California has 19 major professional sports franchises, far more than any other US state. The Greater Los Angeles Area has ten major league teams. The San Francisco Bay Area has five major league teams spread amongst three cities: San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Clara. As of 2025, San Diego and Sacramento each host two major league teams.
California is home to some of most successful collegiate sports teams in the country. Among the list of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships the Stanford Cardinal, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans and California Golden Bears rank #1, #2, #3 and #10 on the list by teams with the most titles, and #1, #4, #2, and #7 by most individual titles, respectively.
It is the only U.S. state to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 summer games, and will host the 2028 Summer Olympics. The 1960 Winter Olympics were held at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe region.
Major league professional teams
Current teams Major League Baseball (MLB) Athletics (since 2025) – based in West Sacramento; set to move out of state to Las Vegas in 2028 or 2029 Los Angeles Angels (since 1961) – based in Anaheim Los Angeles Dodgers (since 1958) San Diego Padres (since 1969) San Francisco Giants (since 1958) National Basketball Association (NBA) Golden State Warriors (since 1962) – based in San Francisco Los Angeles Clippers (since 1984) – based in Inglewood Los Angeles Lakers (since 1960) Sacramento Kings (since 1985) National Football League (NFL) Los Angeles Chargers (1960; since 2017) – plays in Inglewood; headquarters in El Segundo Los Angeles Rams (1946–1994; since 2016) – plays in Inglewood; headquarters in Agoura Hills San Francisco 49ers (since 1946) – plays in Santa Clara; headquarters also in Santa Clara National Hockey League (NHL) Anaheim Ducks (since 1993) Los Angeles Kings (since 1967) San Jose Sharks (since 1991) Major League Soccer (MLS) LA Galaxy (since 1996) – based in Carson Los Angeles FC (since 2018) San Diego FC (since 2025) San Jose Earthquakes (since 1996) Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Golden State Valkyries (since 2024) – based in San Francisco Los Angeles Sparks (since 1997) National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Angel City FC (since 2022) – based in Los Angeles Bay FC (since 2024) – based in San Jose San Diego Wave FC (since 2022)
Former teams
Major League Baseball (MLB) Oakland Athletics (1968–2024) National Basketball Association (NBA) San Diego Rockets (1967–1971) San Diego Clippers (1978–1984) National Football League (NFL) Oakland Raiders (1960–1981; 1995–2019) Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1994) San Diego Chargers (1961–2016) National Hockey League (NHL) California Golden Seals (1967–1976) Major League Soccer (MLS) Chivas USA (2005–2014) American Basketball Association (ABA) Oakland Oaks (1967–1969) Anaheim Amigos / Los Angeles Stars (1967–1970) San Diego Conquistadors (1972–1975) North American Soccer League (NASL) Oakland Clippers (1967–1968) San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1984) Los Angeles Wolves (1967–1968) Los Angeles Aztecs (1974–1981) California Surf (1978–1981) San Diego Toros (1968) San Diego Jaws (1976) San Diego Sockers (1978–1984)
Major league professional championships
San Francisco Bay Area
Oakland Athletics (MLB) 4 World Series titles
1972 1973 1974 1989
San Francisco Giants (MLB) 3 World Series titles
2010 2012 2014
San Francisco 49ers (NFL) 5 Super Bowl titles
1981 (XVI) 1984 (XIX) 1988 (XXIII) 1989 (XXIV) 1994 (XXIX)
Oakland Raiders (NFL) 2 Super Bowl titles
1976 (XI) 1980 (XV)
Golden State Warriors (NBA) 5 NBA Finals titles
1975 2015 2017 2018 2022
Oakland Oaks (ABA) 1 ABA Finals title
1969
Oakland Clippers (NASL) 1 NASL Final title
1967
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) 2 MLS Cup titles
2001 2003
Greater Los Angeles
Los Angeles Rams (NFL) 1 NFL championship (pre–Super Bowl) 1951
1 Super Bowl title 2021 (LVI)
Los Angeles Raiders (NFL) 1 Super Bowl title 1983 (XVIII)
Los Angeles Wolves (NASL) 1 NASL Final title 1967
Los Angeles Aztecs (NASL) 1 NASL Final title 1974
Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) 6 MLS Cup titles 2002 2005 2011 2012 2014 2024
Los Angeles FC (MLS) 1 MLS Cup title 2022
Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) 8 World Series titles 1959 1963 1965 1981 1988 2020 2024 2025
Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels (MLB) 1 World Series titles 2002
Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) 12 NBA Finals titles 1972 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010 2020
Los Angeles Kings (NHL) 2 Stanley Cup titles 2012 2014
Anaheim Ducks (NHL) 1 Stanley Cup title 2007
Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) 3 WNBA Finals titles 2001 2002 2016
San Diego
San Diego Chargers (NFL) 1 AFL championship (pre–Super Bowl) 1963
Other professional teams Premier Lacrosse League California Redwoods (PLL) (2019)
Pro Football California has produced the most Super Bowl winning Head Coaches in the history of the NFL, whether born or raised in the state (at least having attended High School in CA). Collecively, California Head Coaches have accounted for 17 Super Bowl wins. In chronological order of first Super Bowl win: John Madden (Jefferson HS, Daly City), Tom Flores (Sanger; Sanger Union HS), Bill Walsh (Los Angeles; Hayward HS, Hayward), Joe Gibbs (Santa Fe HS, Santa Fe Springs), George Seifert (San Francisco; San Francisco Poly HS), Mike Holmgren (San Francisco; Abraham Lincoln HS), Dick Vermeil (Calistoga; Calistoga HS), Brian Billick (Redlands HS, Redlands), Sean Payton (San Mateo), Pete Carroll (San Francisco; Redwood HS, Larkspur), Andy Reid (Los Angeles; John Marshall HS).
