Sports in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to several professional and collegiate sports teams. The Greater Los Angeles Area has eleven major league professional teams: the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, the Los Angeles Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks, and the Los Angeles Rams. USC Trojans football, UCLA Bruins men's basketball, USC Trojans baseball, USC Trojans track & field, and Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball are all historically premier organizations in college sports. Other major sports teams include UCLA Bruins Football, Pepperdine Waves baseball, and formerly the Los Angeles Raiders and Los Angeles Aztecs. 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, primarily from USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference. The 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles. In 2028 the city will host the Olympics for a third time.

Major league professional teams
Los Angeles is home to major league sports teams from all five major leagues — MLB, MLS, the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL — as well as one team in the WNBA, a top level women's league. The following are the major professional teams in the Los Angeles area.

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 are one of the most valuable franchises in MLB. The Dodgers were founded in Brooklyn, New York; they officially adopted the name Dodgers in 1932. Los Angeles and the Dodgers are set to host the MLB All-Star Game in summer of 2020.

Basketball
Los Angeles boasts two NBA teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. Both share the Staples Center. 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 titles of all Los Angeles franchises, having gained 11 titles in LA and 16 overall. Their title count is second only to the Boston Celtics, who have 17 titles. The LA Lakers were founded as the Minneapolis Lakers, having moved to Southern California in 1960. The LA 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 re-located from San Diego in 1984.

When he died in 2013, Lakers owner Jerry Buss also owned the city's WNBA franchise, the Los Angeles Sparks, which also plays at Staples Center. 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 plan to build a new arena in Inglewood, across from the Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, by 2024 when their lease with Staples Center expires.

Football
The region has two National Football League (NFL) teams: the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. The Rams originally played in LA from 1946 to 1994, while the Chargers shared LA with them for only one season in 1960. The NFL approved the Rams' relocation back to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016 with an option for the San Diego Chargers or Oakland Raiders to join at a later date. The Rams play their home games at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park until their new stadium, Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, is completed in 2020. In 2017, the Chargers announced they would be leaving San Diego to rejoin the Rams as the second team. For 2017 through 2019, the Chargers are playing in Carson at the soccer-specific Dignity Health Sports Park until the new shared stadium is complete. 2017 marked the first time since 1960 that the Rams and Chargers shared the same market and the first time since 1994 that the market had two NFL teams.

Hockey
The region has two NHL teams — the Los Angeles Kings, which entered the league when it doubled in size in 1967, and the Anaheim Ducks, which joined in 1993 as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Kings have won 2 titles, in 2012 and 2014. The Ducks have won the Stanley Cup once in 2007.

Soccer
The Los Angeles area hosts two teams in Major League Soccer, the top flight of the men's sport in the US—LA Galaxy, a charter member of the league, and Los Angeles FC, which began play in 2018. The Galaxy have five MLS championships, more than any other MLS team at present. The two teams play in "El Tráfico", the cross-town derby.

From 2005 to 2014, the Galaxy and Chivas USA played in the SuperClasico. Chivas USA folded in 2014. MLS awarded a franchise to a new team of owners in November, 2014 which became Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC).

Baseball
The collegiate level East Los Angeles Dodgers and their rival the Orange County Angels in the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League.

Basketball
The metropolitan area has two teams in the NBA G League, each of which is owned by one of the area's two NBA teams. The Agua Caliente Clippers play in Ontario, and the South Bay Lakers play in El Segundo.

Gaelic football
The amateur sport of Gaelic football has been played in Los Angeles since the early 20th century. Los Angeles were national champions in 1959.

The Cougars GFC were founded in 2015 and play and train on the westside of Los Angeles. Primarily in Culver City/Santa Monica area. The Cougars season consists of attending tournaments in nearby San Diego, Colorado and the annual USGAA Nationals Championship. As of 2018, the Cougars membership consisted of approximately 50 members (male and female) with the club being 55% American, 45% Irish, some being complete beginners.

The Cougars also play in a 3-game series against their local rivals, The Wild Geese Gaelic Football Club, Inc. founded in 1978 who administers Gaelic football activities in nearby Orange County.

Ice hockey
The Ontario Reign was an ECHL team from 2008 to 2015. After a team swap with Manchester, New Hampshire, the new Ontario Reign began play in the American Hockey League in 2015.

Rugby league
Los Angeles's rugby league team the Los Angeles Raiders RLFC are a developing team in the USA Rugby League, formed in 2011. They were aimed to compete as a full team in 2012.

