Philadelphia has one of the nation's longest and richest traditions inprofessional, semi-professional,amateur,college, andhigh school sports. The city is one oftwelve cities that hosts teams in each of themajor professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, and one of just four cities in North America in which one team from every league plays within its city limits.

The four major sports teams are thePhiladelphia Phillies ofMajor League Baseball (MLB), thePhiladelphia Eagles of theNational Football League (NFL), thePhiladelphia 76ers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and thePhiladelphia Flyers of theNational Hockey League (NHL). Each team has played in Philadelphia since at least the 1960s, and each team has won at least two championships. Since 2010, thePhiladelphia metropolitan area has also been the home of thePhiladelphia Union ofMajor League Soccer (MLS), making the Philadelphia market one of onlynine cities inNorth America to host a team in the five major sports leagues. Prior to the 1980s, Philadelphia was home to several other notable professional franchises, including thePhiladelphia Athletics, theFrankford Yellow Jackets, thePhiladelphia Warriors, thePhiladelphia Quakers,Philadelphia Atoms, and thePhiladelphia Field Club.

Sports play a very significant role in theculture of the city and thePhiladelphia metropolitan area. Philadelphia sports fans are considered to be some of the most knowledgeable fans in sports, and are known for their extreme passion for all of their teams. Philadelphia fans, particularly Phillies and Eagles fans, have a reputation for being the "Meanest Fans in America".^[2] Philadelphia's passionate and knowledgeable fans, combined with the number and extensive history and tradition of the city's teams have many times led the city to be described as the nation's best sports city.^[3][4]

Metropolitan Philadelphia area hosts several college sports teams. ThePhiladelphia Big 5 is an informal association ofcollege basketball schools in Philadelphia, historically consisting ofLa Salle University, theUniversity of Pennsylvania,Saint Joseph's University,Temple University, andVillanova University and also includingDrexel University as of the 2023–24 school year. These six schools, along withDelaware State University and theUniversity of Delaware, all represent the Greater Philadelphia area inNCAA Division I, while several other area schools field teams in other divisions of theNCAA. Temple and Delaware field the loneDivision I FBS football teams in the region, though many Philadelphia fans root for other programs, such as thePenn State Nittany Lions.

In addition to the major professional and college sports, numerous semi-pro, amateur, community, and high school teams play in Philadelphia. The city hosts numerous sporting events, such as thePenn Relays and theCollegiate Rugby Championship, and Philadelphia has been the most frequent host of the annualArmy–Navy football game. Philadelphia has also been the home ofseveral renowned athletes and sports figures. Philly furthermore has played a historically significant role in the development ofcricket andextreme wrestling in the United States.

Philadelphia has a long history ofprofessional sports teams. Philadelphia is one ofsix cities that has won at least one championship in the NHL, NFL, MLB, and NBA. Philadelphia's combined total of 19 championships in these leagues ranksseventh among North American cities in total championships.

The Eagles, Flyers, Phillies, and 76ers all play their home games in theSouth Philadelphia Sports Complex within the city. The Eagles currently play atLincoln Financial Field, commonly referred to as "The Linc", built in 2003. The Phillies play atCitizens Bank Park, which opened in 2004. The Flyers and 76ers share theXfinity Mobile Arena, which opened in 1996. All three venues are within walking distance ofNRG Station on SEPTA'sBroad Street Line inSouth Philadelphia. ThePhiladelphia Union ofMajor League Soccer play their home games atSubaru Park inChester, a Philadelphia suburb roughly 13 miles (21 km) southwest of the city.^[5]

Philadelphia also has historically been home torelocated anddefunct franchises. ThePhiladelphia Athletics, now theAthletics, of theMLB, the Philadelphia Warriors, now theGolden State Warriors of theNBA, and theFrankford Yellow Jackets of theNFL each played in Philadelphia for over a decade. Other former Philadelphia teams, including thePhiladelphia Quakers of theNHL, have been more short-lived. The Warriors currently play in theSan Francisco Bay Area while the Athletics are currently playing inSacramento until they move toLas Vegas.^[6][7]

In1980, Philadelphia became the only North American city in which all four major sports teams played for their respective championships in one year, although thePhillies were the only team to win the championship. The Flyers' run to the2010 Stanley Cup Finals made Philadelphia the first North American city to have all four of its major professional sports league teams play in the league championship finals at least once since 2000, although the Phillies and the Eagles are the only teams to have won a championship in the 21st century.^[8][9][10] Philadelphia had an odd trend of losing championship games during presidential inauguration years until recently; the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers collectively had an 0–8 record in such games from 1977 until 2021.^[11] On February 9, 2025, however, the Eagles broke the so-called Curse of the Inauguration, defeating theKansas City Chiefs inSuper Bowl LIX to win their secondSuper Bowl.

In 2011, the Phillies became the first team in the city's major professional sports history to finish the regular season in first place in five consecutive seasons.^[12][13] Two other teams finished first during four consecutive seasons: the 1973–77 Flyers and the 2001–04 Eagles.^[12] Five other teams finished first for three seasons in a row: the 1929–31 Athletics, 1947–49 Eagles, 1965–68 Sixers, 1976–78 Phillies, and 1984–87 Flyers.^[12]

The city's sole existingMajor League Baseball (MLB) team is thePhiladelphia Phillies. Founded in 1883, the team is the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports.^[14] The Phillies compete in theNational League East and have won theWorld Series twice, in1980 and2008. The Phillies have won eightNational Leaguepennants and elevenNL Eastdivision titles. In 2007, the Phillies lost a game for the 10,000th time in franchise history; according to theElias Sports Bureau, no professional sports franchise in any sport has lost more games.^[15] For its first 30 years, the franchise often finished in the middle of the National League. Led by pitcherGrover Cleveland Alexander, the franchise appeared in the1915 World Series and made strong finishes in 1916 and 1917. After trading Alexander in 1917, the franchise had one of the worst stretches in professional sports history, as it managed just one winning season between 1918 and 1948. The"Whiz Kid" Phillies, led by pitcherRobin Roberts, reached the1950 World Series, but the team was swept by theNew York Yankees. The team finished towards the middle of the pack for much of the 1950s and 1960s. After a down period in the early 1970s, third basemanMike Schmidt and pitcherSteve Carlton led the Phillies to six playoff appearances in eight years. The Phillies won their first World Series in1980, defeating theKansas City Royals in six games. The Phillies also appeared in the1983 World Series, but lost to theBaltimore Orioles. The franchise had just one winning season between 1987 and 2000, although the 1993 Phillies appeared in the1993 World Series, losing to theToronto Blue Jays. The franchise experienced a resurgence starting in 2001, though it did not make the playoffs until 2007. From 2007 to 2011, the Phillies made the playoffs for five straight seasons, winning the2008 World Series over theTampa Bay Rays and also appearing in the2009 World Series. After an 11-year playoff drought, the Phillies reached the2022 World Series, losing to theHouston Astros in six games.

ThePhiladelphia Athletics were founded in 1901 as one of the eightcharter franchises of theAmerican League. Like several other MLB teams, the Athleticsrelocated in the 1950s, moving toKansas City after the 1954 season. The Philadelphia Athletics won theWorld Series in1910,1911,1913,1929, and1930. The team won theAmerican Leaguepennant nine times while in Philadelphia, including a1902 pennant victory that occurred before the start of the modernWorld Series. The Athletics declined after their victory in the 1930 World Series, and usually finished below .500 in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Having played 53 seasons in Philadelphia, the Athletics are the sixth-longest tenured team in major North American professional sports to relocate, behind four other baseball teams (theBraves,Giants,Dodgers, andSenators) and one football team (theChargers). The Athletics would later relocate toOakland after the 1967 season, becoming theOakland Athletics, and plans are now in place for the Athletics to relocate toLas Vegas in 2028. Philadelphia Athletics players such asLefty Grove,Jimmie Foxx, andAl Simmons have been inducted into thePhiladelphia Sports Hall of Fame, as has long-time manager and ownerConnie Mack, who holds therecord for most games managed, won, and lost. While the Athletics played in Philadelphia, they frequently played the Phillies in exhibition games known as theCity Series. However, the teams never met in the World Series, and did not play each other in the regular season until 2003 (after the introduction ofinterleague play).^{[citation needed]}

Before theintegration ofMajor League Baseball following World War II, Philadelphia was the home of numerousNegro league teams playing in various leagues. ThePhiladelphia Pythians played from 1867 to 1887, and were one of the top early black baseball clubs. Shortly after the end of theCivil War, the Pythians tried to join theNational League but were denied membership.^[16] ThePhiladelphia Giants were aNegro league team that played from 1902 to 1911. TheHilldale Club played as an independent and in several leagues from 1910 to 1932. ThePhiladelphia Tigers played in theEastern Colored League in 1928. Two franchises played in the second incarnation of theNegro National League: thePhiladelphia Stars played from 1934 to 1948, while theBacharach Giants played in the league in 1934. In 2020, Major League Baseball retroactively extended major league recognition to seven negro leagues,^[17] making the Giants, the Tigers, the Hilldale Club, the Bacharach Giants, and the Stars major league franchises for part or all of their existences. The Hilldale Club and the Stars, two of the longest lasting Negro League franchises, were both led by local postal officialEd Bolden. Hilldale was defeated in the inauguralNegro World Series of1924 but won the following year in1925, while the Stars won theNegro National League championship in 1934.^[18]

