List of American and Canadian cities by number of major professional sports franchises
Encyclopedia
This is a list of metropolitan area
s in the United States
and Canada
categorized by the number of professional sports
franchises in their metropolitan areas.
, the National Football League
, the National Basketball Association
and the National Hockey League
. This list includes teams from those four leagues. Twelve cities have teams from all four.
On a rung below these stands Major League Soccer
, occasionally considered part of the United States' major sports leagues.
Some strictly-American definitions of a major league exclude the NHL, which, although it holds a dominant role in Canadian society, has struggled to gain wide support in American markets outside hockey's regional strongholds of the Northeast
and Midwest
; this list, though, includes NHL teams, as the league's revenues, player salaries and media coverage are still significantly closer to those of the NBA than those of any of the other U.S. and Canadian team sports' top-level professional leagues.
Some strictly-Canadian definitions include the Canadian Football League
. The CFL's support and media coverage compare to that of the Big Four within Canada
, and since 1997, the CFL and NFL have shared a cooperative agreement that recognizes the CFL's role within its home country. Of CFL cities, only Toronto hosts more than one other major league club; five others host NHL teams.
The CFL and MLS are other popular leagues on 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).
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, 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 Buffalo
is the smallest to have more than one (Buffalo Sabres
and Buffalo Bills
).
, 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), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The number of Big Six teams based on their home state/province/territory is shown in the map below:
Washington DC would have the 50th largest population if it were a state
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.
The New York Giants and Jets both play their home games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
The New York Red Bulls play their home games in Red Bull Arena in New Jersey
The Washington Redskins play their home games at FedEx Field in Maryland
The Kansas City Chiefs play their home games at Arrowhead Stadium
in Missouri
The Kansas City Royals play their home games at Kauffman Stadium
in Missouri
Sporting KC play their home games at Livestrong Sporting Park
in Kansas
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
categorized by the number of professional sports
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
franchises in their metropolitan areas.
"Major" sports
The definition of a "major" professional league is a subject of intense debate. The most commonly accepted definition, often termed the "Big Four", includes Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. This list includes teams from those four leagues. Twelve cities have teams from all four.
U.S. cities with teams from four major sports
There are 12 U.S. cities with teams from four major sports, where "city" is defined as the entire metropolitan area, and "major professional sports leagues" as:...
On a rung below these stands Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, occasionally considered part of the United States' major sports leagues.
Some strictly-American definitions of a major league exclude the NHL, which, although it holds a dominant role in Canadian society, has struggled to gain wide support in American markets outside hockey's regional strongholds of the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
and Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
; this list, though, includes NHL teams, as the league's revenues, player salaries and media coverage are still significantly closer to those of the NBA than those of any of the other U.S. and Canadian team sports' top-level professional leagues.
Some strictly-Canadian definitions include the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. The CFL's support and media coverage compare to that of the Big Four within Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and since 1997, the CFL and NFL have shared a cooperative agreement that recognizes the CFL's role within its home country. Of CFL cities, only Toronto hosts more than one other major league club; five others host NHL teams.
The CFL and MLS are other popular leagues on 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. BaseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
teams provide illustrations for several of these models. In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
are popularly dubbed the "Bronx Bombers" for their home borough and generally command the loyalties of fans from the Bronx, parts of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, parts of North Jersey
North Jersey
North Jersey is a colloquial term, with no precise consensus definition, for the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. A straightforward, noncolloquial term for the region is northern New Jersey.- Two-portion approaches :...
and Westchester County, while the Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
play in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and draw support from Queens, Brooklyn and parts of Long Island, revealing a split by neighborhood. The San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
and Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
represent rival cities within the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, a single media market. Though the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
and Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
share a metro area, their cities anchor separate media markets and hold distinctly separate cultural identities. In Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
share an arena (Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
), 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
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, 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
CFL USA
The term CFL USA refers to the abortive expansion of the Canadian Football League into the United States in the early-to-mid 1990s. The 1993 CFL season saw the addition of the first American team to the league, the Sacramento Gold Miners...
) had a team in the city; however, the Las Vegas Posse
Las Vegas Posse
The Las Vegas Posse was a Canadian Football League team that played the 1994 season as part of the CFL's short-lived American expansion. The Posse was one of the least successful CFL teams, both on the field and off.-On the field:...
was a complete failure in the area and folded after one season. The smallest to have one of the Big Four is Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
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
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
(Jets, NHL
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They began play in the World Hockey Association in 1972, moving to the National Hockey League in 1979 following the collapse of the WHA...
), while 54th-largest Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
is the smallest to have more than one (Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
and Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
).
