Sports in Los Angeles


The Greater Los Angeles area is home to many professional and collegiate sports teams and has hosted many national and international sporting events. The metropolitan area has 12 major league professional teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles FC, the LA Galaxy, the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Sparks, and Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League. Since 2000, 9 of the area's 12 teams have won a combined 24 championships. The Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to nine universities whose teams compete in various NCAA Division I level sports, most notably the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. Between them, these Los Angeles area sports teams have won a combined 105 championship titles. Los Angeles area colleges have produced upwards of 200 national championship teams.
Los Angeles is home to a variety of sporting venues including the two National Historic Landmarks, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, the multi-purpose arenas, Crypto.com Arena and Intuit Dome, and the roof-covered SoFi Stadium. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics. In 2028, the city will host the Olympics for a third time. Los Angeles also hosted games of the 1994 FIFA World Cup including the final match, and is scheduled to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Los Angeles recently hosted both the MLB All-Star Game and the MLS All-Star Game in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Los Angeles also hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2023 and Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the eighth such event in Los Angeles. The United States Golf Association brought the U.S. Open back to Los Angeles in 2023, with the Los Angeles Country Club as host. The geography and weather of Los Angeles also make Los Angeles a hub for surfing and beach volleyball. When the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, the city of Los Angeles became the second city in the 21st century to have at least one championship in the four major pro sports and the second to ever have championships in four major professional leagues within a ten-year span, accomplishing this feat in a span of seven years, and eight months.

Major league professional teams

Greater Los Angeles is home to 14 major sports teams, ten professional major league teams and four from the top level collegiate ranks—MLB, MLS, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, and the Big Ten Conference. The city also boasts teams in both of the most prominent women's professional leagues, the WNBA and NWSL, as well as the aforementioned NCAA Division I teams.
ClubSportLeagueVenueAttendanceFoundedEstablished
in Los Angeles		Titles
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles AngelsBaseballMajor League BaseballAngel Stadium45,050196119611
Los Angeles DodgersBaseballMajor League BaseballDodger Stadium56,000188319588
Anaheim DucksIce HockeyNational Hockey LeagueHonda Center17,174199319931
Los Angeles KingsIce HockeyNational Hockey LeagueCrypto.com Arena18,340196719672
Los Angeles SparksBasketballWomen's National Basketball AssociationCrypto.com Arena10,998199719973
Los Angeles LakersBasketballNational Basketball AssociationCrypto.com Arena18,9971947196012
Los Angeles ClippersBasketballNational Basketball AssociationIntuit Dome18,000197019840
Angel City FCSoccerNational Women's Soccer LeagueBMO Stadium22,000202020220
Los Angeles FCSoccerMajor League SoccerBMO Stadium22,000201820181
LA GalaxySoccerMajor League SoccerDignity Health Sports Park27,000199619966
Los Angeles ChargersFootballNational Football LeagueSoFi Stadium70,24019601960, 20170
Los Angeles RamsFootballNational Football LeagueSoFi Stadium70,24019361946, 20162

Former teams

ClubLeagueLast VenueYears in L.A.Titles in L.A.
Los Angeles DonsAll-America Football ConferenceLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum1946–19490
Los Angeles RaidersNational Football LeagueLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum1982–19941
Anaheim Amigos/Los Angeles StarsAmerican Basketball AssociationLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena1967–19700
Los Angeles SharksWorld Hockey AssociationLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena1972–19740
Los Angeles WolvesUnited Soccer Association&
North American Soccer League		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum1967–19681
Los Angeles TorosNational Professional Soccer League &
North American Soccer League		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum19670
Los Angeles AztecsNorth American Soccer LeagueRose Bowl &
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum		1974–19811
California SurfNorth American Soccer LeagueAnaheim Stadium1978–19810
Los Angeles LazersMajor Indoor Soccer LeagueThe Forum1982–19890
L.A. United/Anaheim SplashContinental Indoor Soccer LeagueThe Great Western Forum & Honda Center1993–19970
Chivas USAMajor League SoccerStubHub Center2005–20140
Los Angeles SolWomen's Professional SoccerHome Depot Center2009–20100

Baseball

The Los Angeles area is one of four metropolitan areas to host two Major League Baseball teams—the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League and the Los Angeles Angels in the American League.
The Dodgers were founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1883; they officially adopted the name Dodgers in 1932. The team moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season and played four consecutive seasons at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before they moved to their current home stadium, Dodger Stadium, in 1962. The Dodgers are one of the most valuable franchises in MLB. They have won eight World Series championships and 25 National League pennants. Eleven NL MVP award winners have played for the Dodgers, winning a total of 13 MVP Awards; eight Cy Young Award winners have also pitched for the Dodgers, winning a total of 12 awards. The team has also had 18 Rookie of the Year Award winners, twice as many as the next closest team, including four consecutive from 1979 to 1982 and five consecutive from 1992 to 1996. Los Angeles and the Dodgers hosted the MLB All-Star Game in the summer of 2022.
The Los Angeles Angels were established as one of the league's first two expansion teams in 1961 by Gene Autry. The Los Angeles Angels played their home games at Wrigley Field and moved in 1962 to newly built Dodger Stadium, which the Angels referred to as Chavez Ravine, where they were tenants of the Dodgers through 1965. In 1966, they moved to their current home, Angel Stadium in Anaheim. In 2002, the Angels won their first and only American League pennant and World Series when they defeated the San Francisco Giants 4–3. The Angels have had many award winners including seven AL MVP awards by four players, two Cy Young Award winners and three Rookie of the Year Award winners.

Basketball

Los Angeles boasts two National Basketball Association teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. Both shared the Crypto.com Arena from 1999 to 2024. The Lakers are one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA and have gained a considerable fanbase over the years. They have the most championships of all current Los Angeles franchises, having gained 12 titles in Los Angeles and 17 overall, the second-most in the NBA behind the Boston Celtics who have 18. The Lakers were founded as the Minneapolis Lakers, having moved to Southern California in 1960.
The Los Angeles Clippers were founded as the Buffalo Braves in 1970; in 1978, the team moved to San Diego and changed the nickname to Clippers; the team relocated from San Diego in 1984. They were one of three expansion teams to join the NBA that year, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. The Braves saw some success and reached the playoffs three times, led by league Most Valuable Player Bob McAdoo. Conflicts with the Canisius Golden Griffins over the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and the sale of the franchise led to them relocating from Buffalo to San Diego.
File:Intuit Dome Eastern Exterior.jpg|thumb|right|Intuit Dome is the current home of the Los Angeles Clippers
When he died in 2013, Lakers owner Jerry Buss also owned the city's WNBA franchise, the Los Angeles Sparks, which also plays at Crypto.com Arena. His family still owns the Lakers, but has since sold the Sparks to Guggenheim Partners, the current owners of the Dodgers. One year later, longtime Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned from the NBA after derogatory statements he made became public, and was subsequently forced to sell the team. The franchise was purchased by former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer in August 2014. The Clippers built a new arena, Intuit Dome, in Inglewood, across from SoFi Stadium in 2024 when their lease with Crypto.com Arena expired.