Sports in Pennsylvania includes numerous professional sporting teams, events, and venues located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Major league professional teams Pennsylvania is home to eight teams from the five major American professional sports leagues. Club League Division Venue Location Founded Titles in PA NBA Atlantic Xfinity Mobile Arena Philadelphia 1946 2 NFL NFC East Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia 1933 5 NHL Metropolitan Xfinity Mobile Arena Philadelphia 1967 2 MLB NL East Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia 1883 2 MLS Eastern Subaru Park Chester 2010 0 MLB NL Central PNC Park Pittsburgh 1881 5 NHL Metropolitan PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh 1967 5 NFL AFC North Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh 1933 6
Major league professional championships
Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) 3 NFL championships (pre-Super Bowl) 1948 1949 1960
2 Super Bowl titles 2017 (LII) 2024 (LIX)
Frankford Yellow Jackets (NFL) 1 NFL championship (pre-Super Bowl)
1926
Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) 6 Super Bowl titles
1974 (IX) 1975 (X) 1978 (XIII) 1979 (XIV) 2005 (XL) 2008 (XLIII)
Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) 2 Stanley Cup titles
1974 1975
Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) 5 Stanley Cup titles
1991 1992 2009 2016 2017
Philadelphia Athletics (MLB) 5 World Series titles
1910 1911 1913 1929 1930
Philadelphia Phillies (MLB) 2 World Series titles
1980 2008
Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) 5 World Series titles
1909 1925 1960 1971 1979
Philadelphia Warriors (NBA) 2 NBA Finals titles
1947 1956
Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) 2 NBA Finals titles
1967 1983
Pittsburgh Pipers (ABA) 1 ABA Finals title
1968
Philadelphia Atoms (NASL) 1 Soccer Bowl / NASL Final title
1973
Football
Football is the most popular sport in Pennsylvania, especially in the Lehigh Valley, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Central Pennsylvania, and Western Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania in particular was home to some of the earliest moments in football history, and the earliest professional clubs played in the Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit. Pudge Heffelfinger was the first known professional football player, while John Brallier was the first openly professional player. The Allegheny Athletic Association fielded the first entirely openly professional team in 1896. In 1902, three Pennsylvania teams founded the National Football League (which has no ties to today's NFL), the first attempt at a national professional football league. Jim Thorpe, a multi-sport athlete who played in the NFL and won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania is named after him.
Today, football is popular on all levels, from high school, college, and professionally. The high school games get regular attention in the local newspapers and games regularly draw over 10,000 fans. Pennsylvania produces several college and professional players every year, and Western Pennsylvania is noted for being the home of numerous quarterbacks, including Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Johnny Unitas.
Professionally, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL are also hugely popular. Both franchises entered the NFL in 1933, and the two franchises briefly merged during World War II. Both teams have fan bases across the entire state. Often one of the rowdiest in the NFL, the Eagles fanbase is known for their passion and dedication. In fact, the Eagles' old home field, Veterans Stadium, was the first sports stadium in the United States to have a jail cell as a result of the rowdiness of the fans, but was removed only a couple years later after incidents settled down. Both fanbases though are considered to be among the best traveled fanbases in the NFL. During games in which the teams are on the road, Steelers fans and Eagles fans alike migrate to the opposing team's stadium and always have a strong presence, and in some cases, their numbers have made opposing teams feel as if they are not in their home stadium—a testament to the die-hard fanbases of professional football in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania has also been home to two defunct NFL franchises, both of which played in the 1920s. The Pottsville Maroons played in Pottsville, Pennsylvania; the franchise is notable for its part in the 1925 NFL Championship controversy. Frankford (a neighborhood in Philadelphia) also briefly had its own team in the 1920s, known as the Frankford Yellow Jackets. The team won the 1926 NFL Championship, but disbanded during the Great Depression. A third NFL franchise, the Dallas Texans, was briefly headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania during the 1952 season. Pennsylvania also had teams in four national leagues that competed with the NFL: the 1920s AFL, the 1930s AFL, the World Football League, and the USFL.
Philadelphia was also home to an Arena Football League team, the Philadelphia Soul who played in the league from 2004 to 2019. Pittsburgh was also the home to one of the founding Arena Football League franchises, the Pittsburgh Gladiators. After four seasons in Pittsburgh, the team moved to Tampa, Florida, in 1991 and became the Tampa Bay Storm. Pittsburgh got another AFL team in 2011, the Pittsburgh Power, which folded in 2014. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers played in the AFL's minor league af2 until that league disbanded in 2009.
In addition to NFL and arena football teams, Pennsylvania is also home to minor professional teams from numerous other leagues. Men's teams include the Chambersburg Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Colts. There are also several women's football teams, including the Keystone Assault, Pittsburgh Passion, and Philadelphia Firebirds.