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 Census and the list of census metropolitan areas in the Canada 2006 CensusCanada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, 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), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Canadian Football League (CFL).
| Metropolitan area Metropolitan area The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,... |
Country | Pop. rank |
Population | B4 | B6 | NFL | MLB | NBA | NHL | MLS | CFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region... |
United States | 1 | 22,085,649 | 9 | 10 | ||||||
| Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles Area The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County... |
United States | 2 | 17,877,006 | 6 | 8 | ||||||
| Baltimore–Washington | United States | 4 | 8,572,971 | 6 | 7 | ||||||
| San Jose-San Francisco San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas... |
United States | 6 | 7,468,390 | 6 | 7 | ||||||
| Chicago | United States | 3 | 9,686,021 | 5 | 6 | ||||||
| Toronto Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York... |
Canada | 13 | 5,113,149 | 3 | 5 | ||||||
| Boston Greater Boston Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes... |
United States | 5 | 7,559,060 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Dallas - Ft. Worth | United States | 7 | 6,731,317 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Philadelphia Delaware Valley The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township... |
United States | 8 | 6,533,683 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Denver | United States | 19 | 3,090,874 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Houston Greater Houston Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas... |
United States | 9 | 6,051,363 | 3 | 4 | ||||||
| Miami South Florida metropolitan area The South Florida metropolitan area, also known as the Miami metropolitan area, and designated the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S... |
United States | 11 | 5,564,635 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Detroit Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area... |
United States | 12 | 5,218,852 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Phoenix Phoenix Metropolitan Area The Phoenix metropolitan area, often referred to as The Valley of the Sun, is a metropolitan area, centered on the city of Phoenix, that includes much of the central part of the US state of Arizona... |
United States | 15 | 4,192,887 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Minneapolis – Saint Paul | United States | 17 | 3,615,902 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Atlanta | United States | 10 | 5,618,431 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Cleveland Greater Cleveland Greater Cleveland is a nickname for the metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland, Ohio and is part of what used to be the Connecticut Western Reserve.Northeast Ohio refers to a similar but substantially larger area as described below... |
United States | 20 | 2,881,937 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| St. Louis | United States | 21 | 2,878,255 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Area The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently... |
United States | 23 | 2,783,243 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Pittsburgh | United States | 25 | 2,447,393 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Vancouver | Canada | 30 | 2,116,581 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| Seattle Seattle metropolitan area The Seattle metropolitan area in the US state of Washington includes the city of Seattle, King County, Snohomish County, and Pierce County within the Puget Sound region. The U.S... |
United States | 14 | 4,199,312 | 2 | 3 | ||||||
| Kansas City Kansas City Metropolitan Area The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the... |
United States | 31 | 2,104,853 | 2 | 3 | ||||||
| San Diego San Diego metropolitan area The San Diego Metropolitan Area, also known as Greater San Diego and officially the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a metropolitan area on the United States Pacific Coast. The U.S. Census of the Bureau defines the San Diego metropolitan area as encompassing all of... |
United States | 18 | 3,095,313 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Montreal | Canada | 16 | 3,635,571 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| Charlotte Charlotte metropolitan area The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area/region of North and South Carolina within and surrounding the city of Charlotte... |
United States | 26 | 2,402,623 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Cincinnati | United States | 28 | 2,172,191 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Portland Portland metropolitan area The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S... |
United States | 27 | 2,226,009 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Indianapolis | United States | 32 | 2,080,782 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Milwaukee Milwaukee metropolitan area The Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha metropolitan area is an urban area identified by the U.S. Census Bureau containing five counties in southeastern Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Washington and Ozaukee... |
United States | 36 | 1,751,316 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Nashville | United States | 40 | 1,670,890 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Buffalo | United States | 50 | 1,215,826 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Calgary | Canada | 56 | 1,079,310 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| New Orleans New Orleans metropolitan area New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner, or the Greater New Orleans Region is a metropolitan area designated by the United States Census encompassing seven parishes in the state of Louisiana, centering on the city of New Orleans... |
United States | 51 | 1,214,932 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Edmonton Edmonton Capital Region The Edmonton Capital Region , also commonly referred to as the Alberta Capital Region, Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred around Edmonton – Alberta's provincial capital.... |
Canada | 60 | 1,034,945 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Columbus | United States | 33 | 2,071,052 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Salt Lake City Salt Lake City metropolitan area The Salt Lake City Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in north central Utah, anchored by Salt Lake City. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 968,858. As of July 1, 2009 the U.S... |
United States | 38 | 1,744,886 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Winnipeg | Canada | 78 | 694,668 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Orlando | United States | 22 | 2,818,120 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Sacramento Sacramento metropolitan area The Greater Sacramento area, or officially Sacramento–Arden Arcade–Yuba City, CA-NV Combined Statistical Area, is a combined statistical area consisting of several metropolitan statistical areas and seven counties in Northern California and one in Western Nevada. These are Sacramento, Yolo, El... |
United States | 24 | 2,461,780 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| San Antonio Greater San Antonio Greater San Antonio is a 8-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located in the South Central region of Texas. The MSA of Greater San Antonio is colloquially referred to as the "San Antonio-New Braunfels" metropolitan area as of the 2010 census.The official... |
