List of American and Canadian cities by number of major professional sports franchises
This is a list of metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada categorized by the number of professional sports franchises in their metropolitan areas.
Major Professional Sports Leagues
The major professional sports leagues, or simply major leagues, in the United States and Canada are the highest professional competitions of team sports in the two countries. Although individual sports such as golf, tennis, and auto racing are also very popular, the term is usually limited to team sports.
The term "major league" was first used in 1921 in reference to Major League Baseball (MLB), the top level of professional American baseball. Today, the major northern North America professional team sports leagues are Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL).[1]
These four leagues are also commonly referred to as the Big Four. Each of these is the richest professional club competition in its sport worldwide. The best players can become cultural icons in both countries and elsewhere in the world, because the leagues enjoy a significant place in popular culture in the US and Canada. The NFL has 32 teams, and the others have 30 each. The vast majority of major league teams are concentrated in the most populous metropolitan areas of the United States.
Every major league averages 15,000 fans in attendance per game or higher as of 2011.
Baseball, football, and hockey have had professional leagues for over 100 years; early leagues such as the National Association, Ohio League, and National Hockey Association formed the basis of the modern MLB, NFL and NHL respectively. Basketball is a relatively new development; the NBA evolved from the National Basketball League and its splinter group the Basketball Association of America, taking on its current form in 1949.
Other notable leagues include Major League Soccer (MLS), the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Arena Football League (AFL), Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The CFL and MLS are other popular leagues in both countries. Therefore, this list includes a ranking by teams in the Big Four (B4), and a separate ranking also including teams in the CFL and MLS, called the Big Six (B6).
Metropolitan area
Though teams are listed here by metropolitan area, the distribution and support of teams within an area can reveal regional fractures below that level, whether by neighborhood, rival cities within a media market or separate markets entirely. Baseball teams provide illustrations for several of these models. In New York City, the Yankees are popularly dubbed the "Bronx Bombers" for their home borough and generally command the loyalties of fans from the Bronx, parts of Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, Long Island, parts of North Jersey and Westchester County, New York, while the Mets play in Queens and draw support from Queens, Brooklyn and parts of Long Island, revealing a split by neighborhood. The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics represent rival cities within the Bay Area, a single media market. Though the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles share a metro area, their cities anchor separate media markets and hold distinctly separate cultural identities. In Los Angeles, the Lakers and Clippers share an arena (Staples Center), and media coverage is split amongst different broadcasters in the metro area.
The largest metropolitan area without one of the Big Four teams is Las Vegas, which is the 34th largest market in Northern America. This is largely due to concerns of how a team in Las Vegas would affect the sports gaming industry. At the same time, football, basketball and baseball have all considered putting a team in the area, and for a brief time in 1994, the CFL (during its period of American expansion) had a team in the city; however, the Las Vegas Posse was a complete failure in the area and folded after one season. The smallest to have one of the Big Four is Green Bay as the 146th largest metropolitan area, though much of its fan base is drawn from nearby Milwaukee, the 35th largest; the smallest stand-alone metropolitan area to have one of the Big Four is 78th-largest Winnipeg (Jets, NHL), while 54th-largest New Orleans is the smallest to have more than one (New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints).