The first game in the history of Major League Baseball was played in Philadelphia, on Saturday, April 22, 1876, at theJefferson Street Grounds. TheBoston Red Caps defeated thePhiladelphia Athletics, 6–5, in the inaugural game of theNational League.^[19][20] These Athletics (officially known as the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia) were formed in 1860, and played in theNational Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), then theNational Association (NA), and finally theNational League (NL; for only one year). The Athletics won the inauguralNational Association title, making the franchise the winner of arguably the first title in major league history. After the end of the 1876 season, the franchise folded, having been expelled from the National League for refusing to make a late-season road trip. Three other franchises would later use the name "Athletics", including the now–Oakland Athletics. Though the 1860–76 Athletics were the first prominent Philadelphia baseball club, the history of baseball in Philadelphia extends to even before the Athletics, as Philadelphians were playingtown ball by the 1820s.^[21]

ThePhiladelphia 76ers (commonly referred to as the Sixers) represent Philadelphia in theNBA. The franchise, which plays in theAtlantic Division, has won three NBA championships, nine conference titles, and five division titles. As of 2014, the Sixers have the third most wins in NBA history.^[22] The franchise began in 1946, as theSyracuse Nationals in theNational Basketball League (NBL). In 1949, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that merged with theBAA to form the NBA. The franchise won its first championship in1955, as the Nationals. After moving to Philadelphia in 1963 and being renamed the 76ers, the franchise acquiredWilt Chamberlain and experienced a great period of success. The team won a then-record 68 games and thechampionship in the 1966–1967 season, making it the only teambesides theBoston Celtics to win an NBA championship in the 1960s. The franchise missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons in the early 1970s, and the1972–1973 Sixers hold theNBA record for most losses in one season, with 73. However, the team quickly bounced back after it acquiredJulius Erving, and Erving andMoses Malone led the Sixers to a championship in1983. The franchise continued to experience success until the early 1990s, when it tradedCharles Barkley. The Sixers missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons until the emergence ofAllen Iverson, who led the team to the2001 Finals. The team hovered around .500 for most of the 2000s decade, and missed the playoffs from 2013 to 2017.^[23] However, the team has since made six consecutive playoff appearances with star centerJoel Embiid. In 1996, the NBA named the1967 and1983 championship-winning teams two of the tengreatest teams in NBA history.

ThePhiladelphia Warriors played in Philadelphia from 1946 to 1962 before moving toSan Francisco and becoming theGolden State Warriors. The Philadelphia Warriors won two championships and three conference titles during that time. The team won its first championship in1946–47, the inaugural season of theBasketball Association of America (BAA). Following the merger between the BAA and theNational Basketball League that formed theNBA, the Philadelphia Warriors won their second title in1956. While a member of the Philadelphia Warriors,Wilt Chamberlain set severalNBA records;scoring 100 points in a game against theNew York Knicks is perhaps his most well-known achievement. ThePhiladelphia Sports Hall of Fame has inductedPaul Arizin,Neil Johnston,Joe Fulks, and other people associated with the Philadelphia Warriors. The Warriors franchise moved to San Francisco in 1962 and became theGolden State Warriors. The Warriors and Sixers/Nationals have met in the playoffsten times, most recently in the1967 NBA Finals. Philadelphia wentone season without an NBA franchise before theSyracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia and became thePhiladelphia 76ers. In the lone season that Philadelphia lacked an NBA franchise, theAmerican Basketball League, which had been started in 1961 byAbe Saperstein as an attempt to compete with the NBA, moved a franchise to region. Both the team (thePhiladelphia Tapers) and the league folded in December 1962.

On June 30, 2025, theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced that Philadelphia will become home to ateam in time for the 2030 season. The team, which has not yet been named, will be based in South Philadelphia and will be owned and operated by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE).

ThePhiladelphia Eagles, founded in 1933, are members of theEast Division of theNational Football Conference (NFC) in theNational Football League (NFL). They have operated continuously since then, with the partial exception of the1943 season, when the Eagles temporarily merged with thePittsburgh Steelers to become theSteagles. The Eagles won threepre-Super Bowl era NFL championships:1948,1949,1960, six conference championships, and 16 division championships. They have made fiveSuper Bowl appearances, losing inSuper Bowl XV (1980),Super Bowl XXXIX (2004) andSuper Bowl LVII (2022), and winningSuper Bowl LII (2017) andSuper Bowl LIX (2024).

In its early history, in the 1930s, the franchise frequently finished at the bottom of the standings. But it improved in the 1940s, becoming the only NFL team to win back to back championships in 1938 and 1949 by shutout. Though the franchise was average for much of the 1950s, the 1960 championship-winning Eagles were the only team to defeat theVince Lombardi-coachedPackers in a playoff game. The Eagles did not experience much success in the 1960s and early 1970s, but the franchise made four straight playoff appearances starting in 1978, including a Super Bowl appearance in 1980. After another down period, the franchise made the playoffs in six of nine seasons between 1988 and 1996.Andy Reid was hired as head coach in 1999, and across 14 seasons he led the franchise to nine playoff appearances and a run toSuper Bowl XXXIX. AfterChip Kelly's three-year tenure as head coach, the Eagles hiredDoug Pederson, a former offensive coordinator under Reid. The Eagles defeated theNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl LII.^[24]Nick Sirianni was named head coach in 2021 and lead the Eagles to a berth inSuper Bowl LVII and a win inSuper Bowl LIX two years later. In 1994, defensive endReggie White, running backSteve Van Buren, and two-way playersChuck Bednarik andPete Pihos were named to theNational Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

The city's first professional football team was theFrankford Yellow Jackets. Originally a community athletic-association team in theFrankford neighborhood ofNortheast Philadelphia dating back to 1899, the club became one of the early NFL clubs in 1924.^[25] The Yellow Jackets won theNFL championship in 1926. Its home field wasFrankford Stadium (also called Yellow Jacket Field). Financial troubles brought on by theGreat Depression and a fire atFrankford Stadium led to the club disbanding after the 1931 season.Pro Football Hall of FamersGuy Chamberlin andWilliam R. Lyman both played for the Yellow Jackets.

Metropolitan Philadelphia area has had four other football teams that played in the NFL or in leagues that attempted to compete with the NFL. ThePottsville Maroons, a member of theNational Football League, played in nearbyPottsville during the 1920s. In 1925, the Maroons werebriefly suspended from the NFL for playing an unauthorized exhibition game at Philadelphia'sShibe Park. The team moved to Boston in 1929, but folded at the end of the season. ThePhiladelphia Quakers played one season in Philadelphia as part of theAmerican Football League, a fledgling league intent on challenging the NFL as the premier football league in the country. The team took its name from theUnion Quakers of Philadelphia, a local club which had been denied entry into the American Professional Football Association (as the NFL was known before 1922). The AFL Quakers won the league championship in 1926, giving Philadelphia two football championships in one year, as the Frankford Yellow Jackets won the 1926 NFL title. However, both the AFL and the Quakers folded after just one season of existence. ThePhiladelphia Bell was a franchise of theWorld Football League, which operated from 1974 to 1975 and attempted to challenge the NFL's dominance. The league was founded byGary Davidson, who had also led the founding of World Hockey Association and the American Basketball Association, but the WFL folded after only two years and no teams were absorbed into the NFL. The Bell played its home games inJFK Stadium, and they employed the first African-American head coach in modern professional football history (retired Hall of Fame safetyWillie Wood).^[26]

ThePhiladelphia Stars were a football team in theUSFL, a league that attempted to compete with the NFL for three seasons in the 1980s. The Stars, playing at Veterans Stadium, won the league championship in their second season in Philadelphia in 1983−84, but the franchise moved toBaltimore for the league's final season. The team was coached byJim Mora, who went on to a successful coaching career in the NFL, and among its players were future NFL Pro BowlersSam Mills andSean Landeta (who later played for the Philadelphia Eagles). Unlike the NFL, the league played in the spring and summer, but it folded after a failedantitrust lawsuit and an aborted attempt to directly compete with the NFL in the fall. In 2022, thePhiladelphia Stars name and iconography were resurrected with a team in the newUSFL (although all games were played inBirmingham, Alabama). In 2023, that league merged with theXFL to form theUnited Football League, which announced that the Stars franchise would not be folded into the new league.^[27]

ThePhiladelphia Flyers were one of six teams that theNational Hockey League (NHL)added as part of the1967 NHL expansion, which ended theOriginal Six era. The Flyers play in theMetropolitan Division and have won two championships: the1974 and1975Stanley Cups. The Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win theStanley Cup since theMontreal Maroons won the cup in 1935. The Flyers have won eight conference championships and 16 division championships. The Flyers were particularly successful in the 1970s: the team won back-to-back Stanley Cups, appeared in a third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in1976, defeatedHC CSKA Moscow (theSoviet "Red Army team") in afamous exhibition game, and, in the1979–80 season, set the record for thelongest unbeaten streak in NHL history.^[29] The franchise experienced success even after the retirement of Hall of FamerBobby Clarke, making Stanley Cup appearances in1985 and1987. After a down period in the early 1990s,Hart Trophy-winnerEric Lindros helped lead the team to the1997 Stanley Cup Finals and a string of playoff appearances. The team made another Finals appearance in2010, but lost in six games to theChicago Blackhawks.^[30] As of 2016, the Flyers have accrued the second-highestpoints percentage of all NHL franchises, behind only theMontreal Canadiens.^[31] The1970s Flyers earned the nickname "Broad Street Bullies" for their aggressive style of play, and the nickname is still applied to the franchise.^[32] FlyersenforcerDave Schultz holds therecord for most penalty minutes in a season, with 472.