Rugby union
The most prominent rugby club in Los Angeles is the Santa Monica Rugby Club, which competes in the Pacific Rugby Premiership.

The Los Angeles Rugby Club is the second oldest club in the Southern California Rugby Football Union. The Club was founded in 1958 as the Universities Rugby Club. Founding members included Al Williams and Dick Hyland, members of the Gold Medal winning 1924 USA Olympic Rugby Team. Other rugby clubs include the LA Rebellion and the San Fernando Valley Rugby Club.

Soccer
The Los Angeles area also has multiple clubs in the United Soccer League, the Premier Development League, the United Premier Soccer League and the National Premier Soccer League scattered throughout the region: Orange County SC, Santa Ana Winds FC, LA Wolves FC, Moreno Valley FC, FC Golden State Force, Southern California Seahorses, Ventura County Fusion, City of Angels FC, Deportivo Coras USA, Orange County FC, Oxnard Guerreros FC, SoCal SC, and Temecula FC, to name some.

In addition, the Santa Clarita Blue Heat play in the UWS.

Ultimate
The Los Angeles Aviators are a member of the twenty-four team American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), a professional ultimate frisbee league spanning the United States and Canada. The Aviators are one of six teams currently competing in the Western Division, and play a fourteen-game regular season against the five other teams in the division: San Francisco FlameThrowers, San Diego Growlers, Seattle Cascades, and San Jose Spiders.

Football
Los Angeles did not have an NFL team in between the 1994 season and the 2016 season; prior to that it had two teams simultaneously. Immediately after the 1994 season, the Los Angeles Rams moved from suburban Anaheim, California to St. Louis, Missouri, and the Los Angeles Raiders returned to Oakland, California. Over the years between 1995 and 2016 there were multiple failed stadium proposals to bring back the NFL to Los Angeles and teams threatening to move in. On January 12, 2016, NFL owners voted 30–2 to allow the then St. Louis Rams to move back to Los Angeles, and allow for the construction of the stadium proposed by Rams owner Stan Kroenke over a plan proposed by the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers would still follow through with a move to Carson a year later in 2017 and plan on sharing the Rams' new stadium in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Xtreme were a member of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. The team played its home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the spring of 2001 and won the only championship in XFL history as the league folded after only one season. The Los Angeles Wildcats plan to begin play in 2020 at Dignity Health Sports Park in the new XFL.

Los Angeles had multiple teams in the Arena Football League and American Football League, prior to the NFL. The Los Angeles Wildcats, also called "Wilson Wildcats", were a traveling team for the first AFL in 1926. The Los Angeles Bulldogs were members of AFL II (1937) and a minor AFL (1939) before joining the Pacific Coast Professional Football League. The original Los Angeles Chargers were a charter member of AFL IV, becoming the San Diego Chargers in 1961. The Los Angeles Mustangs were members of the short-lived American Football League in 1944. From 1983–1985 the Los Angeles Express was a team in the United States Football League.

Before the AFL collapsed after the 2008 season, the league included the Los Angeles Cobras and the Los Angeles Avengers. The Cobras played one season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena before folding, mostly due to lack of attendance. The Avengers played their home games at the Staples Center until they folded as well. The AFL was revived in 2010 and returned to the Los Angeles area in 2014 with a new team, the Los Angeles Kiss. The team, owned by a group that included Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, members of the rock band KISS, played in Anaheim at the Honda Center until folding in 2016.

Soccer
The Los Angeles Wolves were a member of the United Soccer Association, starting its first season in 1967. The Los Angeles Toros of the National Professional Soccer League also started its first season in 1967. When both leagues merged to form the North American Soccer League, the Wolves remained in Los Angeles while the Toros relocated and became the San Diego Toros in 1968. When the first season ended, both teams folded. Later, the NASL returned a team in Los Angeles by establishing the Los Angeles Aztecs in 1974. The Aztecs folded in 1981.

Los Angeles Lazers was owned by Jerry Buss and played in the MISL from 1982–1988. Buss again owned the Los Angeles United in the CISL but after one season (1993) sold the team. The United relocated to Anaheim and became Anaheim Splash. The Los Angeles Sol played one season (2009) of Women's Professional Soccer before folding.

Most recently, Chivas USA was a member of Major League Soccer starting in 2005, but was shut down by the league in 2014.

Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse was represented with the Los Angeles Riptide from 2006 to 2008.