List of teams by metropolitan area
The following list contains all metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada containing at least one team in any of the six major leagues. The table contains the population rank based on the table of primary census statistical areas in the 2010 United States Census and the list of census metropolitan areas in the Canada 2011 Census,[2] the number of teams in the four leagues (B4) and the six leagues (B6), and the city's teams in the National Football League (NFL),[3] Major League Baseball (MLB),[4] the National Basketball Association (NBA),[5] the National Hockey League (NHL),[6] Major League Soccer (MLS)[7] and the Canadian Football League (CFL).[8]
| Metropolitan area | Country | Pop. rank |
Population | B4 | B6 | NFL | MLB | NBA | NHL | MLS | CFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | United States | 1 | 22,085,649 | 9 | 11 | Giants Jets |
Yankees Mets |
Knicks Nets |
Rangers Islanders Devils |
Red Bulls New York City FC[note 1] |
— |
| Los Angeles | United States | 2 | 17,877,006 | 6 | 8 | [note 2] | Dodgers Angels |
Lakers Clippers |
Kings Ducks |
Galaxy Chivas USA |
— |
| Baltimore–Washington | United States | 4 | 8,572,971 | 6 | 7 | Redskins Ravens |
Nationals Orioles |
Wizards | Capitals | D.C. United | [note 3] |
| San Jose-San Francisco | United States | 6 | 7,468,390 | 6 | 7 | 49ers Raiders |
Giants Athletics |
Warriors | Sharks[note 4] | Earthquakes | — |
| Chicago | United States | 3 | 9,686,021 | 5 | 6 | Bears | Cubs White Sox |
Bulls | Blackhawks | Fire | — |
| Toronto | Canada | 10 | 5,583,064 | 3 | 5 | [note 5] | Blue Jays | Raptors | Maple Leafs | Toronto FC | Argonauts |
| Boston | United States | 5 | 7,559,060 | 4 | 5 | Patriots | Red Sox | Celtics | Bruins | Revolution | — |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | United States | 7 | 6,731,317 | 4 | 5 | Cowboys | Rangers | Mavericks | Stars | FC Dallas | — |
| Philadelphia | United States | 8 | 6,533,683 | 4 | 5 | Eagles | Phillies | 76ers | Flyers | Union | — |
| Denver | United States | 19 | 3,090,874 | 4 | 5 | Broncos | Rockies | Nuggets | Avalanche | Rapids | — |
| Houston | United States | 9 | 6,051,363 | 3 | 4 | Texans | Astros | Rockets | — | Dynamo | — |
| Miami | United States | 12 | 5,564,635 | 4 | 4 | Dolphins | Marlins | Heat | Panthers | [note 6] | — |
| Detroit | United States | 13 | 5,218,852 | 4 | 4 | Lions | Tigers | Pistons | Red Wings | — | — |
| Phoenix | United States | 15 | 4,192,887 | 4 | 4 | Cardinals | Diamondbacks | Suns | Coyotes | — | — |
| Minneapolis–Saint Paul | United States | 17 | 3,615,902 | 4 | 4 | Vikings | Twins | Timberwolves | Wild | — | — |
| Atlanta | United States | 11 | 5,457,831 | 3 | 3 | Falcons | Braves | Hawks | [note 7] | — | — |
| Cleveland | United States | 20 | 2,881,937 | 3 | 3 | Browns | Indians | Cavaliers | [note 8] | — | — |
| St. Louis | United States | 21 | 2,878,255 | 3 | 3 | Rams | Cardinals | [note 9] | Blues | — | — |
| Tampa Bay | United States | 23 | 2,783,243 | 3 | 3 | Buccaneers | Rays | — | Lightning | [note 10] | — |
| Pittsburgh | United States | 25 | 2,447,393 | 3 | 3 | Steelers | Pirates | [note 11] | Penguins | — | — |
| Vancouver | Canada | 27 | 2,313,328 | 1 | 3 | — | — | [note 12] | Canucks | Whitecaps | Lions |
| Seattle | United States | 14 | 4,199,312 | 2 | 3 | Seahawks | Mariners | [note 13] | — | Sounders | — |
| Kansas City | United States | 31 | 2,104,853 | 2 | 3 | Chiefs | Royals | [note 14] | [note 15] | Sporting | — |
| San Diego | United States | 18 | 3,095,313 | 2 | 2 | Chargers | Padres | [note 16] | — | — | — |
| Montreal | Canada | 16 | 3,824,221 | 1 | 3 | — | [note 17] | — | Canadiens | Impact | Alouettes |
| Charlotte | United States | 26 | 2,402,623 | 2 | 2 | Panthers | — | Bobcats | — | — | — |
| Cincinnati | United States | 29 | 2,172,191 | 2 | 2 | Bengals | Reds | [note 18] | — | — | — |
| Portland | United States | 28 | 2,226,009 | 1 | 2 | — | — | Trail Blazers | — | Timbers | — |
| Indianapolis | United States | 32 | 2,080,782 | 2 | 2 | Colts | — | Pacers | — | — | — |
| Milwaukee | United States | 36 | 1,751,316 | 2 | 2 | [note 19] | Brewers | Bucks | — | — | — |
| Nashville | United States | 40 | 1,670,890 | 2 | 2 | Titans | — | — | Predators | — | — |
| Buffalo | United States | 51 | 1,215,826 | 2 | 2 | Bills | — | [note 20] | Sabres | — | — |
| Calgary | Canada | 53 | 1,214,839 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | Flames | — | Stampeders |