Philadelphia has had only brief experiences with top-level hockey aside from the Flyers. ThePhiladelphia Quakers were aNational Hockey League team that played only one full season, 1930–31, at thePhiladelphia Arena. The franchise, which had moved from Pittsburgh, folded after its only season in Philadelphia, during which the club set a record for the lowest winning percentage and the longest losing streak in league history—records that stood for over forty years. The Quakers were one of several NHL teams thatfolded in the 1930s, leaving the NHL with just six teams between 1942 and the 1967 expansion that brought the NHL to Philadelphia and five other American cities.Len Peto attempted to bring theMontreal Maroons to Philadelphia in the 1940s, but the lack of both league support and a suitable arena prevented the Maroons from playing in Philadelphia.^[33] ThePhiladelphia Blazers played for one season in theWorld Hockey Association, a league that attempted to challenge the NHL's supremacy, using a rink constructed in Convention Hall at theCivic Center (later used by thePhiladelphia Firebirds of the North American Hockey League and the American Hockey League). After the 1972–73 season, the Blazers moved toVancouver and thenCalgary, but the franchise folded in 1977. AnotherWorld Hockey Association franchise, theJersey Knights, moved in November 1973 to the Cherry Hill Arena inCherry Hill, New Jersey, and then relocated to San Diego before the start of the 1974–75 season.^[34]

ThePhiladelphia Union is aMajor League Soccer (MLS) team that plays in theEastern Conference. The franchise began play in 2010. The Union play atSubaru Park, asoccer-specific stadium located inChester, Pennsylvania. TheSons of Ben is an independentsupporters group that helped bring the Union to the Philadelphia area and continues to support the Union. The Union's top affiliate isPhiladelphia Union II. Originally known as Bethlehem Steel FC as a tribute to the early 20th century soccer powerhouse, the team began play in 2015 in the second-level United Soccer League, now known as theUSL Championship. Steel FC played its first four seasons atGoodman Stadium inBethlehem, Pennsylvania, but moved to Subaru Park for at least the 2019 season because Goodman Stadium no longer meets league stadium requirements. Steel FC was renamed Union II in advance of the 2020 season, and went on hiatus for the 2021 season. Union II returned the next year as one of the inaugural teams ofMLS Next Pro, an MLS-operated third-level league made up mainly of MLS reserve sides.

The Union have also reached theU.S. Open Cup final three times, in2014,2015 and2018, losing two games at home (in extra time in 2014 toSeattle Sounders FC and after penalties in 2015 toSporting Kansas City) and once on the road (in 2018 away to theHouston Dynamo). In2020, the Union won theSupporters' Shield, given to the team in MLS with the best regular season record, the first major trophy in the team's history.^[35] In2022, the Union reached their firstMLS Cup, however they were defeated byLos Angeles FC 3–0 on penalties after tying 3–3.

The originalBethlehem Steel F.C. was one of the most successful early American soccer clubs; the club was sponsored by theBethlehem Steel and played from 1907 to 1930.^[36] The club won league championships in two semi-professional leagues, the AAFBA and theNAFBL. For the inaugural 1921–1922 season of the professionalAmerican Soccer League, Bethlehem Steel F.C. moved to Philadelphia and competed as thePhiladelphia Field Club. The team won the first American Soccer League championship, but moved back to Bethlehem and reverted to its original name. Three other franchises also competed as the Philadelphia Field Club, giving Philadelphia continuous representation in the ASL between 1921 and 1929 (although the second incarnation of Philadelphia Field Club changed its name to the Philadelphia Celtic for one season). During the 1924–1925 season,Fleisher Yarn joined the ASL, giving Philadelphia two teams. Excluding the first incarnation of the Philadelphia Field Club, the Philadelphia ASL teams experienced little success. The ASL was one of the most popular sports leagues in the country before it dissolved due to the onset of theGreat Depression and disagreements with theUnited States Football Association andFIFA.^[37] After returning to Bethlehem, Bethlehem Steel F.C. won a second ASL championship in 1927, and then played in theEastern Professional Soccer League from 1928 to 1929, winning the league championship in both seasons. The EPSL and ASL merged after the 1929 season, but Bethlehem Steel FC folded in 1930 and the ASL collapsed in 1933. Bethlehem Steel F.C. won theUS Open Cup five times, which remains arecord (shared withMaccabi Los Angeles). The club also won theAmerican Cup six times.Hall of Fame Bethlehem Steel players includeJock Ferguson,Robert Millar,Harry Ratican,Tommy Fleming, andArchie Stark, whose international record of 70 goals in one season stood for 87 years before it was broken byLionel Messi in 2012.^[38] In 2013, the Philadelphia Union unveiled a third uniform that pays homage to Bethlehem Steel F.C.^[39]

Following the collapse of the ASL, soccer in the United Statesdeclined in popularity and the country lacked a major professional soccer league. In 1967, two major soccer leagues, theNational Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and theUnited Soccer Association (USA), both began play.^[40] ThePhiladelphia Spartans, owned byPittsburgh Steelers ownerArt Rooney, played atTemple Stadium for the NPSL's lone season. After one season, both leagues merged to form theFIFA-backed, major professionalNorth American Soccer League (NASL). The Spartans did not make the jump to the NASL, but two different franchises later represented Philadelphia. ThePhiladelphia Atoms played from 1973 to 1976, winning theSoccer Bowl in theirinaugural 1973 season. Philadelphia goalkeeper and Pennsylvania nativeBob Rigby became the first soccer player to be featured on the cover ofSports Illustrated following the club's championship. The Atoms folded after the 1976 season, having been bought by Mexican owners whose plans to move the team toSan Antonio were not approved by the league. ThePhiladelphia Fury played from 1978 to 1980, but were bought byMolson Brewery and moved toMontreal to become theManic. The Atoms and the Fury both played at Veterans Stadium, though the Atoms played their final season in Philadelphia at Franklin Field. The NASL folded in 1984, leaving the United States without a top-level soccer league until Major League Soccer (MLS) began play in 1996.

Philadelphia is one of eleven U.S. cities which will host matches during the2026 FIFA World Cup.^[41]

Two teams named the Philadelphia Freedoms played inWorld TeamTennis, the originalPhiladelphia Freedoms, for which theElton John song was written, and a secondPhiladelphia Freedoms team from 2001 until the league folded in 2021.Elton John and Freedoms starBillie Jean King were good friends, and John and his songwriting partner,Bernie Taupin, wrote the song for the team to be used as a team anthem at home matches in theSpectrum.^[42] John was such a big fan of the Freedoms that he attended home matches wearing the team's uniform and sat on the bench with the players.^[43] He recorded the song in the summer of 1974, and it was released on February 24, 1975.

WTT's inaugural season was 1974, and the Freedoms were one of the charter franchises. Teams had the opportunity to sign players to contracts prior to the draft held by the new 16-team league, and King signed with the Freedoms. She served as the team's player-coach, making her the first female head coach of a professional sports team that included male players, since WTT was a co-ed league. The Freedoms finished with WTT's best regular-season record at 39–5 in the league's inaugural season. King was the league's MVP. The Freedoms defeated theCleveland Nets in the Eastern Division semifinals and thePittsburgh Triangles in the Eastern Division championship series. Although King performed well in the WTT Finals, WTT Playoffs MVPAndrew Pattison was dominant for theDenver Racquets, and that proved too much to overcome, as the Freedoms were swept in two straight matches.

