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5 most popular sports teams in California

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Summer is the middle point between the end of last year’s sports seasons and the start of this year’s. It’s the most uneventful season in the world of sports – making it the perfect time to take stock of California’s major teams and prepare for the upcoming sports seasons.

As Gavin Beech points out in this best sportsbook promotions article, the most popular sports to bet on are football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and hockey. He adds that you might collect a bonus for making your first deposit, completing a milestone, or being loyal to a platform, making backing your favorite team with a bet more popular than ever before. If you’re planning on betting this upcoming sporting season, it would be good to know who the most popular Californian team is for each of these categories.

Starting with football, the most popular team in California is the San Francisco 49ers. While the Los Angeles Rams may be worth more money than the 49ers, the latter’s fan count far outweighs the former.



Forbes ranked the Rams as the 3rd most valuable NFL team in 2023, given their value of $6.9 billion. The 49ers, with their value of $6 billion, were ranked 9th. However, the 49ers have four million fans on Facebook, while the Rams only have one million, which really speaks volumes.

The most popular basketball team in California is also the most popular sports team in the state overall. The LA Lakers have built up a huge following over the years thanks to their numerous victories and a long list of legendary current and former players.



They’ve won 17 Championships as of 2024, making them the 2nd most victorious NBA team, second only to the Boston Celtics. It is estimated that the Lakers have around 22 million dedicated fans.

Soccer obviously isn’t as big a sport in the US as it is in other parts of the world. However, California’s soccer teams each boast a dedicated following. This is so much the case that it’s difficult to pick who the most popular team is between LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC. Both LAG and LAFC fans contributed to the record-breaking MLS attendance record of 82,110 fans last year at the Rose Bowl Stadium. So, we’ll call this one a draw.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are not only the most popular baseball team in California, but they’re also the 4th biggest baseball team in the whole of the US. There’s plenty of competition throughout the Golden State including massive teams like the Giants and the Angels. However, the Dodgers are estimated to have around 3.4 million fans, while the Giants only have 2 million. The Angels, on the other hand, only have around 1.3 million.

This brings us to the last prominent sport in California: hockey. California, being a sunny and warm state, isn’t too proficient in iced-based sports. However, several of its hockey teams maintain a dedicated following. The Los Angeles Kings have a slightly bigger following than the San Jose Sharks, with 954,000 fans.

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