway inOrbisonia, Hummingbird Speedway inFalls Creek, Lake Moc-A-Tek Speedway inLakeville, Latrobe Speedway inLatrobe, Lernerville Speedway inSarver, Lincoln Speedway inAbbottstown, Linda's Speedway inJonestown (Lebanon County), Marion Center Speedway inMarion Center, McKean County Raceway inEast Smethport, Mercer Raceway Park inMercer, Path Valley Speedway Park inSpring Run, Penn Can Speedway inSusquehanna, Pittsburgh's Pa Motor Speedway inImperial, Port Royal Speedway inPort Royal, Redline Raceway inTroy, Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex inMarkleysburg, Selinsgrove Speedway inSelinsgrove, Shippensburg Speedway inShippensburg, Silver Spring Speedway inMechanicsburg [Operated 1953–2005], Snydersville Raceway inSnydersville, Susquehanna Speedway in Newberrytown, The Fairgrounds At Kutztown inKutztown, Thunder Valley Raceway inCentral City, Trail-Way Speedway inHanover, Tri-City Speedway inFranklin, Williams Grove Speedway inMechanicsburg, and Windber Speedway inWindber.

Asphalt ovals in Pennsylvania include Jennerstown Speedway inJennerstown,Lake Erie Speedway inNorth East, Mahoning Valley Speedway inLehighton, Motordome Speedway inSmithton (closed), Mountain Speedway in St. Johns, Nazareth Speedway inNazareth (closed), andPocono Raceway inLong Pond, CNB Bank Raceway Park Formerly known as Central PA Speedway Clearfield, Pennsylvania

Drag Strips include Beaver Springs Dragway inBeaver Springs, Lucky Drag City inWattsburg, Maple Grove Raceway inMohnton, Numidia Raceway inNumidia, Pittsburgh Raceway Park inNew Alexandria, and South Mountain Dragway inBoiling Springs.

Road Courses includePittsburgh International Race Complex inWampum, and Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix inPittsburgh.Pocono Raceway inLong Pond also has a road course that hosts SCCA and other events.

Pennsylvania has a long history of horse racing, as the sport was one of the few that was not banned in 17th century Pennsylvania.William Penn, the founder of Philadelphia andPennsylvania, reportedly raced his horses down the streets of Philadelphia.^[11]Stephen Foster wrote the song "Camptown Races" about horse racing in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia-area businessmanSamuel D. Riddle owned prominent horsesMan o' War andWar Admiral.

Penn National Race Course inGrantville,Parx Racing inBensalem, andPresque Isle Downs near Erie offer thoroughbred racing.The Meadows in Pittsburgh,Mohegan Pennsylvania inWilkes-Barre, andHarrah's Philadelphia inChester offer harness racing in Pennsylvania.

Smarty Jones, the2004 Kentucky Derby winner, was owned by Roy Chapman and wife Patricia. Smarty Jones was bred at Chapman's Someday Farm (Patricia explains the name: "Some day we were going to do this and some day we were going to do that. And my husband said, 'I think we ought to call it Someday Farm,' so we did.") near Philadelphia, and had Philadelphia Park (now Parx Racing) as his home course.^[12]

Barbaro, the2006 Kentucky Derby winner, came from Mr. and Mrs. Roy Jackson's Lael Stables inWest Grove. After suffering injuries in thePreakness Stakes on May 20, 2006, Barbaro was treated forlaminitis. He developed further complications, and waseuthanized on January 29, 2007.

PGA Tour tournaments in Pennsylvania include the 84 Lumber Classic, played at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort inFarmington, and the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, played at Glenmaura National Golf Club inScranton. There is also the PGT (Pittsburgh Golfers Tour) which is people from all over the east coast joining a club where the owner schedules tournaments all over the state.

Arnold Palmer, winner of sevenmajor golf championships and 62 PGA Tour events, was fromLatrobe.Jim Furyk, winner of the 2003 U.S. Open and 2010 Tour Championship, grew up nearLancaster.

Pennsylvania is an area of the United States that features some of the most elite levels ofhigh school wrestling andcollegiate wrestling.^[13] Many of the top collegiate wrestlers are produced from Pennsylvania,^[14] with Pennsylvania's own Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic serving as a national level high school All-Star event, featuring the top PA wrestlers in a dual team match against the top wrestlers from other states in the country.^[15] It was started in 1975 as the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic,^[16] sponsored byDapper Dan Charities.^[17]

During the 2010s, thePenn State Nittany Lions wrestling team won eight national championships. Many Pennsylvania wrestlers have also represented the U.S. on the international circuit, including on Team USA World andOlympic teams. Notable Pennsylvania wrestlers includeKurt Angle (fromMt. Lebanon),Nate Carr (fromErie),Stanley Dziedzic (fromAllentown),Carlton Haselrig (fromJohnstown),Jake Herbert (fromPittsburgh),Cary Kolat (fromRices Landing),Spencer Lee (fromSaegertown),Jason Nolf (fromYatesboro),Jordan Oliver (fromEaston),Zain Retherford (fromBenton),Ed Ruth (fromHarrisburg),Coleman Scott (fromWaynesburg),Wade Schalles (fromHollidaysburg),Bobby Weaver (from Easton), and others.