Following the 1974 season, WTT owners concluded it would be in all their interests to have a successful franchise in New York City, and they pressured Freedoms co-owner, Dick Butera, to trade King to theNew York Sets, who were 15–29 in 1974, in a complicated deal on February 5, 1975. Upon announcing the trade, Butera said, "It's not an easy thing to let Billie Jean go. I feel likeKing Faisal giving away his oil wells."^[42][44]

After King was traded, a group of investors that included Bob Mades, Paul Slater, Herbert S. Hoffman,Robert K. Kraft and Harold Bayne expressed interest in buying theoriginal Boston Lobsters. However, the Lobsters franchise had already been contracted by WTT. With Freedoms owners Dick and Ken Butera far less enthusiastic about their team after trading King, the two sides struck a deal, and the Freedoms were sold on March 27, 1975, and moved toBoston. In order to claim the name and intellectual property of the original Lobsters, the new ownership group was required to settle some of the debts of the former team. Once they accomplished this, the Freedoms were renamed as theBoston Lobsters.^[45][46] As a consequence, "Philadelphia Freedom" was never paid at a home match of the original Philadelphia Freedoms. King went on the win two WTT championships in New York in 1976 and 1977. The team changed its name toNew York Apples after the 1976 season.

Billie Jean King and the Freedoms returned in 2001, when they became a WTT expansion franchise with King as their owner. The team first played its home matches atCabrini College inRadnor Township, Pennsylvania and won WTT championships in 2001 (as an expansion team) and 2006. For the 2008 and 2009 seasons, home matches were played at a temporary stadium erected in the parking lot of theKing of Prussia mall. From 2010 to 2016, the Freedoms played their home matches atThe Pavilion on the campus ofVillanova University. In 2017, the Freedoms home court moved toHagan Arena on the campus ofSaint Joseph's University, returning to play within the City of Philadelphia for the first time since 1974.^[47][48]

The timeline includes Philadelphia franchises that played in major professional sports leagues after 1900.

BaseballFootballBasketballHockeySoccer

The following Philadelphia players won the regular seasonmost valuable player award of theNFL (AP),MLB,NHL,NBA, orMLS. Note that MLB confers an MVP award to one player in theAmerican League and one player in theNational League.

Philadelphia has hosted the followingall-star games anddrafts, including the first NFL Draft:

Philadelphia has rivalries with three of the four other major cities in theNortheast megalopolis, particularlyNew York City along with a long instate rivalry withPittsburgh. Philadelphia teams also compete with teams from New York City and Pittsburgh for fans support amongNew Jersey andPennsylvania residents.^[49][50][51] In addition to regional rivalries, teams from Philadelphia have a number of other rivalries with teams from other cities.

As thetwo largest cities in the United States for much of the nation's history, New York and Philadelphia have a historical rivalry that has continued in the world of sports. There are intra-division rivalries among teams from New York City and Philadelphia in each of the five major leagues, as seen in the rivalries between theNew York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies in theNational League East, theNew York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in theNFC East, theBrooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers in theNBA'sAtlantic Division, theNew York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers, along with theNew York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers in theNational Hockey League'sMetropolitan Division, and thePhiladelphia Union and theNew York Red Bulls inMajor League Soccer'sEastern Conference.^[52]

The Flyers also have anintense rivalry with theNew Jersey Devils (who play in theNew York metropolitan area). TheNew York Knicks and the 76ers are also divisional rivals, as both teams play in theAtlantic Division. The Phillies andYankees play each other very rarely, but the teams met in the1950 World Series and the2009 World Series. TheNew York Jets and the Eagles have only played each other thirteen times, with the Eagles winning 12 out of the 13 matchups.^[53]

Philadelphia andPittsburgh are the two major cities ofPennsylvania and the only two cities in the state with major professional sports franchises, and the teams of the two cities have had strong rivalries in theNHL,MLB, andNFL. Perhaps the strongest current rivalry is between thePhiladelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, both of which play in theMetropolitan Division of the NHL. The rivalry is generally considered to be one of the fiercest in the NHL.^[54][55]

Although not major rivals since the 1994 MLB divisional realignment, thePittsburgh Pirates and Phillies had historically been heatedrivals in theNational League, and frequently competed for theNational League East division title. The Phillies and Pirates still play regularly, but are no longer in the same division. ThePirates earned theirname from a 19th-century incident with thePhiladelphia Athletics; after the Pirates signed second basemanLou Bierbauer, the Athletics protested that Pittsburgh's actions were "piratical."

ThePittsburgh Steelers and the Eagles both came into theNFL during the 1933 season. Between 1945 and 1970, the Eagles and Steelers played each other every year, and the two teams met in aone-game playoff in1947.^[56] However, the Steelers moved to theAmerican Football Conference as part of the 1970AFL-NFL Merger, and the Eagles and Steelers only play each other every four years.

There is also a spiritedrivalry between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia at both theUniversity of Pittsburgh andPenn State University, as there are many students from both cities at bothstate-related schools.

Philadelphia andBoston have historically had strong rivalries in theNBA andNHL.^[57] The 76ers have a longrivalry with theBoston Celtics and both currently compete in theAtlantic Division. The two franchises have met each other in the NBA playoffs more than any other pair of franchises.^[58] Sixers guardAndrew Toney earned the appellation "The Boston Strangler" for his clutch play against theBoston Celtics in the 1980s. The Flyers have met the Boston Bruinsseven times in the NHL playoffs, including a stretch where they met four out of five years, one of those meetings being the1974 Stanley Cup Finals. ThePhiladelphia Phillies and theBoston Red Sox areinterleague rivals, and the two franchises met in the1915 World Series. The Eagles and theNew England Patriots rarely play, but the teams met in bothSuper Bowl XXXIX andSuper Bowl LII. The Union and theNew England Revolution both play in the MLS'sEastern Conference.

Philadelphia andWashington, D.C. have teams in the same division in theNFL,NHL,MLB, andMLS. The Eagles and theWashington Commanders have a longhistory, having (almost always) competed in thesame division since 1933. The Flyers and theWashington Capitals both play in theMetropolitan Division; therivals have metfive times in the NHL playoffs. TheWashington Nationals franchise (including their predecessor, theMontreal Expos) and the Phillies have competed in theNL East since 1969. The Union have developed an intraconferencerivalry withD.C. United.^[59] TheWashington Wizards and the 76ers also both play in the NBA'sEastern Conference, and the two teams met in the NBA playoffsfive times, most recently in 2021. They also met in the 1971 playoffs, when the current Washington franchise was based inBaltimore.

Philadelphia teams have rivalries with teams from outside of theNortheast. There is a passionateNFC Eastrivalry between the Eagles and the Cowboys, with a number of stories and memorable events surrounding the rivalry.^[60] There was also a rivalry (stemming from the NFL) between the Soul and theDallas Desperados. The 76ers enjoy an interconferencerivalry with theLos Angeles Lakers. The two teams met in theNBA Finals in1980,1982,1983, and2001. The Phillies have developed arivalry with theAtlanta Braves. The teams met in the1993 NLCS, and the two franchises are the most frequent winners of theNL East.

The Philadelphia Soul are anArena Football League (AFL) franchise founded in 2004. The team played in theWells Fargo Center. The Soul wonArenaBowl XXII in 2008 before the league formally disbanded in 2009. The Soul returned in 2010 after the AFL restarted its operations as a new entity. The Soulwon four conference championships and four division championships. The Soul won back-to-back championships in 2017 (ArenaBowl XXIX) and 2018 (ArenaBowl XXX), making it a total of three ArenaBowl Championships. The Soul disbanded in 2019 when the AFL folded again. In 2024, the Soul briefly returned under new ownership.

Philadelphia hosts some women's football teams as well. The city's first women's tackle football team was thePhiladelphia Liberty Belles, which played in theNational Women's Football Association and theIndependent Women's Football League from 2001 to 2004. A second incarnation of the Liberty Belles was founded in 2009, and plays in theWomen's Football Alliance. ThePhiladelphia Firebirds, established in 2003, play in theIndependent Women's Football League. ThePhiladelphia Passion played in theLegends Football League.

Other football teams in the city have folded. In 1902 the owners of the three MLB teams in Pennsylvania founded theNational Football League (a league unrelated to the modern NFL). The league consisted of thePhillies,Athletics, and thePittsburgh Stars, and lasted only one year. Many of the players from the Philadelphia teams played for the "New York Philadelphians" during the1902 World Series of Football. Other early football clubs include theUnion Club of Phoenixville,Conshohocken Athletic Club,Union Quakers of Philadelphia, andHolmesburg Athletic Club. TheClifton Heights Orange & Black competed from 1921 to 1932, and played in the short-livedEastern League of Professional Football. ThePhiladelphia Bulldogs played in theContinental Football League from 1965 to 1966. They won the 1966 championship. ThePottstown Firebirds competed in theAtlantic Coast Football League from 1968 to 1970; the franchise was an affiliate of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Although thePhiladelphia Phillies are the only active major league professional baseball team in Philadelphia, other professional baseball teams play in theDelaware Valley. TheReading Fightin Phils are theDouble-A affiliate of thePhiladelphia Phillies. The club was established in 1967 and play in theEastern League. Notable alumni of the Fightin Phils includeMike Schmidt,Ryne Sandberg, andJimmy Rollins. TheWilmington Blue Rocks are aWashington Nationals affiliate that play inWilmington, Delaware. Three otherPhillies affiliates play in Pennsylvania orNew Jersey: theTriple-ALehigh Valley IronPigs play inAllentown, Pennsylvania, and theHigh-AJersey Shore BlueClaws play inLakewood Township, New Jersey. After the 2021 restructuring ofMinor League Baseball (MiLB), theTrenton Thunder inTrenton, New Jersey and theWilliamsport Crosscutters inWilliamsport, Pennsylvania are unaffiliatedcollegiate summer baseball teams.

