Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the major cities of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, hosts six major league sports franchises, as well as several other professional and college sports teams, and hosts other sports events.
in 2008
Major league teams
| Team | Sport | Bay Area Since | League | Venue | Average Attendance |
| San Francisco 49ers | American Football | 1946 | National Football League | Levi's Stadium | 70,799 |
| San Francisco Giants | Baseball | 1958 | Major League Baseball | Oracle Park | 41,677 |
| Oakland Athletics | Baseball | 1968 | Major League Baseball | RingCentral Coliseum | 21,829 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Soccer | 1996 | Major League Soccer | Avaya Stadium | 20,979 |
| Golden State Warriors | Basketball | 1962 | National Basketball Association | Chase Center | 18,064 |
| San Jose Sharks | Ice Hockey | 1991 | National Hockey League | SAP Center | 16,747 |
American football
The Bay Area is home to the National Football League San Francisco 49ers, who play at Levi's Stadium The Oakland Panthers of the Indoor Football League are due to begin play in 2020 at Oakland Arena looking to fill the hole left by the Raiders departure.The 49ers have won five Super Bowls and lost two.
Baseball
The Bay Area is home to two Major League Baseball teams. The San Francisco Giants play at Oracle Park and have won eight World Series titles.The Oakland Athletics play at RingCentral Coliseum, and the A's have won nine World Series titles.
The 1989 World Series was known as the "Earthquake Series", "Bay Bridge Series", and "Battle of the Bay", as both teams played against each other, and Oakland swept the Giants in a 4-game series. However, the series is probably best known for the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake which struck on the day of Game 3.
San Francisco was ranked #1 in 2012 among America's Best Baseball cities. The study examined which U.S. metro areas have produced the most Major Leaguers since 1920.
Basketball
The Golden State Warriors returned to San Francisco beginning with the 2019–20 NBA season when the new Chase Center opened in the Mission Bay district. Originally, the Warriors played in Philadelphia, but relocated to San Francisco in 1962 and then to Oakland in 1971. During their days in Oakland, the Warriors won four NBA Finals.Ice hockey
San Jose currently hosts the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League and currently play at the SAP Center at San Jose. The Sharks began play in 1991, playing their first two seasons at the Cow Palace before moving to their current home in 1993. They have been Pacific Division champions six times, as well as having won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season record in the league in 2009, and the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as the Western Conference champions in 2016. Though the Sharks have yet to win a Stanley Cup, they made their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2016.Soccer
Beginning in 1996, the San Jose Earthquakes, then known as the San Jose Clash, competed in Major League Soccer, and became the Earthquakes in 1999. The Quakes won MLS Cup 2001 against the Los Angeles Galaxy 2–1, as well as MLS Cup 2003 against the Chicago Fire 4–2. The Quakes then moved to Houston in 2005, and became the Houston Dynamo, but in a fashion similar to the Cleveland Browns move, the Earthquakes name and history stayed in San Jose for a future team. In 2008, the current incarnation of the Earthquakes made its return and subsequently played seven seasons at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara. In March 2015, the Earthquakes opened Avaya Stadium across from San Jose International Airport.Minor league teams
| Team | Sport | League | Venue |
| San Jose Barracuda | Ice hockey | American Hockey League | SAP Center |
| Oakland Roots SC | Soccer | National Independent Soccer Association | Laney College |
| San Jose Giants | Baseball | California League | San Jose Municipal Stadium |
| San Rafael Pacifics | Baseball | Pacific Association | Albert Park |
| Sonoma Stompers | Baseball | Pacific Association | Arnold Field |
| Pittsburg Diamonds | Baseball | Pacific Association | City Park Field #1 |
| Vallejo Admirals | Baseball | Pacific Association | Wilson Park |
| Martinez Clippers | Baseball | Pacific Association | Joe Dimaggio Field |
| Napa Silverados | Baseball | Pacific Association | Napa Valley College Storm Field |
Baseball
The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team in the Northern Division of the California League, a Class A–Advanced league. They've been a farm team of the San Francisco Giants since 1988 and have played continuously since 1962 under several different names and affiliations. The San Jose Giants have developed more than 190 major league players, including current and former San Francisco Giants such as Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Pablo Sandoval, and Madison Bumgarner.The Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs is an independent baseball league with six teams in the northern and eastern parts of the Bay Area.
