List of North American cities by number of major sports championships
This is a list of cities in the United States and Canada that field or have fielded teams in the four North American professional sports leagues, showing the number of league championships each city has won. The "four major leagues" comprise Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. The championships won are recorded for the cities only, not the individual franchises. When a team relocates to a new city, the number of championships won in that specific city remain with the city.
Championships are only from the preeminent league in each of the four major sports. NFL World Championships include all AFL & NFL Championship Games prior to Super Bowl I. The AFL is the only professional rival league to exist 100%. NFL World Championships include the Super Bowl from 1966–Present, AFL Championships from 1960-1965 and NFL Championship Games from 1920-1965. MLB Championships begin in 1903 when the first World Series was played. NHL World Championships begin in 1927 when the NHL became the only league competing for the Stanley Cup. NBA World Championships begin in 1946.
Defunct Professional Sports Leagues not included by sport are Pro Football: AAFC 1946-1949, WFL 1974-1975, USFL 1983-1985, XFL 2001, UFL 2009-2012. Pro Hockey: NHA 1909-1917, PCHA 1911-1924, WCHL 1921-1926, WHA 1972-1979. Pro Baseball: AA 1800s Pre 1903, NL 1800s Pre 1903. Pro Basketball: NBL 1937-1949, ABA 1967-1976.
New York City Teams: MLB Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, and Mets; NBA Knicks and Nets; NFL Giants and Jets; NHL Rangers
Uniondale, NY Team: NHL Islanders
Newark Team: NHL Devils
Table
This table does not include championships from any rival leagues outside of the four major leagues, as the four leagues are considered the only major leagues of their respective sport.
Current through the 2016 NBA Finals
Cities counting only teams they retained
Although a franchise winning a title in a city is a memorable event, counting titles for teams that have abandoned their original hometowns could be seen as unfair in two ways. Firstly, it is unlikely that anyone in present-day Baltimore would root for the Colts against the Ravens in a playoff game; likewise those in Boston would root against the Braves in a World Series with the Red Sox, Minnesota likewise with the Lakers versus the Timberwolves and New York City with the Giants and Dodgers versus the Mets. So to credit cities like New York, Boston or Baltimore with having fans that enjoy, remember and cherish championships from teams they no longer root for and may in fact despise can be counterproductive for modern fans (while those in, say, Seattle may disagree). Secondly, the former methodology somewhat rewards a metro area for losing their team but still allowing the tally of a team no one roots for and thought enough of the city to leave it. Counting only championships from teams that did not leave the city in which they were founded results in the following table:
| Rank | City | World Series | NBA Champions | NFL Champions | Stanley Cups | 4 Major Sports World Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | 29 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 48 |
| 2 | Boston | 8 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 35 |
| 3 | Chicago | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 27 |
| 4 | Montreal | - | - | - | 24 | 24 |
| 5 | Detroit | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 22 |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 5 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh | 5 | - | 6 | 4 | 15 |
| 8 | Green Bay | - | - | 13 | - | 13 |
| 8 | Toronto | 2 | 0 | - | 11 | 13 |
| 10 | St. Louis | 11 | - | - | 0 | 11 |
| 11 | Philadelphia | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 12 | San Francisco | 3 | - | 5 | - | 8 |
| 12 | Oakland | 4 | 2 | 2* | - | 8 |
| 14 | Miami | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Dallas | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 16 | Cleveland | 2 | 1 | 4 | - | 7 |
| 17 | Washington, D.C. | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 18 | Cincinnati | 5 | - | 0 | - | 5 |
| 18 | Edmonton | - | - | - | 5 | 5 |
| 18 | Baltimore | 3 | - | 2 | - | 5 |
| 18 | San Antonio | - | 5 | - | - | 5 |
| 18 | Denver | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 23 | Newark | - | - | - | 3 | 3 |
| 23 | Kansas City | 2 | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| 25 | Anaheim | 1 | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| 25 | Houston | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 2 |
| 25 | Minneapolis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 25 | Tampa | 0 | - | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 25 | Buffalo | - | - | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 30 | Atlanta | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 |
| 30 | Calgary | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Indianapolis | - | 0 | 1 | - | 1 |
| 30 | New Orleans | - | 0 | 1 | - | 1 |
| 30 | Phoenix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 | Portland | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| 30 | Raleigh | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Milwaukee | 0 | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| 30 | Seattle | 0 | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| 30 | San Diego | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Memphis | - | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| - | Ottawa | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| - | Charlotte | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| - | Nashville | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| - | Orlando | - | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| - | Salt Lake | - | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| - | Oklahoma City | - | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| - | Columbus | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| - | Sacramento | - | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| - | Winnipeg | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
References
See also
- List of American and Canadian cities by number of major professional sports franchises
- U.S. cities with teams from four major league sports
- Multiple major sports championship seasons
- List of World Series champions
- History of National Football League Championship