During the 19th century, Philadelphia was home to numerous franchises that played invarious leagues that did not last into the 20th century. Many of these leagues are considered to be "major leagues" by baseball historians and record keepers. Three different franchises, none directly related to each other or the currentOakland Athletics franchise, played in Philadelphia during the 19th century. The originalPhiladelphia Athletics (also known as Athletic of Philadelphia) were formed in 1860, and played in theNational Association and theNational League.Another Athletics franchise played in theAmerican Association from 1882 to 1890, while athird Athletics franchise (also known as the Quakers) played one season in thePlayers' League and one season in theAmerican Association. ThePhiladelphia White Stockings and thePhiladelphia Centennials played in theNational Association during the 1870s.Joe Borden of the White Stockings pitched the firstno-hitter in professional history. ThePhiladelphia Keystones and theWilmington Quicksteps both played parts of theUnion Association's lone season in 1884.

TheDelaware Blue Coats are theNBA G League affiliate of thePhiladelphia 76ers. Since the 2018–19 season, the franchise has played at the76ers Fieldhouse inWilmington, Delaware. The Blue Coats franchise is named in honor of the198th Signal Battalion, which fought in theAmerican Revolutionary War. The Blue Coats were founded as theUtah Flash in 2007, but the Flash suspended operations in 2011. The Sixers acquired the franchise in 2013 and renamed it as the Delaware 87ers; the team assumed its current name upon its move to Wilmington. Between 2013 and 2018, the 87ers played inNewark, Delaware. NBA players such asKendall Marshall,Sean Kilpatrick, andJordan McRae have played for the Blue Coats or the 87ers.

The Philadelphia area had three teams that played in theAmerican Basketball League; the league was the product of an early attempt at forming a top-level national professional basketball league. ThePhiladelphia Warriors played in the ABL in the 1920s. ThePhiladelphia Sphas played from 1917 to 1949, winningseven ABL championships. With the rise of the NBA, the ABL ceased to be a major league, and the Sphas became the touring opponent of theHarlem Globetrotters. The Sphas were renamed theWashington Generals in 1952.Wilmington also had a team in theABL: theWilmington Bombers played in the league in the 1940s.

The Philadelphia area has hosted numerous other defunct basketball teams. Two franchises named theBullets played inCamden andCherry Hill in the 1960s and 1970s. ThePhiladelphia Kings played in theContinental Basketball Association in the league's 1980–1981 season. ThePhiladelphia Aces played in theUnited States Basketball League from 1987 to 1990. ThePhiladelphia Spirit played in theUnited States Basketball League from 1991 to 1992. ThePhiladelphia Rage moved from Richmond, Virginia in 1997 and played a year and a half in theAmerican Basketball League before the league folded during the 1998 season. ThePhiladelphia Fusion, formerly theJersey Squires, was anAmerican Basketball Association team that folded in February 2005.

In 2017,Blizzard Entertainment announced their professionalesports league for their gameOverwatch, theOverwatch League (OWL). Philadelphia was home to one of the league's teams, thePhiladelphia Fusion. The Overwatch League differs from traditional esports, with a set of permanent teams and regular season play, compared to the use ofpromotion and relegation commonly used in other esports leagues. The Fusion moved to South Korea and rebranded as theSeoul Infernal in December 2022.^[62]

Both of the Flyers' minor leagueaffiliates play in eastern Pennsylvania. TheLehigh Valley Phantoms of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) are the top minor league affiliate of the Flyers. The Phantoms have played inAllentown, Pennsylvania, since 2014. From 1996 to 2009, the Phantoms played in theSpectrum and were known as thePhiladelphia Phantoms. The franchise won theCalder Cup in 1998 and 2005. TheReading Royals are theECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. The franchise was founded in 1991 as the Columbus Chill, but moved to Reading in 2001. The Royals won theleague championship for the first time in 2013. The Flyers have had otheraffiliates in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. TheTrenton Titans ofTrenton, New Jersey, played in theECHL from 1999 to 2013, and served as the affiliate of the Flyers before they were bought by theNew Jersey Devils. TheHershey Bears ofHershey, Pennsylvania, are the oldest continuously operating professional hockey franchise outside of the NHL'sOriginal Six. The Bears served as the AHL affiliate of the Flyers for parts of the 1980s and 1990s.

Philadelphia has had several minor league hockey teams play in the city and the surrounding area. ThePhiladelphia Arrows were the first hockey franchise in city history, playing in theCanadian-American Hockey League from 1927 to 1935. The franchise changed its name to thePhiladelphia Ramblers before the 1935–36 season and joined theAmerican Hockey League, where it won the 1936 league championship (the year before the league introduced theCalder Cup). The team acted as the primary affiliate of theNew York Rangers from 1935 to 1941. ThePhiladelphia Falcons played in theEastern Hockey League (EHL) from 1942 to 1946, before jumping to theAmerican Hockey League and playing as thePhiladelphia Rockets from 1946 to 1949. Another franchise named theRamblers played in the EHL from 1955 to 1964; the Ramblers moved toCherry Hill, New Jersey and played as theJersey Devils from 1964 to 1973. A previous EHLCherry Hill team named theJersey Larks had played one season in 1960–61. ThePhiladelphia Firebirds were a minor league hockey team that played in thePhiladelphia Civic Center from 1974 to 1979. They played in theNorth American Hockey League (NAHL) from 1974 to 1977, winning the league championship in 1976. When the NAHL folded in 1977, they joined the AHL. The team moved toSyracuse in 1979, but folded in 1980. Another short-lived team that played in the Centrum (the renamed Cherry Hill Arena) was theJersey Aces, which started the 1979–80Northeastern Hockey League season in Cherry Hill but moved mid-season, playing the final 18 games of its season inHampton, Virginia, where it continued operating until 1981.In 2017, and starting again in 2022, the Philadelphia Rebels play NAHL tier-2 junior ice hockey.

Philadelphia has hosted several professional lacrosse teams. The originalPhiladelphia Wings won theNational Lacrosse League (NLL) title six times, in 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, and 2001. They were the longest tenured team in one location in the NLL, but relocated after the 2014 season to become theNew England Black Wolves. In 2018, a newPhiladelphia Wings, playing at Xfinity Mobile Arena, was launched in the NLL and named itself after the previous team.^[63]

Another lacrosse franchise, thePhiladelphia Barrage, played inMajor League Lacrosse (MLL) from 2004 to 2008. The team won theleague championship in three out of the five years they played in Philadelphia, but the franchise folded after the 2008 season. The Barrage were resurrected for the 2020 season, but MLL was merged into thePremier Lacrosse League at the end of the season and the Barrage were not included as a team in the merged league. The PLL uses a tour-based model unique in North American professional sports, in which each round of matches is played at a separate location. Since the league had 8 teams in its most recent 2022 season, this allows all teams to play at each tour stop. The semifinals and championship game are held at two additional tour stops. In the 2022 season, Subaru Park hosted the PLL championship game. In 2023, the PLL shifted to a new model in which touring would continue, but teams would also be affiliated with specific cities. ThePhiladelphia Waterdogs were announced as the team representing Philadelphia.^[64]

Philadelphia has been the home of numerous defunct professional soccer teams. The Philadelphia Phillies and other baseball clubs established theAmerican League of Professional Football, the first professional soccer league in the United States. The league only played for one season in 1894.Arthur Irwin, the manager of the Phillies baseball team, served as the league president.^[65] Other early Philadelphia-area soccer clubs includePhiladelphia Hibernian,Centennial F.C.,Philadelphia Merchant Ship,Disston A.A.,Victor F.C.^[66]

Numerous teams competed in the defunctsecond American Soccer League, including thePhiladelphia Ukrainians,Uhrik Truckers,Philadelphia Nationals and thePhiladelphia Spartans. The Philadelphia Ukrainians won theUS Open Cup four times, while the Uhrik Truckers won the trophy once.Walter Bahr, a Philadelphia native and the captain of the 1950U.S. national team thatdefeatedEngland, played for the Ukrainians and the Nationals. ThePhiladelphia Fever were an indoor team that played in the originalMajor Indoor Soccer League from 1978 to 1982. ThePhiladelphia KiXX were an indoor team that played from 1995 to 2010 in theNational Indoor Soccer League and theMajor Indoor Soccer League. The KiXX won the championship in 2002 and 2007, but disbanded in 2010. Philadelphia has also been home to defunct women's soccer teams.