In the Bay Area Collegiate League, Palo Alto is home to the Palo Alto Oaks, the oldest continuously-operated, wood-bat, baseball team in the Bay Area. The Oaks played their inaugural season in 1950, making 2018 their 69th consecutive season of baseball. They are joined by
seven other teams in the Bay Area: Alameda Merchants, Burlingame Bucks, San Carlos Salty Dogs, San Mateo Rounders, Solano Mudcats, Walnut Creek Crawdags, and the West Coast Kings.
Soccer
Amateur men's soccer has been played in San Francisco since 1902 through the San Francisco Soccer Football League. Over 40 teams in 4 divisions play throughout the city between March and November. Premier Division games are played at the 3,500 seat Boxer Stadium. Amateur women's soccer is played on over 30 teams in the Golden Gate Women's Soccer League.Supporter-owned San Francisco City FC, founded in 2001 as part of the SFSFL, has played in the PDL since 2016.
Other sports
In 2015, the Sharks American Hockey League affiliate team, the Worcester Sharks, became the San Jose Barracuda and share the SAP Center at San Jose.San Francisco Pro-Am Basketball League is an important summer league venue for aspiring players to be discovered by talent scouts. Games are held at the 4,000 seat Kezar Pavilion. Players from all levels participate, with regular appearances by off season NBA professionals.
San Francisco Rush played in the inaugural 2016 PRO Rugby season at Boxer Stadium. The club folded after one season. The San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby team competes in the Pacific Rugby Premiership. In rugby sevens, the Bay Area hosted the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens at AT&T Park which saw over 100,000 in attendance over the three days of the tournament.
College sports
The Bay Area is also well represented in college sports. Six area universities are members of NCAA Division I, the highest level of college sports in the country. Three have football teams and three do not. Bay Area Deportes is the only media outlet in San Francisco Bay Area to fully cover NCAA college sports in Spanish.All three football-playing schools in the Bay Area are in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of NCAA college football. The California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal compete in the Pac-12 Conference, and the San Jose State Spartans compete in the Mountain West Conference. The Cardinal and Golden Bears are intense rivals, with their football teams competing annually in the Big Game for the Stanford Axe. One of the most famous games in the rivalry is the 1982 edition, when the Golden Bears defeated the Cardinal on a last-second return kickoff known as "The Play".
The three non-football Division I programs in the Bay Area are the San Francisco Dons, located in the city of San Francisco; the Saint Mary's Gaels, from Moraga in the East Bay; and the Santa Clara Broncos, located in Santa Clara. All three are charter members of the West Coast Conference, and consider each other major rivals.
The following table shows the college teams in the Bay Area that average more than 2,000 attendance:
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| Team | Location | Venue | Average Attendance |
| California Golden Bears football | Berkeley | Memorial Stadium | 47,675 |
| Stanford Cardinal football | Stanford | Stanford Stadium | 47,862 |
| San Jose State Spartans football | San Jose | CEFCU Stadium | 15,068 |
| California Golden Bears men's basketball | Berkeley | Haas Pavilion | 5,627 |
| Stanford Cardinal men's basketball | Stanford | Maples Pavilion | 3,894 |
| Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball | Moraga | McKeon Pavilion | 3,085 |
| Stanford Cardinal women's basketball | Stanford | Maples Pavilion | 3,063 |
| California Golden Bears women's basketball | Berkeley | Haas Pavilion | 3,000 |
| Stanford Cardinal women's volleyball | Stanford | Maples Pavilion | 2,425 |
| San Francisco Dons men's basketball | San Francisco | War Memorial Gymnasium | 2,100 |
Other sports
The Bay Area was the host for the 2013 America's Cup. The Bay Area has a leading and innovative alternative, outdoor and action sports culture. Examples include mountain biking, Alcatraz triathlon, Team Handball, skate boarding/Thrasher Magazine, CrossFit and surfing at well known breaks such as Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Ocean Beach and Bodega Bay.TPC Stonebrae is a private golf club that hosts the TPC Stonebrae Championship, part of the Web.com Tour since 2009.