College sports
Home to some of most prominent universities in the United States, California has long had many respected collegiate sports programs, in particular the University of Southern California (Trojans), University of California, Berkeley (Golden Bears), University of California, Los Angeles (Bruins), Stanford University (Cardinal), all of which were members of the Pac-12 Conference through the 2023–24 academic year. In 2024, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten Conference, while California and Stanford joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They are often nationally ranked in the various sports and dominate media coverage of college sports in the state. In addition, those Universities boast the highest academic standards (on average) of all major college (NCAA Division I) programs. All 4 schools are ranked, academically, in the top 30 nationally with either Cal or UCLA ranked as the #1 public university in the country (usually #20 overall) and Stanford as the highest academically ranked Division 1A university in the country (usually #5 overall).
California is also home to the oldest college bowl game, the annual Rose Bowl (Pasadena), as well as the Holiday Bowl (San Diego) and San Francisco Bowl. A second San Diego game, the Poinsettia Bowl, was staged from 2005 through 2016, then was on hiatus for a decade before being resumed in 2026.
According to the list of American universities with Olympic medalist students and alumni the top 4 universities on the list are, #1 USC Trojans (326), #2 Stanford Cardinal (302), #3 UCLA Bruins (270), and #4 Cal Berkeley Golden Bears (223). Also on the list of top 50 universities are, #27 Long Beach State Beach (47) and #38 UC Irvine Anteaters (33). Referencing a differing source, OlympStats (as of 2017), the all-time total number of Olympic athletes from California universities (1668) was nearly triple the amount from the next state, New York (559). The medal count was even more impressive, with California (678) accounting for more than 4 times the Gold medal count than the next state, Texas (157).
The Great Heisman State
California has produced more Heisman Trophy winners than any other state.
Trivia Sixteen winners were born in and played high school football in the Golden State. Mater Dei High School has produced 3 Heisman winners; more than any other high school in the country. Seven winners played collegiately at USC and one each at UCLA, Stanford, Army, Texas, Colorado, Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama, and LSU. One winner played at California, but did not win the Heisman while there, instead winning the award at Indiana. Until 2022 winner Caleb Williams of the University of Southern California, who attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., every winner from a California-based university was born in and played high school football in California.
List of winners
1945 Glenn Davis attended Bonita High School in La Verne won the Heisman at the United States Military Academy 1964 John Huarte attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at the University of Notre Dame 1965 Mike Garrett attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles won the Heisman at the University of Southern California 1967 Gary Beban attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City won the Heisman at the University of California, Los Angeles 1968 O. J. Simpson attended Galileo Academy of Science and Technology in San Francisco won the Heisman at the University of Southern California 1970 Jim Plunkett attended James Lick High School in San Jose won the Heisman at Stanford University 1979 Charles White attended San Fernando High School in San Fernando won the Heisman at the University of Southern California 1981 Marcus Allen attended Abraham Lincoln High School (San Diego, California) in San Diego won the Heisman at the University of Southern California 1992 Gino Torretta attended Pinole Valley High School in Pinole won the Heisman at the University of Miami 1994 Rashaan Salaam attended La Jolla Country Day School in La Jolla won the Heisman at the University of Colorado Boulder 1998 Ricky Antwan Williams attended Patrick Henry High School in San Diego won the Heisman at the University of Texas at Austin 2002 Carson Palmer attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita won the Heisman at the University of Southern California 2004 Matt Leinart attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at the University of Southern California 2005 Reggie Bush attended Helix High School in La Mesa won the Heisman at the University of Southern California - Heisman Trophy vacated in 2010 and reinstated in 2024 2021 Bryce Young attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at the University of Alabama 2023 Jayden Daniels attended Cajon High School in San Bernardino won the Heisman at Louisiana State University
NCAA Division I members The following California universities are members of NCAA Division I. Institution Nickname Location Conference FootballSubdivision Bakersfield Roadrunners Bakersfield Big West — Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) Mustangs San Luis Obispo Big West(Big Sky for football) FCS Cal State Fullerton Titans Fullerton Big West — Cal State Northridge Matadors Northridge Big West — California Golden Bears Berkeley ACC FBS California Baptist Lancers Riverside WAC — Fresno State Bulldogs Fresno Mountain West FBS Long Beach State The Beach Long Beach Big West — Loyola Marymount Lions Los Angeles WCC — Pacific Tigers Stockton WCC — Pepperdine Waves Malibu WCC — Sacramento State Hornets Sacramento Big Sky FCS Saint Mary's Gaels Moraga WCC — San Diego Toreros San Diego WCC — San Diego State Aztecs San Diego Mountain West FBS San Francisco Dons San Francisco WCC — San Jose State Spartans San Jose Mountain West FBS Santa Clara Broncos Santa Clara WCC — Stanford Cardinal Stanford ACC FBS UC Davis Aggies Davis Big West(Big Sky for football) FCS UC Irvine Anteaters Irvine Big West — UC Riverside Highlanders Riverside Big West — UC San Diego Tritons La Jolla Big West UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Santa Barbara Big West — UCLA Bruins Los Angeles Big Ten FBS USC Trojans Los Angeles Big Ten FBS
International sports events