Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area

The Bay Area is home to the National Football League San Francisco 49ers, who play at Levi's Stadium[1] The 49ers have won five Super Bowls (XVI,[2] XIX,[3] XXIII,[4] XXIV,[5] XXIX[6]) and lost three (XLVII,[7] LIV,[8] LVIII[9]).

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.

In 2008, the current incarnation of the Earthquakes made its return[20] and subsequently played seven seasons at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara.

In March 2015, the Earthquakes opened Avaya Stadium, now known as PayPal Park, across from San Jose International Airport.

[22] The team revealed its identity as Bay FC on June 1,[23] and announced on July 21 that it would play its home games at PayPal Park.

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.

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.

[30] Supporter-owned San Francisco City FC, founded in 2001 as part of the SFSFL, has played in USL League Two since 2016.

Project 51O is a soccer club from Oakland, California, competing in the Southwest Division of USL League Two.

Sonoma County Sol is an American soccer team based in Santa Rosa, California, United States.

Founded in 2004, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League 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 until the 2021–2022 season.

[31] San Francisco Rush played in the inaugural 2016 PRO Rugby season at Boxer Stadium.

[33] The Silicon Valley Strikers and Bay Blazers are teams playing in the 2021 inaugural season of Minor League Cricket.

Six area universities are members of NCAA Division I, the highest level of college sports in the country.

[41] The Cardinal and Golden Bears are intense rivals, with their football teams competing annually in the Big Game for the Stanford Axe.

[42] One of the most famous games in the rivalry is the 1982 edition, when the Golden Bears defeated the Cardinal on a last-second kickoff return known as "The Play".

[43] 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.

The Bay Area has a leading and innovative alternative, outdoor and action sports culture.

Examples include mountain biking, Alcatraz triathlon, team handball (Olympic handball), skateboarding/Thrasher Magazine, CrossFit (Santa Cruz) and surfing at well known breaks such as Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Ocean Beach and Bodega Bay.

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 200 miles (320 km) of bicycle paths, lanes and bike routes in the city,[45] and the Embarcadero and Marina Green are favored sites for skateboarding.

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.

[49][50] Historic Aquatic Park located along the northern San Francisco shore hosts two swimming and rowing clubs.

After the 2024 season concluded, the Oakland Athletics moved to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for three years until their new ballpark in Las Vegas is completed in January 2028.

The Oakland Raiders played at Kezar Stadium in 1960, and then ended their season at Candlestick Park, in 1962 they moved to Frank Youell Field.

[67] The San Francisco Bulls were founded as an expansion team in the ECHL and began play in the 2012–13 season.

[70] 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.

San Francisco Deltas was a charter member of the second North American Soccer League to play at the Kezar Stadium in 2017.