SF CALHEAT is a Team Handball club which participates in tournaments across the nation at all levels
San Francisco Team Handball is the only Team Handball club focused on youth and, competing at local and international levels.
eSports
is an American professional Overwatch eSports team based in San Francisco, California. The Shock compete in the Overwatch League as a member of the league's Pacific West Division. They are currently the defending Overwatch League Grand Finals Champions.Founded in 2017, San Francisco Shock is one of the twelve founding members of the OWL and is one of three professional Overwatch teams in California. The team is owned by Andy Miller, co-owner of the Sacramento Kings and NRG Esports. In the upcoming season, the team will play their home matches at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley and the San Jose Civic in downtown San Jose.
Recreation
With an ideal climate for outdoor activities, San Francisco has ample resources and opportunities for amateur and participatory sports and recreation. There are more than of bicycle paths, lanes and bike routes in the city, and the Embarcadero and Marina Green are favored sites for skateboarding. Extensive public tennis facilities are available in Golden Gate Park and Dolores Park, as well as at smaller neighborhood courts throughout the city. San Francisco residents have often ranked among the fittest in the U.S. Golden Gate Park has miles of paved and unpaved running trails as well as a golf course and disc golf course.Boating, sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing are among the popular activities on San Francisco Bay, and the city maintains a yacht harbor in the Marina District. The St. Francis Yacht Club and Golden Gate Yacht Club are located in the Marina Harbor. The South Beach Yacht Club is located next to AT&T Park and Pier 39 has an extensive marina.
Historic Aquatic Park located along the northern San Francisco shore hosts two swimming and rowing clubs. The South End Rowing Club, established in 1873, and the Dolphin Club maintain a friendly rivalry between members. Swimmers can be seen daily braving the typically cold bay waters.
Defunct or relocated teams
Basketball
San Jose had a women's basketball team from 2005–2006 in the National Women's Basketball League called the San Jose Spiders.American football
Fromm 1960 until 1982 and again from 1995 until 2019 the Bay Area was home to the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. The Raiders played at RingCentral Coliseum and won two Super Bowls during their stay in Oakland, and lost two. Prior to the 2020 NFL season, the Raiders relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada where they are now known as the Las Vegas Raiders.From 1995–2008, as well as between 2011–2015, the Bay had the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League, who played at the SAP Center at San Jose. The SaberCats won 3 ArenaBowls, and lost in another.
The Bay Area had a United Football League team in 2009 named the California Redwoods, who played at AT&T Park and Spartan Stadium, though the Redwoods moved to Sacramento in 2010.
Hockey
Before the Sharks, the Bay Area had the California Golden Seals, who had been previously named the California Seals and the Oakland Seals. The Seals came into existence in the 1967 NHL expansion. The Seals played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The Seals later became the Cleveland Barons in 1976 and then merged with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978. The Golden Seals/Barons franchise is notable as the last franchise in North America's four major leagues to permanently cease operations.For one season, it was home to the San Francisco Spiders of the International Hockey League.
On September 20, 2011, the San Francisco Bulls were founded as an expansion team in the ECHL. Beginning play in 2012, the team was the farm team of the NHL's San Jose Sharks before folding mid-season on January 27, 2014.
Soccer
Before the existence of the current San Jose Earthquakes of MLS, a separate San Jose Earthquakes played for the original North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, and the Western Soccer Alliance. After they folded, the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks played for the WSA. Eventually, the Blawkhawks became the San Jose Hawks, and folded in 1993.San Jose Grizzlies were a professional indoor soccer team based in San Jose, California. The team was founded in 1993 as a member of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. After playing in the 1994 and 1995 CISL seasons, the Grizzlies folded following the 1995 season. The team played at San Jose Arena.
FC Gold Pride was a charter member of Women's Professional Soccer, playing alongside the Earthquakes in the league's inaugural 2009 season before moving to Hayward for 2010. Led by Brazilian star Marta, the team had a championship season in 2010, but folded after the season. WPS itself played only one more season before folding. The Bay Area has yet to have a franchise in WPS' effective successor, the current National Women's Soccer League.
San Francisco Deltas was a charter member of North American Soccer League to play at the Kezar Stadium in 2017. The Deltas beat the New York Cosmos 2-0 to win the Soccer Bowl 2017, but folded after the season.