Philadelphia has two defunct women's teams that played at the top level of theUnited States soccer pyramid. ThePhiladelphia Charge played in theWomen's United Soccer Association from 2000 to 2003, while thePhiladelphia Independence played the 2010 and 2011 seasons inWomen's Professional Soccer, reaching (and losing in) the championship game each year before the league folded in 2012. Philadelphia has not yet had a team play in theNational Women's Soccer League, which is currently the top women's league in the United States. However, the current NWSL sideNJ/NY Gotham FC, normally based atRed Bull Arena in New York City's New Jersey suburbs, played one home game at Subaru Park in both 2021 and 2022. Presumably, this arrangement was intended to develop a fanbase in southern New Jersey.

Philadelphia has two professional ultimate frisbee teams. The Philadelphia Phoenix is the men's team, which was founded in 2013. The team played at the South Philadelphia Super Site until 2024 when their home field moved to Neumann University. The Philadelphia Surge was founded in 2023 and played at

Philadelphia is the home of nineNCAA schools.Drexel University,La Salle University, theUniversity of Pennsylvania,Saint Joseph's University, andTemple University areNCAA Division I schools. Three schools compete inNCAA Division II:Chestnut Hill College,Holy Family University, andThomas Jefferson University (known for sports purposes as "Jefferson").Other schools in theDelaware ValleyCSA are alsoNCAA members, includingDivision I schoolsVillanova University,Delaware State University, and theUniversity of Delaware.

The following table shows allNCAADivision I schools in theDelaware Valley and allNCAA schools in Philadelphia.

Temple University, which began playing football in 1894, fields the onlyDivision IFBS football team in the Delaware Valley. Temple plays in theAmerican Athletic Conference. Anindependent for the first several decades of its history, Temple also played in theBig East Conference for several years, and was briefly affiliated with theMid-American Conference. TheUniversity of Delaware plays in theCoastal Athletic Association Football Conference ofDivision I FCS, but will be moving to the FBS as part ofConference USA (CUSA) prior to the 2025 season.^[67]Delaware's football team began playing in 1889, and the school won the2003 FCS championship.

Although Temple is the lone FBS school in the region (until Delaware joins CUSA in 2025), thePennsylvania State UniversityNittany Lions are the most popular college football team in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.^[68] Penn State is a member of theBig Ten, one of the "Power Five conferences" in college football. The school began playing football in 1887, and has won two consensusnational championships. Many fans in the Philadelphia area also root for theAtlantic Coast Conference-affiliatedUniversity of Notre DameFighting Irish or the Big Ten-affiliatedRutgers Scarlet Knights.

TheUniversity of Pennsylvania,Delaware State University,Villanova University, and the University of Delaware all fieldDivision I FCS football teams; Penn plays in theIvy League, Delaware State plays in theMid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and Villanova is a member ofCAA Football (administered by, but separate from, theCoastal Athletic Association). ThePenn Quakers first played in 1876, and share a claim to sixnational championships.Villanova, which began playing football in 1894, won the2009 FCS national championship.Delaware State began playing football in 1924, and the school lays claim to the 2007black college football national championship. Delaware and Villanova have played each other every year since 1988 in theBattle of the Blue, while Delaware and Delaware State have played every year since 2011 in theRoute 1 Rivalry. St. Joseph's, Drexel, and most recently La Salle have alldiscontinued their football programs.

TheArmy-Navy football game — an annualcollege football game between the rivalservice academies, theUnited States Military Academy (West Point) and theUnited States Naval Academy (Annapolis) — has been held more often in Philadelphia (which is located approximately midway between the two schools) than in all other locations put together. Eleven of the past 15 Army–Navy Games have been held in Philadelphia. Philadelphia also formerly had a bowl game: from 1959 to 1963, the city hosted theLiberty Bowl, the only cold-weatherbowl game of its time. The bowl game moved toMemphis, Tennessee in 1965.

Philadelphia enjoys a unique basketball rivalry among theBig 5, a group that historically consisted of five localDivision I universities:Temple,Saint Joseph's,Penn,Villanova, andLa Salle. A sixth local university,Drexel, was officially added to the rivalry in 2023. The Big 5 teams have played many of their games atThe Palestra, Penn's venerable gymnasium. The Big 5 rivalry is unique because each of the schools has a rich basketball history and each school is located within a fifteen-mile radius of all of the others. Each of the historic Big 5 schools (i.e., all except Drexel) has made at least one appearance in theNCAA Final Four, and two have won national titles—La Salle in1954 and Villanova in1985,2016, and2018.Villanova's victory overGeorgetown in the1985 championship game is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in NCAA basketball history.^[69] Temple, Penn, Villanova, and Saint Joseph's all rank among the top 50 Division I teams innumber of games won. Three Big 5 players have won theNaismith College Player of the Year award:Lionel Simmons ofLa Salle in 1990,Jameer Nelson ofSt. Joseph's in2004, andJalen Brunson ofVillanova in 2018.Saint Joseph's andLa Salle compete in theAtlantic 10, whilePenn andVillanova are perennial powers in theIvy League and theBig East.Temple joined theAmerican Athletic Conference in all sports when theoriginal Big Eastsplit into two leagues in 2013 (it had joined Big East football a year earlier). Prior to the Big East split, Temple had been a member of theAtlantic 10, and it still holds the mostA-10 basketball tournament championships.

Drexel joined Division I in 1973 and, before being officially added to the Big 5 rivalry in 2023, made up theCity 6 in extramurals with the Big 5. It has its own basketball rivalry with Penn, known as theBattle of 33rd Street. The Drexel–Penn rivalry is geographically the closest in NCAA Division I; the two schools' campuses adjoin one another, and their basketball arenas are three blocks apart. Drexel has never made the Final Four, but did reach the second round of the1996 tournament.Delaware has made five NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the second round in2014.Delaware State has reached the NCAA tournament once, losing in the first round in 2005. Delaware and Drexel both play in theCAA, while Delaware State plays in theMEAC. Three Philadelphia schools fieldDivision II teams:Chestnut Hill College,Holy Family University, andThomas Jefferson University (known for sports purposes as Jefferson). TheUniversity of the Sciences also fielded a Division II team before it merged into Saint Joseph's University in 2022.

In 1939, Philadelphia hosted the first game of the first NCAA tournament.^[70] Philadelphia alsohosted theFinal Four in 1976 and 1981.

Women's basketball is another popular college sport in Philadelphia. St. Joseph's, Villanova, and Temple have allappeared at least ten times in theNCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship tournament, while La Salle, Penn, Drexel, Delaware, and Delaware State have all appeared in at least one tournament. Villanova has advanced further than any other area school, making the Elite Eight in2003.Immaculata University, a small Catholic school in the Philadelphia suburbs, won the first threeAIAW women's basketball tournaments. The three championship teams were collectively inducted into theBasketball Hall of Fame in 2014.^[71] One of the players on the Immaculata team,Theresa Grentz, served as head coach of theUnited States women's national basketball team.

Rowing has been popular in Philadelphia since the 18th century.^[21]Boathouse Row is a symbol of Philadelphia's rich rowing history, and eachBig Five member has its own boathouse. Philadelphia hosts numerous local and collegiate rowing clubs and competitions, including the annualDad Vail Regatta, the largestintercollegiate rowing event in the U.S., theStotesbury Cup Regatta, and theHead of the Schuylkill Regatta, all of which are held on theSchuylkill River. The regattas are hosted and organized by theSchuylkill Navy, an association of area rowing clubs that has produced numerousOlympic rowers.

Philadelphia has several rugby teams in professional leagues. ThePhiladelphia Whitemarsh RFC, arugby union team, was founded in 1985, thePhiladelphia Fight, asemi-professionalrugby league football team, was founded in 1998, and the Northeast Philadelphia Irish, a team within theEastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union, was founded in 2011 and has both men and women clubs.^[72]

Colleges in the area also offer club rugby teams, with most area teams competing as part of the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union. TheCollegiate Rugby Championship (CRC), is a college rugby sevens tournament held every June atSubaru Park near Philadelphia. The CRC is the highest profilecollege rugby competition in the United States, with the tournament broadcast live on NBC every year. The Collegiate Rugby Championship has succeeded in drawing media attention, corporate sponsorships and attendance.^{[73][74][75][76][77]}

In addition to basketball, football, and rowing, schools in the Philadelphia area offer othervarsity sports. Temple, for example, fields varsity teams inlacrosse,soccer,volleyball, and several other sports.^[78] In 1905,Haverford College played in the first modern intercollegiate soccer match.^[79]Penn'sfencing team has won three national championships. The schools also offerintramural sports.