College
The metropolitan area boasts 10 NCAA Division I athletic programs. The best-known are the two whose football teams compete in the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision, both of which are in the city of Los Angeles proper:


 * UCLA Bruins — Winners of 116 national team championships, and 259 individual national championships (364 total national championships).
 * USC Trojans — Winners of 105 national team championships, and 357 individual national championships (448 total national championships).

USC has 11 national championships in football and 7 Heisman Trophy winners. In men's basketball, UCLA has won more titles than any other school (11).

The area's other Division I programs are:
 * Also in Los Angeles proper:
 * Cal State Northridge Matadors, in the San Fernando Valley
 * Loyola Marymount Lions, near Los Angeles International Airport
 * In Malibu:
 * Pepperdine Waves
 * In Long Beach:
 * Long Beach State 49ers
 * In Orange County:
 * Cal State Fullerton Titans
 * UC Irvine Anteaters
 * In Riverside, one of the main cities of the Inland Empire:
 * California Baptist Lancers, currently transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I
 * UC Riverside Highlanders

Olympic & Paralympic Games
Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice. The city first hosted the games in 1932 and hosted once again in 1984. Los Angeles has made a total of ten Summer Olympic bids in its history, more than any other city. Los Angeles along with Athens and Paris are the three cities that have hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games and will become the third city to host the Olympics three times, after London (1908, 1948, 2012) and Paris (1900, 1924, 2024).

1932 Olympic Games


The 1932 Summer Olympics marked the first time Los Angeles staged the Olympic Games. It took place during the Great Depression and the games were reported to have produced a $1 million profit for the city. Los Angeles was the only city to submit a bid for the 1932 edition of the Summer Olympics and was selected as the host city at the 21st IOC Session in Rome in 1923. That same year, Lake Placid hosted the 1932 Winter Olympics. The 1932 Summer Olympics marked the second time the US had hosted the Summer Olympics, with St. Louis hosting the 1904 Summer Olympics.

The United States won a total of 103 medals during the games, including 41 gold medals.

Since the games were the tenth edition of the modern Olympic Games, Tenth Street was renamed Olympic Boulevard. Today Olympic Blvd is home to multiple attractions, such as the Grammy Museum.

1984 Olympic Games


The 1984 Summer Olympics marked the second time Los Angeles had staged the Olympic Games. Much like the 1932 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles was the only city to submit a bid. Los Angeles was elected as the host city at the 80th IOC Session in Athens in 1978. The cost overruns of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal discouraged cities to bid. Los Angeles depended on existing venues and infrastructure to host the games. The games produced a $200 million profit and are considered the most successful edition of the Olympic Games.

Despite the success Los Angeles had as a host city, the games were boycotted by fourteen Eastern Bloc countries, including the Soviet Union. Romania and Yugoslavia however, did not take part in the boycott and competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The United States and many other NATO nations had boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow four years earlier.

The United States won a total of 174 medals, including 83 gold medals.

2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games


Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games. This will mark the third time the Olympic Games are held in Los Angeles and the first time the city stages the Paralympic Games. The city will join London and Paris as the only cities to have hosted the Olympics three times.

Upon the USOC reaching a new revenue sharing agreement with the IOC, Los Angeles had been mentioned as a possible bidding city for the 2024 Summer Olympics. In March 2013, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sent a letter to the USOC confirming the city's interest in bidding for the 2024 Olympics. On September 1, 2015 Los Angeles was chosen as the U.S. candidate to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics after the USOC withdrew Boston's bid for the 2024 Olympics. After Rome, Hamburg and Budapest withdrew their bids for the 2024 Olympics, only Los Angeles and Paris remained in the race. The IOC then decided to award both Paris and Los Angeles with future editions of the Olympic Games. In July 2017, an agreement was made which secured the 2024 Olympics for Paris and the 2028 Olympics for Los Angeles. Both cities were unanimously elected at the 131st IOC Session in Lima on September 13, 2017.

The 2028 Summer Paralympics will mark the first time the Paralympic Games are held in Los Angeles. Before Los Angeles hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics, the 1984 Summer Paralympics were held in New York City.

Unsuccessful bids
Aside from securing the right to host the 1932, 1984 and 2028 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles has made frequent Olympic bids in the past. Out of the ten bids which the USOC had submitted to the IOC over the years, seven previous official bids were unsuccessful. Los Angeles submitted bids for the 1924, 1928, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics, but lost to Paris, Amsterdam, London, Helsinki, Melbourne, Montreal and Moscow respectively.