Texas hold'em poker was found in 2009 not to be gambling under the Pennsylvania Crimes Code by Judge Thomas A. James Jr. in the case ofCommonwealth of Pennsylvania vs Walter Watkins.^[18]

The case involved a $1/$2table stakesTexas Hold 'emPoker game with a dealer making tips. The organizers were charged with 20 counts of violating Section 5513 sections (a)(2), (a)(3), and (a)(4), related to "unlawful gambling", and had materials related to the games confiscated by police as "gambling devices".^[18] Section 5513 of thePennsylvania Code makes it a misdemeanor of the first degree for a person to invite or allows other people to gather in a place of his control for the purpose of "unlawful gambling". In his decision, Judge Thomas A. James Jr. stated, "[T]here are three elements of gambling: consideration, chance and reward." The judge found through a four pronged test that skill predominates over chance, and that Texas Hold' em is agame of skill, therefore not gambling.^[18]

Specifically, the decision states:

The court finds that Texas Hold 'em poker is a game where skill predominates over chance. Thus, it is not "unlawful gambling' under the Pennsylvania Crimes Code.

Section 5512(d), which provides definitions, states:

As used in this section the term "unlawful" means not specifically authorized by law.

Section 5513 states: (emphasis added)

§ 5513. Gambling devices, gambling, etc.

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if he:

(1) intentionally or knowingly makes, assembles, sets up, maintains, sells, lends, leases, gives away, or offers for sale, loan, lease or gift, any punch board, drawing card, slot machine or any device to be used for gambling purposes,except playing cards;(2) allows persons to collect and assemble for the purpose of unlawful gambling at any place under his control;(3) solicits or invites any person to visit any unlawful gambling place for the purpose of gambling; or(4) being the owner, tenant, lessee or occupant of any premises, knowingly permits or suffers the same, or any part thereof, to be used for the purpose of unlawful gambling.

In the 1949 case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania V. Silverman, thePennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the "Sporadic or casual act of playing cards or betting is not an indictable offense in Pennsylvania."

In 2004,Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola was quoted as saying, "it's legal to gather with friends to play poker but it's not legal when the 'house' or an outside party profits from the game."^[19]

In 2005,York County District Attorney Stan Rebert was asked about illegal poker games in the York area by theYork Daily Record. He replied that he had not heard of any and that it's not something that he would worry about. "Casual gambling ... that is not illegal", he said, "It's kind of a fine line."^[20]

Previous legal challenges and legislative initiatives have taken place, but until recently, none have changed the status of poker in Pennsylvania.

• HB2121 would authorize table games, including poker, in Pennsylvania's recently authorized casinos.
• HB947 would authorize poker tournaments to be held by the holders of licenses for small games of chance.
• In Lewistown, three members of the Brooklyn Hose Fire Co. were charged with unlawful gambling for the poker tournaments held there.^[21]
• In Greensburg, a defense attorney who had $10,000 and equipment confiscated from his office from poker tournaments is suing for their return. The attorney has not been charged and insists that poker tournaments are legal games of skill.^[22]

ThePennsylvania Liquor Control Board has published anFAQ page on the legalities of Texas Hold'em Poker for licensed establishments.

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Joe Sweeney holds the national Pennsylvania championship for table tennis. After each victory, he celebrates by staring directly into the eyes of his opponent and let's out a classic "surfer dude laugh."

TheDelaware Valley was a center ofcricket in the United States, with players such asBart King competing for early 20th century teams such as thePhiladelphia Cricket Club.

Pennsylvania has been home to many accomplishedboxers, includingTommy Loughran,Joe Frazier, andBernard Hopkins.

Pennsylvania has also been home to prominenttennis players, such asDonald Johnson andBill Tilden. TheU.S. Pro Indoor was held from 1969 to 1998, and theAdvanta Championships of Philadelphia from 1971 to 2005. ThePhiladelphia Freedoms play inWorld TeamTennis. Another team, thePittsburgh Triangles, played in the league in the 1970s.

Pennsylvania has a strongtrack and field tradition. Events include thePenn Relays and thePittsburgh Great Race.

Famous swimmers from Pennsylvania includeJohnny Weissmuller andBrendan Hansen.

TheProfessional Inline Hockey Association was founded inMiddletown, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Typhoon and Harrisburg Lunatics both play in the league. The American Inline Hockey League was founded inBensalem after the league split off from the Professional Inline Hockey Association. The Delco Demons and the Pittsburgh Bandits play in the AIHL.

TheBucks County Sharks, thePhiladelphia Fight and thePittsburgh Sledgehammers were members of theUSA Rugby League, the toprugby league competition in the United States.

ThePennsylvania Rebellion played in theNational Pro Fastpitch league, the former professional women'ssoftball league in the United States.

Allentown is home to The Holy Name Cadets of Drum Corps International.

ThePittsburgh Thunderbirds and thePhiladelphia Phoenix compete in theUltimate Frisbee Association.

• Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
• Sports in Philadelphia
• Sports in Pittsburgh
• List of professional sports teams in Pennsylvania

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSports in Pennsylvania.

• Pennsylvania NFL teams List 2023

• Sports in Pennsylvania

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