(Last Updated On: April 25, 2023)
What state has the most professional sports teams? The short answer is California. The Golden State has a total of 15 professional sports teams that play in North America’s “Big 4” sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL). Curious to know how the other states stack up? Check out our list of states by number of professional sports teams below!
States by Number of Professional Sports Teams
1. California (15)
MLB: Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants
NBA: Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings
NFL: Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers
NHL: Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks
2. Florida (9)
MLB: Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays
NBA: Miami Heat, Orlando Magic
NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NHL: Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. New York (8)*
MLB: New York Mets, New York Yankees
NBA: Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks
NFL: Buffalo Bills
NHL: Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, New York Rangers
*Both the New York Giants and the New York Jets play their home games in New Jersey. They have not been included in this total. When included, New York has 10 professional sports teams, and would be 2nd on this list.
4. Texas (8)
MLB: Houston Astros, Texas Rangers
NBA: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs
NFL: Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans
NHL: Dallas Stars
5. Pennsylvania (7)
MLB: Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates
NBA: Philadelphia 76ers
NFL: Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers
NHL: Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins
6. Ohio (6)
MLB: Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians
NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers
NFL: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns
NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets
7. Illinois (5)
MLB: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox
NBA: Chicago Bulls
NFL: Chicago Bears
NHL: Chicago Blackhawks
Considering Major League Soccer and the WNBA
The list above includes only the traditional Big 4 sports leagues. So what about Major League Soccer and the WNBA?
When considering MLS, the list is not much different. California boasts three MLS teams, which would bring their professional sports team total to 18, as does Texas, which would jump to 11. Florida and Ohio both have two MLS teams, while New York has one MLS team that plays in-state, and one that plays home games in New Jersey. Pennsylvania and Illinois both have one MLS team.
The inclusion of WNBA teams also doesn’t drastically alter our lists. New York, Illinois, Texas, and California each have one team. With the WNBA and MLS included, our new list would look like: California (19), Texas (12), Florida (11), New York (10)*, Pennsylvania (8), Ohio (8), and Illinois (7).
*not including teams playing outside of New York. When included, their total jumps to 13.
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And make sure to check out Sporcle.com, where you can find thousands of fun sports trivia quizzes!
