International sports events

California has hosted the Olympic Games three times. Los Angeles, the largest city in the state, hosted both the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics. Squaw Valley, California hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics. Los Angeles and San Francisco were in the race to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, but eventually lost to Chicago.

Besides the Olympics, California also hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup in San Francisco (Stanford Stadium at Stanford) and Los Angeles (Rose Bowl at Pasadena).

State-wide sports events

Professional sports

has over twenty major professional sports franchises, far more than any other US state. The San Francisco Bay Area has their nine major league teams spread amongst three cities: San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. While home to ten major league franchises, the Greater Los Angeles Area is the largest metropolitan area not to have any teams from the National Football League. San Diego has two major league teams, and Sacramento has two.

• National Football League
  • Oakland Raiders
  • San Diego Chargers
  • San Francisco 49ers
• National Basketball Association
  • Golden State Warriors – Based in Oakland
  • Los Angeles Clippers
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Sacramento Kings
• National Hockey League
  • Anaheim Ducks
  • Los Angeles Kings
  • San Jose Sharks
• Major League Baseball
  • Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Based in Anaheim
  • Los Angeles Dodgers
  • Oakland Athletics
  • San Diego Padres
  • San Francisco Giants
• Major League Soccer
  • Chivas USA – Based in Carson
  • Los Angeles Galaxy
  • San Jose Earthquakes
• Women's National Basketball Association
  • Los Angeles Sparks
  • Sacramento Monarchs
• Women's Professional Soccer
  • Los Angeles Sol
  • FC Gold Pride (Bay Area)

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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 athletic programs of the University of Southern California, University of California, Berkeley, UCLA and Stanford University are often nationally-ranked in the various sports. In additon, those Universities boast the highest academic standards (on average) of all major college (NCAA Div I) programs. All 4 schools are ranked, academically, in the top 30 nationally with Cal (specifically) ranked as the #1 public university in the country (usually about #15 overall). California is also home to the oldest college bowl game, the annual Rose Bowl (Pasadena), as well as the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl (San Diego), the Emerald Bowl (San Francisco), and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego).

The Great Heisman State

Most sports enthusiats don't know that the state of California has rendered the most Heisman Trophy winners. 14 winners were both born and played high school football in the Golden State. 7 played collegiately at USC, 1 at UCLA, 1 at Stanford, 1 at West Point, 1 at the University of Texas, 1 at the University of Colorado, 1 at Notre Dame, and 1 at the University of Miami.

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Local sports

Most city municipals house a variety of sports activities. The available sports are typically listed on their city websites. Additionally, there are a variety of California Sports activities listed on FindSportsNow's California database.

Others

The California State Games, a state-wide Olympics-like sport event, take place in California every year. The United States Olympic Committee governs this event. Many of California's high school teams are often nationally-ranked. The NASCAR Sprint Cup series holds 3 races in California, two at Auto Club Speedway and one at Infineon Raceway.

Skateboarding

Skateboarding is a sport heavily associated with California as it is the place where the sport started. profesional skateboarder Tony Hawk was born in California in 1968 and was involved in many bowlriding and vert competions there.

References

1. 1932 Summer Olympics, International Olympic Committee website.
2. 1984 Summer Olympics, International Olympic Committee website.
3. 1960 Winter Olympics, International Olympic Committee website.
4. Official site of the California State Games