Sports in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a long and rich tradition in professional, semi-professional, amateur, college, and high-school sports.

Philadelphia is one of twelve cities that hosts teams in the "Big Four" major sports leagues in North America, and Philadelphia is one of just four cities in which one team from every league plays within city limits. These major sports teams are the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB), the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL), the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Each team has played in Philadelphia since at least the 1960s, and each team has won at least two championships. Since 2010, the Greater Philadelphia area also has been the home of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS), making the Philadelphia market one of only nine cities that hosts a team in the five major sports leagues. Prior to the 1980s, Philadelphia was home to several other notable professional franchises, including the Philadelphia Athletics, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, the Philadelphia Warriors, the Philadelphia Quakers, Philadelphia Atoms, and the Philadelphia Field Club.

Sports play a very significant role in the culture of the city and the Greater Philadelphia area. Philadelphia sports fans are considered to be some of the most knowledgeable fans in sports, and are known for their extreme passion for all of their teams. Philadelphia fans, particularly Phillies and Eagles fans, have a reputation for being the "Meanest Fans in America".^[2] Philadelphia's passionate and knowledgeable fans, combined with the number and extensive history and tradition of the city's teams have many times led the city to be described as the nation's best sports city.^[3]^[4]

The Greater Philadelphia area hosts several college sports teams. The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college basketball schools in Philadelphia, historically consisting of La Salle University, the University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's University, Temple University, and Villanova University and also including Drexel University as of the 2023–24 school year. These six schools, along with Delaware State University and the University of Delaware, all represent the Greater Philadelphia area in NCAA Division I, while several other area schools field teams in other divisions of the NCAA. Temple fields the lone Division I FBS football team in the region, though many Philadelphia fans root for other programs, such as the Penn State Nittany Lions.

In addition to the major professional and college sports, numerous semi-pro, amateur, community, and high school teams play in Philadelphia. The city hosts numerous sporting events, such as the Penn Relays and the Collegiate Rugby Championship, and Philadelphia has been the most frequent host of the annual Army–Navy football game. Philadelphia has also been the home of several renowned athletes and sports figures. Philly furthermore has played a historically significant role in the development of cricket and extreme wrestling in the United States.

Major league professional teams

Philadelphia has a long history of professional sports teams. Philadelphia is one of six cities that has won at least one championship in the NHL, NFL, MLB, and NBA. Philadelphia's combined total of 19 championships in these leagues ranks seventh among North American cities in total championships.

Club	League	Division	Venue	Location	Founded	Titles	Head coach / manager	General manager
Philadelphia Phillies	MLB	NL East	Citizens Bank Park	Philadelphia	1883	2	Rob Thomson	Sam Fuld
Philadelphia Eagles	NFL	NFC East	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia	1933	4	Nick Sirianni	Howie Roseman
Philadelphia 76ers	NBA	Atlantic	Wells Fargo Center	Philadelphia	1946	2	Nick Nurse	Elton Brand
Philadelphia Flyers	NHL	Metropolitan	Wells Fargo Center	Philadelphia	1967	2	John Tortorella	Daniel Briere
Philadelphia Union	MLS	Eastern	Subaru Park	Chester	2010	0	Jim Curtin	Ernst Tanner

The Eagles, Flyers, Phillies, and 76ers all play their home games in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex within the city. The Eagles currently play at Lincoln Financial Field (commonly referred to as "The Linc"), built in 2003. The Phillies play at Citizens Bank Park, which opened in 2004. The Flyers and 76ers share the Wells Fargo Center, opened in 1996. All three venues are within walking distance of NRG Station on SEPTA's Broad Street Line. The Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer plays its home games at Subaru Park in the satellite city of Chester, about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Philadelphia.^[5]

Philadelphia has also been home to relocated and defunct franchises. The Philadelphia Athletics (now the Oakland Athletics) of the MLB, the Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors) of the NBA, and the Frankford Yellow Jackets of the NFL each played in Philadelphia for over a decade. Other former Philadelphia teams, such as the Philadelphia Quakers of the NHL, have been more short-lived. Both of the major league teams that relocated (the Warriors and the Athletics) currently play in the San Francisco Bay Area.^[6]^[7]

In 1980, Philadelphia became the only North American city in which all four major sports teams played for their respective championships in one year (although the Phillies were the only team to win the championship). The Flyers' run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals made the city of Philadelphia the first North American city to have all four of its major professional sports league teams play in the league championship finals at least once since 2000, although the Phillies and the Eagles are the only teams to have won a championship since 2000.^[8]^[9]^[10] Philadelphia has had an odd trend of losing championship games during presidential inauguration years; the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers collectively have an 0–8 record in such games since 1977.^[11]

In 2011, the Phillies became the first team in the city's major professional sports history to finish the regular season in first place in five consecutive seasons.^[12]^[13] Two other teams finished first during four consecutive seasons: the 1973–77 Flyers and the 2001–04 Eagles.^[12] Five other teams finished first for three seasons in a row: the 1929–31 Athletics, 1947–49 Eagles, 1965–68 Sixers, 1976–78 Phillies, and 1984–87 Flyers.^[12]