The Harrisburg Stampede played in the National Arena League before folding, and arena football returns with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Mavericks set to play in Arena Football One.
Baseball
Baseball is one of the more popular sports in Pennsylvania. The state has both major league and minor league baseball teams. The two major league baseball teams in Pennsylvania are the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies and the Pirates are two of the eight National League franchises that originated in the nineteenth century. As such, the Phillies and the Pirates have had a rivalry for over one hundred years. The rivalry was particularly strong during the 1970s and 1980s, when the two teams frequently competed to win the National League East. The rivalry has cooled off since the Pirates moved to the NL Central in 1994, but the two teams continue to play each other every year. Although the Pirates have won more World Series (five in total), the Phillies won the World Series more recently (in 2008). Both teams have had stretches of success and futility. Pennsylvania is the only state with two teams that are in the same league (National League) but in separate divisions (Pittsburgh in the NL Central and Philadelphia in the NL East).
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were also the home of numerous defunct and relocated major league franchises, including the American League's Philadelphia Athletics, which moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1950s. The franchise now plays in Oakland, California, as the Oakland Athletics. Pittsburgh briefly hosted a second major league team in the 20th century: the Pittsburgh Rebels played in the Federal League during the fledgling league's two seasons of existence. Altoona also had a short-lived team in the 19th century Union Association. Prior to the integration of Major League Baseball that occurred after World War II, both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh had negro league baseball teams.
Pennsylvania is the original home of Little League Baseball. In 1939, Carl Stotz (1910-1992), founded Little League Baseball in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and the organization was incorporated in 1950. The Little League World Series is still held for youth teams from the United States and foreign nations in a tournament every year in South Williamsport.
Minor league baseball
As of 2021, Pennsylvania has nine minor league baseball teams. Six of these teams are affiliates of major league teams, while the remaining teams are independent. Pennsylvania has also been home to minor leagues and minor league teams that are now defunct, such as the Pennsylvania State Association and the Allentown Peanuts. Pennsylvania is also home to two teams in the new MLB Draft League, the State College Spikes and the Williamsport Crosscutters, as well as a collegiate summer baseball in Johnstown, the Johnstown Mill Rats. Geographic name Team Stadium Est.This category indicates the year the franchise started playing in its current city Level League Affiliation Lehigh Valley IronPigs Coca-Cola Park 2008 Triple-A International League Philadelphia Phillies Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders PNC Field 1989 Triple-A International League New York Yankees Altoona Curve Peoples Natural Gas Field 1999 Double-A Eastern League Pittsburgh Pirates Erie SeaWolves UPMC Park 1995 Double-A Eastern League Detroit Tigers Harrisburg Senators FNB Field 1987 Double-A Eastern League Washington Nationals Reading Fightin Phils FirstEnergy Stadium 1967 Double-A Eastern League Philadelphia Phillies Lancaster Stormers Penn Medicine Park 2003 N/A Atlantic League Independent York Revolution WellSpan Park 2006 N/A Atlantic League Independent Washington Wild Things EQT Park 1997 N/A Frontier League Independent
Basketball
Unlike the other major professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association only has one team in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia 76ers, which relocated from Syracuse, New York, in 1963, have won three NBA championships and, as of 2018, the franchise has won the fifth most championship games in NBA history (tied with the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat). Philadelphia also hosted another NBA team from 1946 to 1962, the Philadelphia Warriors, but the franchise moved to San Francisco and later became what is now known as the Golden State Warriors.
Pittsburgh briefly had a team in the Basketball Association of America known as the Pittsburgh Ironmen, and an American Basketball Association franchise called the Pittsburgh Condors, but no NBA franchise has ever called Pittsburgh home.
In addition to the 76ers, Pennsylvania also has a few other professional basketball teams. The Erie BayHawks are an NBA G League team affiliated with the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. This team will play in Erie until moving to its intended permanent home of Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022. The Steel City Yellow Jackets play in the ABA. The Harrisburg Horizon are a member of the Eastern Basketball Alliance, while the Harrisburg Lady Horizon are a member of the Women's Eastern Basketball Alliance.
Pennsylvania has never had a team in the Women's National Basketball Association, the top women's basketball league in the United States, though a new team in Philadelphia was announced in June 2025 with an opening season in 2030.
The Philadelphia area has produced NBA players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and Paul Arizin, while Pete Maravich was from Aliquippa.
Ice hockey
Due in large part to Pennsylvania's cold winter climate and the state's geographic location in the Northeast, hockey is fairly popular throughout Pennsylvania. In all, seven professional hockey teams call Pennsylvania home, including two NHL teams.