| New Orleans | United States | 52 | 1,214,932 | 2 | 2 | Saints | — | Pelicans | — | — | — |
| Edmonton | Canada | 56 | 1,159,869 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | Oilers | — | Eskimos |
| Columbus | United States | 33 | 2,071,052 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | Blue Jackets | Crew | — |
| Salt Lake City | United States | 38 | 1,744,886 | 1 | 2 | — | — | Jazz | — | Real | — |
| Winnipeg | Canada | 76 | 730,018 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | Jets | — | Blue Bombers |
| Orlando | United States | 22 | 2,818,120 | 1 | 1 | — | — | Magic | — | — | — |
| Sacramento | United States | 24 | 2,461,780 | 1 | 1 | — | — | Kings | — | — | [note 21] |
| San Antonio | United States | 30 | 2,142,508 | 1 | 1 | [note 22] | — | Spurs | — | — | [note 23] |
| Raleigh | United States | 37 | 1,749,525 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | Hurricanes | — | — |
| Jacksonville | United States | 43 | 1,345,596 | 1 | 1 | Jaguars | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oklahoma City | United States | 45 | 1,322,429 | 1 | 1 | — | — | Thunder | — | — | — |
| Memphis | United States | 47 | 1,316,100 | 1 | 1 | [note 24] | — | Grizzlies | — | — | [note 25] |
| Ottawa | Canada | 50 | 1,236,324 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | Senators | — | [note 26] |
| Hamilton | Canada | 77 | 721,053 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | Tiger-Cats |
| Green Bay | United States | 156 | 306,241 | 1 | 1 | Packers | — | — | — | — | — |
| Regina | Canada | 198 | 210,556 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | Roughriders |
| Totals | — | — | — | 122 | 150 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 20[note 27] | 8 |
- Notes
- ^ New York City FC intends to begin playing in the 2015 MLS season.[9]
- ^ Los Angeles has had two NFL teams over the years. However, LA has not had team since the 1994 season when the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and the Los Angeles Raiders returned to Oakland, California. The Los Angeles Chargers also played a single season in the American Football League before relocating to San Diego.
- ^ Baltimore was granted a CFL expansion franchise in 1994, the Baltimore Stallions, which relocated to Montreal after the 1995 season to become the Montreal Alouettes.
- ^ The California Golden Seals were an NHL expansion team which played from 1967–76. Initially named California Seals, the team was renamed Oakland Seals part-way through the 1967–68 season, and then to California Golden Seals in 1970. They eventually moved to Cleveland to become the Cleveland Barons in 1976.
- ^ Toronto-based Rogers Communications has a sharing agreement with the NFL's Buffalo Bills to lease the team for one regular season game each year. It is not counted in this tally as a Toronto team.
- ^ Miami Fusion F.C. was a MLS club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that played from 1998 to 2001 when they folded.
- ^ The NHL expanded to Atlanta in 1972 with the Atlanta Flames, but the team departed for Calgary, Alberta in 1980 to become the Calgary Flames. In 1999 another expansion franchise, the Atlanta Thrashers, was established but this team moved to Winnipeg and became the Winnipeg Jets in 2011.
- ^ The California Golden Seals of the NHL relocated to Cleveland for the 1976-77 season and were renamed the Barons. However, the team was merged into the Minnesota North Stars following the 1977–78 season.
- ^ St. Louis has been home to two NBA teams. the St. Louis Hawks and the St. Louis Bombers, and also to the American Basketball Association's Spirits of St. Louis before the ABA-NBA merger.
- ^ The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of MLS in 1996. However, the league folded the franchise in 2001.[10]
- ^ Pittsburgh had one of the founding members of what became the NBA, the Pittsburgh Ironmen, however they only played a single season (1947-48) before folding.
- ^ The expansion Vancouver Grizzlies of the NBA began play in 1995, but moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001 to become the Memphis Grizzlies.
- ^ In 1967, the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics were founded. However, in 2008 the Sonics' ownership group moved the team to Oklahoma City and were renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder.
