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Sports

One thing that California is known for is its sports. There are dozens upon dozens of professional sports teams in California. The state has hosted the Olympic Games three times; twice in Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984, and once the Winter Olympics was hosted in Squaw Valley in 1960. Both Los Angeles and San Francisco wanted to host the 2016 Olympics but instead, Chicago was chosen. In 1994, California also hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup in Stanford Stadium, San Francisco.

The California State Games is a multi-sport event of Olympic style competition which takes place every year in California. The United States Olympic Committee governs the event and California is one of forty four states which hosts such an event. Its mission is “To promote and nurture the health, education, and competitive spirit of residents of California by managing a quality amateur sports event that encourages participation and provides an Olympic experience.”

California is also famous for its many sports teams in sports such as football, basketball and baseball. The Oakland Raiders are a football team based in Oakland city who currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the NFL (National Football League). The San Francisco 49ers are another California football team based in both San Francisco (where it plays its home games) and Santa Clara (where its headquarters are located). The 49ers share the record for the most Super Bowl victories with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys.

Another great sports team based in San Francisco is the San Francisco Giants which is a Major League Baseball team that plays in the National League West Division. The team was the second baseball team founded by the millionaire John B. Day and Jim Mutrie. The team was originally called ‘The Gothams’ but, as the story goes, the name was changed when Mutrie stormed into the dressing room after a victory shouting, “My big fellows! My giants!”

To see live sports in California yourself, you can head to one of California’s many sports stadiums, such as Anaheim Ice which is the practice rink of the Anaheim Ducks, Boxer Stadium for soccer and rugby in San Francisco, Blair Field for baseball in Long Beach, Cox Arena in San Diego for men’s and women’s basketball, and Dodger Stadium which is home to the Major League Baseball team, the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1962.