The Oldest Pro Sports Teams In America
The Oldest Pro Sports Teams In America
Sport is one of America's favorite pastimes. Whether that's football, ice hockey, basketball—despite being invented by a Canadian—or baseball, we love it! But where did it all begin for some of the most famous sports teams? Let's examine the oldest sports teams in each state. We have omitted states that do not (or have never had) a professional sports team.
Arkansas: Arkansas Travelers
While Arkansas has no professional baseball teams, they do have a minor-league baseball team known as the Arkansas Travelers.
Arizona: Phoenix Suns
The oldest professional sports team in Arizona is the Phoenix Suns. The NBA basketball team was founded in 1968 and was the first major professional sports franchise in the entire state. They were spearheaded by founder and entrepreneur Karl Eller, who defied traditional logic at the time. Even the then-NBA commissioner said that Phoenix was "too hot, too far away and too small" to be considered a good location for a franchise.
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
California: San Francisco 49ers
In California, the San Francisco 49ers were founded in 1944 as a founding member of the All-American Football Conference (AAFC). The 49ers are named after the thousands of people who came to California as part of the California gold rush of 1849. The team celebrated their 80th year in business this year.
.jpg){kind=link}
Colorado: Denver Broncos
Now playing in the NFL, the Denver Broncos were first established in Denver, Colorado in 1959 in the American Football League. Fun fact: The University of Colorado Boulder has an older team than the Broncos—the Buffaloes—established in 1890.
.jpg){kind=link}