United States | 29 | 2,142,508 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Raleigh | United States | 37 | 1,749,525 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Jacksonville | United States | 43 | 1,345,596 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Oklahoma City Oklahoma City metropolitan area -Metro-area suburbs and exurbs:The following communities are suburbs and exurbs of Oklahoma City with populations of at least 1,000 found within the bounds of State Highway 33 to the north, State Highway 18 and US-177 to the east, State Highway 39 and State Highway 9 to the south, and US-81 to the... |
United States | 44 | 1,322,429 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Memphis Memphis Metropolitan Area The Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, TN-MS-AR , more commonly known as The Mid-South, is the 41st largest among similarly designated areas in the United States. The metropolitan area covers eight counties in three states – Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas... |
United States | 47 | 1,316,100 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Ottawa National Capital Region (Canada) The National Capital Region, also referred to as Canada's Capital Region, is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, the neighbouring city of Gatineau, Quebec, and surrounding urban and rural communities.... |
Canada | 54 | 1,130,761 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Hamilton Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe... |
Canada | 79 | 692,911 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| Green Bay Green Bay metropolitan area The Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Wisconsin, anchored by the city of Green Bay... |
United States | 154 | 306,241 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Regina Regina, Saskatchewan Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox... |
Canada | 208 | 194,971 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| Totals | 122 | 148 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 18 | 8 |
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:
| State U.S. state A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of... Province Province A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to... Territory |
Pop. rank (2009) (US + Canada) |
Big four teams |
NFL National Football League The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing... |
MLB Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... |
NBA National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
Big six teams |
MLS Major League Soccer Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada... |
CFL Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football.... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 CaliforniaCalifornia California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
1 | 15 | 18 | ||||||
| Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
4 | 9 | 9 | ||||||
| Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
2 | 8 | 10 | ||||||
| Pennsylvania Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... |
6 | 7 | 8 | ||||||
| New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... |
3 | 7 | 7 | ||||||
| Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
7 | 6 | 7 | ||||||
| Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... |
5 | 5 | 6 | ||||||
| Missouri Missouri Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... |
18 | 5 | 5 | ||||||
| New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... |
11 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Massachusetts Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... |
14 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Colorado Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... |
22 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Arizona Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... |
16 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Michigan Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... |
8 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state... |
21 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Washington DC Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
3 | 4 | |||||||
| Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... |
9 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... |
19 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... |
10 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... |
17 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... |
20 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Washington |
13 | 2 | 3 | ||||||
| Indiana Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... |
15 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Louisiana Louisiana Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties... |
25 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Oregon Oregon Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern... |
27 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Utah Utah Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the... |
34 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state... |
28 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Kansas Kansas Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south... |
33 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 OntarioOntario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... |
1 | 4 | 7 | ||||||
| Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces... |
4 | 2 | 4 | ||||||
| Quebec Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... |
2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858... |
3 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| Manitoba Manitoba Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other... |
5 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota.... |
6 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| 33 states/provinces/territories | 122 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 149 | 19 | 8 |
Washington DC would have the 50th largest population if it were a state
Toronto-based Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
currently has a sharing agreement
National Football League in Toronto
The National Football League has long been rumoured to be considering placing one of its franchises in Canada's largest city, Toronto, Ontario....
with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
to lease the team for one regular season game each year. It is not counted in this tally as a Toronto team per se.
The New York Giants and Jets both play their home games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
The New York Red Bulls play their home games in Red Bull Arena in New Jersey
The Washington Redskins play their home games at FedEx Field in Maryland
The Kansas City Chiefs play their home games at Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
in Missouri
The Kansas City Royals play their home games at Kauffman Stadium
Kauffman Stadium
Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Together with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, it is a part of the Truman Sports Complex...
in Missouri
Sporting KC play their home games at Livestrong Sporting Park
Livestrong Sporting Park
Livestrong Sporting Park is a soccer-specific stadium in Kansas City, Kansas and is the home of Sporting Kansas City. The stadium opened during the 2011 season of Major League Soccer on June 9, 2011 with a match against the Chicago Fire. The stadium has a seating capacity of 18,467 seats, which can...
in Kansas
See also
- U.S. cities with teams from four major league sports
- List of major sports teams in the United States by city
- List of auto racing tracks in the United States by city
- List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
- Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
- U.S. states without major sports teamsU.S. states without major sports teamsThere are currently 24 U. S. states without major sports teams, when U.S. major league sports are defined as Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer...
External links
- North American Pro Sports Teams - Lists every league that has operated in Canada and/or the United States. Grouped by city.