Cricket has a long history of play in Philadelphia, and Philadelphia was one of the lastbastions ofcricket in the United States.^[80] Philadelphia was the center of the "golden age" of American cricket in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. ThePhiladelphian cricket team represented Philadelphia infirst class cricket from 1878 to 1913, and played against some of the top teams in the world. Players on the team includeGeorge Patterson,John Lester, andBart King, perhaps the greatest American cricket player.^[81]

ThePhiladelphia Cricket Club was founded in 1854.^[82] Greats such asBart King,Percy Clark, andChristie Morris played for the team in its prime. Though it was disbanded in 1924, it was revived in 1998. Other cricket clubs inGermantown,Merion,Belmont flourished during the late 19th and early 20th century.

Since 1993, the city has been home to the annualPhiladelphia International Cricket Festival, held during the first weekend in May, benefiting theInglis Foundation. Each year, twelve teams, including five from the area and seven from across the United States or guest international sides, are invited to participate in the festival.

Rugby league has also been played in the Philadelphia area. ThePhiladelphia Fight were apart of theUSA Rugby League. The club has won threeUSARL championships. The Aston Bulls,Bucks County Sharks, andDelaware Valley Mantarays played in theAMNRL before the league folded in 2013. The Sharks joined the Fight in USARL upon the folding of AMNRL. In 2015,Delaware Black Foxes joined USARL as an expansion team.Aston, Pennsylvania is considered as the birthplace of rugby league in America.^[83]

Rugby union is also an increasingly popular sport in the Philadelphia area.Schuylkill River Exiles Rugby Football Club are a Division 1 men's rugby club based in Philadelphia. The team plays matches on public fields inFairmount Park, and are members ofUSA Rugby and theMid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union. The club was founded in 1995. Brandywine Rugby Football Club is a Division 3 Men's Team founded in 1983 Located in Chester county.Media Rugby Football Club is a Division 3 rugby club that was founded in 1978. Media Rugby is a member ofUSA Rugby and theMid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union. ThePhiladelphia Whitemarsh RFC is a division 3 rugby union team in Philadelphia. The team was formed in 1985 after the merging of the Philadelphia and Whitemarsh clubs. The Hibernian RFC formed in 1976 by former Blackthorn RFC players right outside of Philadelphia, in Bucks County. The Northeast Philadelphia Rugby team, also known as the Fish, is a division 3 team in Philadelphia that was formed in 2011.

There are several women'srugby union teams in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs.Philadelphia Women's Rugby andKeystone Women's Rugby (inKing of Prussia) compete inUSA Rugby Division I. Brandywine Women's Rugby (inWest Chester) and Doylestown Women's Rugby compete in Division II. Northeast Philadelphia Women's Rugby, associated with the Fish, joined theEPRU in 2011.^[84]

By 1900, soccer had become popular amongcricket clubs in the city so in 1902 they decided to established a league, named "Philadelphia Cricket Clubs League".^[85] Founding members wereBelmont,Germantown, Kensington, and Frankford clubs.^[86]Merion Cricket Club also fielded a team to compete in the recently formed league.^[87] The popularity of the sport also attracted somecollegiate teams to the league, such asHaverford, which debuted that season.^[87]

The Philadelphia area has a long history of successful amateur soccer teams. TheNational Amateur Cup has been won several times by Philadelphia teams; winners includeFleisher Yarn,Philadelphia German-Americans, Philadelphia Inter, andPhiladelphia United German-Hungarians. The latter club helped found theUnited Soccer League of Pennsylvania. TheLighthouse Boys Club is a successful club whose history stretches back to the 19th century.Junior Lone Star FC andWest Chester United SC are amateur soccer teams that play in theNational Premier Soccer League andUSL League Two.

The Philadelphia Lone Star is based inSouthwest Philadelphia, and was founded in 2001 by West African immigrants, mainly fromLiberia.West Chester United SC was founded in 1976 to bring youth soccer toWest Chester, Pennsylvania.Buxmont Torch FC ofPerkasie, Pennsylvania also plays in the NPSL.Reading United A.C., founded in 1996, plays in theUSL League Two. The club has served as an affiliate of the Union since 2009. TheOcean City Nor'easters, founded in 1996, also play in theUSL League Two. ThePhiladelphia Fever andPhiladelphia Ukrainians play in theWomen's Premier Soccer League.

There are a number ofJunior hockey teams in the area. The Flyers sponsor three teams: thePhiladelphia Flyers Junior Hockey Club,Philadelphia Little Flyers, andPhiladelphia Junior Flyers. ThePhiladelphia Revolution also play in the area. The Philadelphia Flyers Junior Hockey Club plays in theUSPHL, while the other teams play in theEHL.

Penn Jersey Roller Derby is a Philadelphia-based co-edroller derby league, founded in 2005. They were one of the founding leagues of theOld School Derby Association.^[88] ThePhilly Rollergirls are another Philadelphia-based women'sroller derby league, founded in 2005.^[89] The Philly Rollergirls are a member of theWomen's Flat Track Derby Association, and have been host to the WFTDA East Coast Derby Extravaganza tournament since 2007.^[90][91] TheDiamond State Roller Girls is a roller derby league based inWilmington, Delaware.

TheProfessional Inline Hockey Association has had several franchises in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, including the Philadelphia Growl. ThePhiladelphia Phoenix playultimate in theUltimate Frisbee Association, while thePhiladelphia Spinners were previously aMajor League Ultimate franchise until that league folded. The Philadelphia Justice are a professionaldodgeball team that has played in theNational Dodgeball League since 2011. TheUnited States Australian Football League is represented by thePhiladelphia Hawks, since 1998.

Due to a long history ofIrish immigration, the Philadelphia area has hostedGaelic games for over a hundred years.^[92] ThePhiladelphia Division GAA Board is the governing body ofGaelic games in Philadelphia.Eddie Alvarez is the formerLightweight Champion of both theUFC andBellator MMA.

Philadelphia'sFranklin Field hosts the annualPenn Relays, the largest early-seasontrack and field meet in the United States. One of the busiest streets in the city,Broad Street, is closed to traffic for the annualBroad Street Run, a 10-mile race contested since 1980. ThePhiladelphia Marathon, founded in 1954, is an annual marathon held on the third Sunday of November. The city also hosts thePhiladelphia Distance Run. Philadelphia has also hosted several one-off events or events without a fixed venue, includingUFC 101 andUFC 133. TheXfinity Mobile Arena,Liacouras Center,The Borgata, and other venues in the area host various events.2300 Arena hosts boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling events.

Philadelphia has a rich history inboxing, with the sport having gained popularity in the 1850s.^[21] The2300 Arena is a prominent venue, and was named 2006 Venue of the Year byESPN2 boxing programWednesday Night Fights.The Blue Horizon was also a popular venue before it closed in 2010. Another contribution to the city's love of boxing, comes in the form of fiction, with the classic movieRocky taking place in the city.

Philadelphia has been the home of several prominent boxers. Though born inBeaufort, South Carolina, former worldheavyweightchampion andOlympicgold medalistJoe Frazier lived in Philadelphia. Frazier owned and managed a Philadelphia boxing gym before his death in 2011. Philadelphia nativeBernard Hopkins is a former worldmiddleweight andlight-heavyweight champion. Hopkins is perhaps best known for his incredible longevity, as he has remained active in thelight heavyweight division well past his 40th birthday.^[93][94] Other prominent boxers from the Philadelphia area includeDanny García,Bryant Jennings,Jesse Hart,Tyrell Biggs,Tommy Loughran,Jimmy Young,Randall "Tex" Cobb,Meldrick Taylor,Tyrone Crawley,Steve Cunningham,Buster Drayton,Joey Giardello,Eric Harding,Matthew Saad Muhammad,Harold Johnson, andDavid Reid.Muhammad Ali andSonny Liston also lived in Philadelphia during their boxing careers.^[95][96]

Philadelphia does not currently host any professionalautomobile racing, but Philadelphia is in close proximity toDover International Speedway,Pocono Raceway, and Bridgeport Speedway. Defunct racing facilities in the area includeTrenton Speedway,Langhorne Speedway,Nazareth Speedway, andFlemington Speedway.Midget car racing was popular during the 1930s and 1940s; the two major tracks were Yellow Jacket Speedway, which closed in 1950, and National Speedway, which closed during World War II as a result of fuel rationing. Races were sanctioned by theAmerican Automobile Association.^[97] In 2005, theChamp Car World Series negotiated with the city to organize a race, but no agreement was reached.^[98] Philadelphia has produced multiplewinners of theIndianapolis 500, includingPete DePaolo,Kelly Petillo, andBill Holland. Other notable drivers from Philadelphia includeSkip Barber,Al Holbert,Spencer Wishart, andKirk Shelmerdine.Mario Andretti and other members of the Andretti family live in nearbyBethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Horse racing became popular in Philadelphia in the mid-1700s,^[21] and successful horses continue to be bred in the Philadelphia area.^[99]William Penn, the founder of Philadelphia andPennsylvania, reportedly raced his horses down the streets of Philadelphia.^[100]Man o' War, owned by Philadelphia-area businessmanSamuel D. Riddle was named thehorse of the century byThe Blood-Horse magazine. Riddle also ownedTriple Crown-winning horseWar Admiral. In 2004,Smarty Jones, who was bred in the Philadelphia area, won theKentucky Derby and thePreakness Stakes. Other horses with ties to the area includeAfleet Alex,^[99]Barbaro,Hard Spun, andLil E. Tee.^[101]Parx Casino and Racing hosts numerous horse races, including thePennsylvania Derby, theCotillion Handicap, and theGreenwood Cup Stakes. TheAtlantic City Race Course also hosts horse racing.

