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College basketball takes center stage on the sports calendar each March as the NCAA basketball tournament gets underway. The tournament brings a packed three weeks of high-pressure games as 68 teams compete for the college basketball crown. Along the way, millions of Americans fill out brackets, join office pools, and tune in to games as March Madness unfolds.
For most of the rest of the year, professional sports are more popular among U.S. sports fans. According to polling from Gallup, professional football is America’s most popular sport, with 62% of Americans identifying as fans, and professional baseball is close behind with 57%. And the two less popular major pro sports, basketball and hockey, have each trended upward significantly in popularity over the last two decades. Meanwhile, both college football and college basketball lag slightly behind their professional equivalents in popularity.
One caveat to this data is that sports fandom in the United States can be highly regionalized, with varying interest in different professional sports or in college athletics depending on location. The four major sports leagues—Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and National Football League—together contain 124 franchises across the United States and Canada. But these professional franchises are concentrated in a relatively limited number of locations. Most of the markets where professional franchises set up shop have large populations, strong TV markets, and residents with disposable income to support ticket and merchandise sales. And many markets have been found to be well-suited for some sports but not others—like football in Jacksonville or basketball in Portland.
As a result, nearly half of all professional sports franchises are based in just seven U.S. states—and in particular, the seven with the most residents. California and New York not only have multiple metro areas that are able to support professional sports franchises but, in the cases of Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and New York City, also have metro regions large enough to sustain multiple franchises in the same sport. Among smaller states with professional sports, it is more common to have a lower number of sports or teams represented. Four states have only two professional teams and another four have only one.
Because of how professional sports franchises are concentrated, many states have no teams competing at the highest level of the four major sports. Just under half of states lack any professional franchise, with most of these being located in the South, the central U.S., and New England. In contrast, California leads the U.S. with 15 professional franchises spread across several major metros in the state: three in the NFL, three in the NHL, four in the NBA, and five in MLB. At the metro level, almost every major U.S. city has at least one sports franchise, and many have more than that. Twelve U.S. metro areas host at least one team from each of the four major sports, and another seven are home to at least three different professional sports.
Researchers at HotDog.com ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to the total number of active, professional football, basketball, baseball, and hockey franchises operating in each location. The information was sourced directly from each league. In the analysis, franchises are attributed to the metro and state in which they are currently branded to be from. In the event of a tie, the location with the greater collective tenure of their active franchises was ranked higher.
Here are the metropolitan areas with the most professional sports franchises.
Metros With the Most Professional Sports Franchises
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20. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 3
- NFL franchises: Seattle Seahawks
- NBA franchises: N/A
- MLB franchises: Seattle Mariners
- NHL franchises: Seattle Kraken
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19. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 3
- NFL franchises: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- NBA franchises: N/A
- MLB franchises: Tampa Bay Rays
- NHL franchises: Tampa Bay Lightning
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
18. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 3
- NFL franchises: Houston Texans
- NBA franchises: Houston Rockets
- MLB franchises: Houston Astros
- NHL franchises: N/A
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17. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 3
- NFL franchises: Atlanta Falcons
- NBA franchises: Atlanta Hawks
- MLB franchises: Atlanta Braves
- NHL franchises: N/A
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16. Toronto, ON
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 3
- NFL franchises: N/A
- NBA franchises: Toronto Raptors
- MLB franchises: Toronto Blue Jays
- NHL franchises: Toronto Maple Leafs
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
15. Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 3
- NFL franchises: Cleveland Browns
- NBA franchises: Cleveland Cavaliers
- MLB franchises: Cleveland Guardians
- NHL franchises: N/A
Photo Credit: ESB Professional / Shutterstock
14. Pittsburgh, PA
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 3
- NFL franchises: Pittsburgh Steelers
- NBA franchises: N/A
- MLB franchises: Pittsburgh Pirates
- NHL franchises: Pittsburgh Penguins
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13. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: Airzona Cardinals
- NBA franchises: Phoenix Suns
- MLB franchises: Arizona Diamondbacks
- NHL franchises: Arizona Coyotes
Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock
12. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: Miami Dolphins
- NBA franchises: Miami Heat
- MLB franchises: Miami Marlins
- NHL franchises: Florida Panthers
Photo Credit: Virrage Images / Shutterstock
11. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: Denver Broncos
- NBA franchises: Denver Nuggets
- MLB franchises: Colorado Rockies
- NHL franchises: Colorado Avalanche
Photo Credit: Rudy Balasko / Shutterstock
10. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: Minnesota Vikings
- NBA franchises: Minnesota Timberwolves
- MLB franchises: Minnesota Twins
- NHL franchises: Minnesota Wild
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9. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: Dallas Cowboys
- NBA franchises: Dallas Mavericks
- MLB franchises: Texas Rangers
- NHL franchises: Dallas Stars
Photo Credit: ESB Professional / Shutterstock
8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: Washington Commanders
- NBA franchises: Washington Wizards
- MLB franchises: Washington Nationals
- NHL franchises: Washington Capitals
Photo Credit: GagliardiPhotography / Shutterstock
7. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: San Francisco 49ers
- NBA franchises: Golden State Warriors
- MLB franchises: Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants
- NHL franchises: N/A
Photo Credit: Gang Liu / Shutterstock
6. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: Philadelphia Eagles
- NBA franchises: Philadelphia 76ers
- MLB franchises: Philadelphia Phillies
- NHL franchises: Philadelphia Flyers
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5. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: New England Patriots
- NBA franchises: Boston Celtics
- MLB franchises: Boston Red Sox
- NHL franchises: Boston Bruins
Photo Credit: Ivan Cholakov / Shutterstock
4. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 4
- NFL franchises: Detroit Lions
- NBA franchises: Detroit Pistons
- MLB franchises: Detroit Tigers
- NHL franchises: Detroit Red Wings
Photo Credit: JoelC024 / Shutterstock
3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 5
- NFL franchises: Chicago Bears
- NBA franchises: Chicago Bulls
- MLB franchises: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox
- NHL franchises: Chicago Blackhawks
Photo Credit: Eric Urquhart / Shutterstock
2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 8
- NFL franchises: Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams
- NBA franchises: Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers
- MLB franchises: Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers
- NHL franchises: Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings
Photo Credit: TierneyMJ / Shutterstock
1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Total number of professional sports franchises: 9
- NFL franchises: New York Giants, New York Jets
- NBA franchises: Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks
- MLB franchises: New York Mets, New York Yankees
- NHL franchises: New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers
Methodology & Detailed Findings
Researchers ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to the total number of active, professional football, basketball, baseball, and hockey franchises operating in each location. The information was sourced directly from each league. In the analysis, franchises are attributed to the metro and state in which they are currently branded to be from. In the event of a tie, the location with the greater collective tenure of their active franchises was ranked higher.