- ^ Kansas City had an NBA team from 1972-1985. The team originated as the Rochester Royals before becoming the Cincinnati Royals. The team was called the Kansas City-Omaha Kings from 1972 to 1975 because it played home games in both cities. In 1975, the team played exclusively in Kansas City, and was known as the Kansas City Kings. The Kings became the Sacramento Kings in 1985.
- ^ In 1974, the Kansas City Scouts were granted an NHL expansion franchise. However, the franchise became the Colorado Rockies in 1976 before settling on the east coast as the New Jersey Devils in 1982.
- ^ San Diego has had two NBA franchises, the San Diego Rockets and the San Diego Clippers. The Rockets represented San Diego from 1967 until 1971 when they moved to Texas to became the Houston Rockets. Seven years later, the Buffalo Braves moved to town and were renamed the San Diego Clippers, where they played until 1984 when the team relocated and became the Los Angeles Clippers.
- ^ Montreal was the home to a MLB team, the Montreal Expos, beginning in 1969. However, the team moved to Washington, D.C. in 2005, where it was renamed the Washington Nationals.[11][12]
- ^ The Cincinnati Royals were a NBA team originally founded as the Rochester Royals before being moved to Cincinnati in 1957. Upon moving to Kansas City, Missouri, the team became the Kansas City Kings. The team is currently known as the Sacramento Kings.
- ^ The Green Bay Packers played a portion of their home schedule in Milwaukee on a regular basis from the 1933 until 1994.
- ^ The Buffalo Braves were a NBA team that moved to San Diego, California in 1978 to become the San Diego Clippers then subsequently the Los Angeles Clippers.
- ^ The Sacramento Gold Miners were a CFL expansion team based in Sacramento, California for two years before relocating and becoming the San Antonio Texans.
- ^ The city served as a temporary home for the New Orleans Saints during the 2005 NFL season due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
- ^ The San Antonio Texans were a CFL team that played in 1995 CFL season before folding. They had relocated from Sacramento, California, where the team had been called the Sacramento Gold Miners.
- ^ The NFL's Houston Oilers relocated to Memphis for one season (as the Tennessee Oilers) in 1997 before moving to Nashville to become the Tennessee Titans.
- ^ The Memphis Mad Dogs were a CFL expansion franchise existing for only the 1995 season.
- ^ Ottawa has been awarded a CFL expansion franchise expected to start in 2013.
- ^ New York City FC will become the 20th MLS team in 2015.[9]
Teams by state/province/territory
The number of Big Four teams based on their home state is shown in the map below:
The number of Big Six teams based on their home state/province/territory is shown in the map below:
a Washington DC would have the 50th largest population if it were a state
b Toronto-based Rogers Communications currently has a sharing agreement with the Buffalo Bills to lease the team for one regular season game each year. It is not counted in this tally as a Toronto team per se.
c The New York Giants and Jets both play their home games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
d The New York Red Bulls play their home games in Red Bull Arena in New Jersey
e The Washington Redskins play their home games at FedEx Field in Maryland
f Sporting KC play their home games at Sporting Park in Kansas
References
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedeverson20090507(see the help page). - ^ "Population of census metropolitan areas". Statistics Canada. February 3, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ a b "NFL teams". National Football League. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ a b "Team-by-Team Information". Major League Baseball. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ a b "Team Index". National Basketball Association. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ a b "NHL teams". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ a b "Clubs". Major League Soccer. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ a b "CFL.ca – Official cite of the Canadian Football League". Canadian Football League. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ a b "Club Statement 21 May, 2013" - Manchester City FC Press release
- ^ "Miami, Tampa fight to keep MLS teams" - Sports Illustrated Dec. 2001
- ^ Associated Press (December 15, 2004). "Ballpark financing issue may kill deal". ESPN.com.
- ^ Associated Press (September 28, 2004). "Announcement will come Wednesday". ESPN.com.
- ^ State Population - Rank, Percent Change, and Population Density: 1980 to 2009 (Report). US Census Bureau. 2011. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s0013.pdf. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ "Population estimates, age distribution and median age as of July 1, 2010, Canada, provinces and territories". Statistics Canada. September 29, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
External links
- North American Pro Sports Teams - Lists every league that has operated in Canada and/or the United States. Grouped by city.
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