Los Angeles had expressed interest to the USOC about bidding for the Olympics on multiple occasions, while failing to secure the USOC's support. Seventeen years after hosting the 1984 Olympics, the city became interested in bidding for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but the USOC chose to submit New York City's bid to the IOC. New York ultimately lost to London. Los Angeles later bid to be the US candidate for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but the USOC decided to submit Chicago's bid to the IOC. Chicago ultimately lost to Rio de Janeiro. Following Chicago's defeat, Los Angeles again expressed interest in bidding for a future edition of the Olympic Games. In November 2011 a delegation from Los Angeles attended a seminar at the IOC headquarters for cities interested in bidding on future editions of the Olympic Games. The USOC declined to submit a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which was ultimately won by Tokyo. In February 2012, Los Angeles hosted the 5th IOC World Conference on Women and Sport which was attended by then-IOC President Jacques Rogge as well as IOC members. At the conference Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and IOC Member Anita DeFrantz stated that the city would be interested in hosting the Olympic Games a third time.

International soccer tournaments
The Los Angeles metropolitan area has served as host of multiple international soccer competitions over the years. The sport enjoys a relatively high level of popularity in Los Angeles.

1994 FIFA World Cup
In 1994 the United States hosted the FIFA World Cup. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena hosted eight matches, including the final where Brazil defeated Italy 3-2 on penalties.

2026 FIFA World Cup
The Rose Bowl, along with Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park are two venues in the LA area that could host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

1999 & 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup
Los Angeles was one of the host cities for the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The Rose Bowl hosted four matches during the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup including the final where the United States defeated China 5-4 on penalties.

The United States hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup again in 2003 after China withdrew as hosts due to the SARS outbreak. The Home Depot Center, now known as StubHub Center, in Carson was one of the venues that was used in the event. The venue hosted six games, including the final where Germany defeated Sweden 2-1 in sudden death.

Other soccer tournaments
The Rose Bowl hosted three matches during the 2016 Copa América and host hosted matches during the CONCACAF Gold Cup on multiple occasions. The StubHub Center in Carson as well as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum have also hosted matches during the CONCACAF Gold Cup over the years.

Other national and international sporting events
Throughout the history of Los Angeles, several national and international sporting events have taken place in the city.

Super Bowls
The Los Angeles area has hosted the Super Bowl seven times. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum hosted Super Bowl I in 1967 and Super Bowl VII in 1973. The Rose Bowl hosted Super Bowl XI in 1977, Super Bowl XIV in 1980, Super Bowl XVII in 1983, Super Bowl XXI in 1987 and Super Bowl XXVII in 1993. The city ranks third on the list of having hosted the most number of Super Bowls, after Miami and New Orleans.

Los Angeles will host the Super Bowl for an eighth time when they host Super Bowl LVI in 2022 which will be held at Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park.

Special Olympics
Los Angeles has served as host of the Special Olympics on two occasions.

Los Angeles first hosted the Special Olympics World Summer Games in 1972. On September 15, 2011, it was announced that Los Angeles would host the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. The games were held between July 24 to August 2, 2015.

College Football Playoff National Championship
Los Angeles will host the 9th edition of the College football national championship at Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in January of 2023.

Aside from hosting various incarnations of the championship game, Los Angeles area hosts the annual Tournament of Roses college foot ball game, commonly known as the Rose Bowl Game annually on New Years day.

Boxing
Boxing matches have been held throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area. Venues that have held boxing matches include Ocean Park Arena, Hollywood Legion Stadium, Naud Junction, Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Valley Garden Arena, Los Angeles Sports Arena, The Forum, Microsoft Theater, Staples Center and StubHub Center.

Cricket
The 2016 ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament was held at the Leo Magnus Cricket Complex in Woodley Park, Van Nuys, Los Angeles between October 28 and November 5, 2016, involving national teams from Bermuda, Denmark, Italy, Jersey, Oman, and the United States.

League of Legends World Championships
Los Angeles has played host to the 2013 and 2016 League of Legends World Championship Finals.

eSports
Los Angeles has two teams in the Overwatch League. The Los Angeles Gladiators, and the Los Angeles Valiant.

Proposed venues
The Los Angeles Clippers are currently pursuing a new arena in Inglewood. The arena has not yet been approved and lawsuits are currently pending.