TheManayunk area of the city was home to the annualPhiladelphia International Championship bike race, which ran from 1985 to 2016. The main feature of the race was the "Manayunk Wall", an inclined street including all of Levering Avenue and a few blocks of Lyceum Avenue. The race may have helped promote a local economic revival, and cycling is a prominent theme of many of the shops and restaurants in the area. The women'sLiberty Classic was held at the same time and over the same course.

Golf has a long history in Philadelphia; theGolf Association of Philadelphia is the oldest regional golf association in the United States.Aronimink Golf Club inNewtown Square, Pennsylvania has hosted severalPGA andUSGA events, including the1962 PGA Championship and the 2010 and 2011AT&T National.Merion Golf Club has hosted fiveU.S. Opens, most recently in 2013. ThePhiladelphia PGA Championship and thePhiladelphia Open Championship are both hosted in the Philadelphia area. Golfers from the Philadelphia area includeJim Furyk,Dorothy Germain Porter,Jay Sigel, andJohn McDermott.

Tennis is also a popular sport in Philadelphia. TheAdvanta Championships of Philadelphia were held in Philadelphia from 1971 to 2005, while thePennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship was held inHaverford from 1894 to 1974; it was briefly part of theGrand Prix tennis circuit. Tennis players from the Philadelphia area includeDick Williams,Bill Tilden,Ora Washington, andVic Seixas. Tilden was the first American to winThe Championships, Wimbledon and was one of the most prominent sports figures of the first half of the 20th century.^[103]

Willie Mosconi, a Philadelphia native, won theWorld Straight Pool Championship 15 consecutive times. Mosconi is considered one of the greatestpool players in the history of the game.^[104]

ThePhiladelphia Skating Club and Humane Society is the oldest figure skating club in the United States, and was one of the clubs that foundedU.S. Figure Skating.

Philadelphia bid to host the1920,1948,1952 and1956 Summer Olympics but lost toAntwerp,London,Helsinki, andMelbourne respectively. As part of the1980 Summer Olympics boycott, Philadelphia hosted theLiberty Bell Classic. Philadelphia has expressed interest in hosting otherOlympic Games, including the2024 Summer Olympics.^[105][106] ManyPhiladelphians have competed in the Olympics.

Many high school teams play in theInter-Academic League, thePhiladelphia Catholic League, and thePhiladelphia Public League. In 2005, thePhiladelphia Public League joined thePennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. In 2014,Mo'ne Davis was named theAssociated Press Female Athlete of the Year for her performance in the2014 Little League World Series as a member of the Taney Dragons.

Numerous notable athletes wereborn, raised, or attended college in Philadelphia and theDelaware Valley. Basketball players from Philadelphia and the surrounding area includeDawn Staley,Debbie Black,Geoff Petrie,Kobe Bryant,Earl Monroe,Rasheed Wallace,Richard Hamilton,Kyle Lowry, andElena Delle Donne. Football players from Philadelphia includeHerb Adderley,Emlen Tunnell,John Cappelletti,Leroy Kelly,Marvin Harrison,Joe Klecko,Joe Flacco,Matt Ryan,Rich Gannon, andEddie George. Baseball players from Philadelphia includeMike Trout,Goose Goslin,Roy Campanella,Mickey Vernon,Reggie Jackson,Fred Dunlap,Gertrude Dunn, andMike Piazza. Hockey players from Philadelphia includeHobey Baker andMike Richter. Soccer players from Philadelphia includeCarli Lloyd,Bobby Convey, andWalter Bahr. Athletes from Philadelphia who played for professional Philadelphia teams includeWilt Chamberlain,Paul Arizin,Tom Gola,Guy Rodgers,Del Ennis,Bucko Kilroy,Johnny Callison,Herb Pennock, andBucky Walters. Notable coaches from Philadelphia includeDodgers managerTommy Lasorda,Yankees managerJoe McCarthy, long-time NBA coachJack Ramsay,UConn women's basketball coachGeno Auriemma, Jefferson basketball coachHerb Magee,Mount St. Mary's coachJim Phelan, La Salle basketball coachSpeedy Morris, Wisconsin basketball coachBo Ryan, and Temple basketball coachJohn Chaney.

Olympians from the Philadelphia area include gymnastMohini Bhardwaj, swimmersMaddy Crippen,Brendan Hansen,David Berkoff,Joe Verdeur,Carl Robie,Ellie Daniel, andJohn Macionis, track and field athletesCarl Lewis,John Taylor,Jean Shiley,Barney Berlinger,Mel Sheppard,Ted Meredith,Horace Ashenfelter,Leroy Burrell,Kim Gallagher,Bill Toomey,Jon Drummond,Ira Davis,Alvin Kraenzlein, andMike Powell, rowersPaul Costello,John B. Kelly Sr., andJohn B. Kelly Jr., figure skaterTara Lipinski, diverElizabeth Becker-Pinkston, and sailorDon Cohan.

Other prominent Philadelphia sports figures include Flyers ownerEd Snider, Philadelphia Warriors ownerEddie Gottlieb, Sixers director of statistical informationHarvey Pollack, Philadelphia Athletics ownerConnie Mack, former NFL commissionerBert Bell, former Phillies general managerPat Gillick, former Phillies managersLarry Bowa,Charlie Manuel, andDallas Green, former Flyers coachFred Shero, former Sixers coachesAlex Hannum andBilly Cunningham, and former Eagles head coachesDoug Pederson,Greasy Neale, andDick Vermeil. Since 2004, many of the most accomplished Philadelphia athletes and sports figures have been inducted into thePhiladelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

As of 2023, Philadelphia has the fourth-largestmedia market in the United States, with almost three million television homes.^[107]NBC Sports Philadelphia is acable television channel that covers Philadelphia andDelaware Valley sports. The channel as well as sister streaming servicePeacock carries all Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers games that are not nationally televised, along with numerous Philadelphia-area college sports events. Sister channelNBC Sports Philadelphia Plus carries games when more than one team is playing at the same time. Due to theNFL's centralized television rights format, the Eagles, as an NFC team, usually play onWTXF-TVFox, although games can also appear onKYW-TVCBS,WPVI-TVABC,WCAUNBC,ESPN,NFL Network, or streaming onAmazon Prime Video. All Union games are broadcast onApple'sMLS Season Pass. The two majorsports radio stations in Philadelphia are94.1 WIP and97.5 WPEN. WIP broadcasts all Phillies and Eagles games, while WPEN broadcasts all Sixers, Flyers, and Union games.1210 WPHT carries Phillies games when the Eagles are playing at the same time on WIP, and93.3 WMMR carries Flyers games when the Sixers are playing at the same time on WPEN.

Prominent members of the sports media (past and present) includeRichie Ashburn (who also played for the Phillies),Gene Hart,Harry Kalas,Merrill Reese,Jayson Stark,Jack Whitaker,Bill Campbell,Ray Didinger,Phil Jasner,Bill Conlin,Michael Barkann,Angelo Cataldi,Mike Missanelli andHoward Eskin. ThePhiladelphia Sports Writers Association presents annual awards.

Several films have depicted sports in Philadelphia. Most prominently, theRocky film franchise follows theboxing career ofRocky Balboa, first as a fighter and later as a trainer. The filmInvincible was based onVince Papale's career as a player on thePhiladelphia Eagles.The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon starredTony Danza as thekicker of thePhiladelphia Eagles.Broad Street Bullies is a documentary that chronicles the early history of thePhiladelphia Flyers. The filmPride follows swim coachJim Ellis in 1970s Philadelphia.The Mighty Macs depicts the 1970sImmaculata College women's basketball teams of the early 1970s. The main character of the filmSilver Linings Playbook is anEagles fan who closely follows the2008 Eagles season throughout the film.

• Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

• Fitzpatrick, Frank (8 October 2010)."Was no-hitter Philly's top sports moment? No, but it ranks high". Philly.com. Archived fromthe original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved9 November 2014.
• Kearney, Andrew J. (November 30, 2010)."Heartbreak City: The 25 Greatest Letdowns in Philadelphia Sports History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved2010-12-03.
• Kepner, Tyler (7 October 2010)."Was Halladay's Gem The Greatest Philly Sports Moment Ever? Mike Schmidt Says So".The New York Times. Retrieved9 November 2014.
• Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Roll Call of Champions
• Westcott, Rich (March 21, 2001).A Century of Philadelphia Sports. Temple University Press.ISBN 1566398614.

• Sports in Philadelphia

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