American football

The Philadelphia Eagles, founded in 1933, are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). They have operated continuously since then, with the partial exception of the 1943 season, when the Eagles temporarily merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers to become the Steagles. The Eagles have won three pre-Super Bowl era NFL championships: 1948, 1949, 1960, five conference championships, and 16 division championships. They have made four Super Bowl appearances, losing in Super Bowl XV (1980), Super Bowl XXXIX (2004) and Super Bowl LVII (2022), and winning Super Bowl LII (2017). The franchise frequently finished at the bottom of the standings in the 1930s, but improved in the 1940s, and became the only NFL team to win back to back championships by shutout (in 1948 and 1949). Though the franchise was average for much of the 1950s, the 1960 championship-winning Eagles were the only team to defeat the Vince Lombardi-coached Packers in a playoff game. The Eagles did not experience much success in the 1960s and early 1970s, but the franchise made four straight playoff appearances starting in 1978, including a Super Bowl appearance in 1980. After another down period, the franchise made the playoffs in six of nine seasons between 1988 and 1996. Andy Reid was hired as head coach in 1999, and across 14 seasons he led the franchise to nine playoff appearances and a run to Super Bowl XXXIX. After Chip Kelly's three-year tenure as head coach, the Eagles hired Doug Pederson, a former offensive coordinator under Reid. The Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.^[14] Nick Sirianni was named head coach in 2021 and lead the Eagles to a berth in Super Bowl LVII. In 1994, defensive end Reggie White, running back Steve Van Buren, and two-way players Chuck Bednarik and Pete Pihos were named to the National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

The city's first professional football team was the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Originally a community athletic-association team in the Frankford neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia dating back to 1899, the club became one of the early NFL clubs in 1924.^[15] The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926. Its home field was Frankford Stadium (also called Yellow Jacket Field). Financial troubles brought on by the Great Depression and a fire at Frankford Stadium led to the club disbanding after the 1931 season. Pro Football Hall of Famers Guy Chamberlin and William R. Lyman both played for the Yellow Jackets.

The greater Philadelphia area has had four other football teams that played in the NFL or in leagues that attempted to compete with the NFL. The Pottsville Maroons, a member of the National Football League, played in nearby Pottsville during the 1920s. In 1925, the Maroons were briefly suspended from the NFL for playing an unauthorized exhibition game at Philadelphia's Shibe Park. The team moved to Boston in 1929, but folded at the end of the season. The Philadelphia Quakers played one season in Philadelphia as part of the American Football League, a fledgling league intent on challenging the NFL as the premier football league in the country. The team took its name from the Union Quakers of Philadelphia, a local club which had been denied entry into the American Professional Football Association (as the NFL was known before 1922). The AFL Quakers won the league championship in 1926, giving Philadelphia two football championships in one year, as the Frankford Yellow Jackets won the 1926 NFL title. However, both the AFL and the Quakers folded after just one season of existence. The Philadelphia Bell was a franchise of the World Football League, which operated from 1974 to 1975 and attempted to challenge the NFL's dominance. The league was founded by Gary Davidson, who had also led the founding of World Hockey Association and the American Basketball Association, but the WFL folded after only two years and no teams were absorbed into the NFL. The Bell played its home games in JFK Stadium, and they employed the first African-American head coach in modern professional football history (retired Hall of Fame safety Willie Wood).^[16]

The Philadelphia Stars were a football team in the USFL, a league that attempted to compete with the NFL for three seasons in the 1980s. The Stars, playing at Veterans Stadium, won the league championship in their second season in Philadelphia in 1983−84, but the franchise moved to Baltimore for the league's final season. The team was coached by Jim Mora, who went on to a successful coaching career in the NFL, and among its players were future NFL Pro Bowlers Sam Mills and Sean Landeta (who later played for the Philadelphia Eagles). Unlike the NFL, the league played in the spring and summer, but it folded after a failed antitrust lawsuit and an aborted attempt to directly compete with the NFL in the fall. In 2022, the Philadelphia Stars name and iconography were resurrected with a team in the new USFL (although all games were played in Birmingham, Alabama). In 2023, that league merged with the XFL to form the United Football League, which announced that the Stars franchise would not be folded into the new league.^[17]

Baseball

The city's sole existing Major League Baseball (MLB) team is the Philadelphia Phillies. Founded in 1883, the team is the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports.^[18] The Phillies compete in the National League East and have won the World Series twice, in 1980 and 2008. The Phillies have won eight National League pennants and eleven NL East division titles. In 2007, the Phillies lost a game for the 10,000th time in franchise history; according to the Elias Sports Bureau, no professional sports franchise in any sport has lost more games.^[19] For its first 30 years, the franchise often finished in the middle of the National League. Led by pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander, the franchise appeared in the 1915 World Series and made strong finishes in 1916 and 1917. After trading Alexander in 1917, the franchise had one of the worst stretches in professional sports history, as it managed just one winning season between 1918 and 1948. The "Whiz Kid" Phillies, led by pitcher Robin Roberts, reached the 1950 World Series, but the team was swept by the New York Yankees. The team finished towards the middle of the pack for much of the 1950s and 1960s. After a down period in the early 1970s, third baseman Mike Schmidt and pitcher Steve Carlton led the Phillies to six playoff appearances in eight years. The Phillies won their first World Series in 1980, defeating the Kansas City Royals in six games. The Phillies also appeared in the 1983 World Series, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles. The franchise had just one winning season between 1987 and 2000, although the 1993 Phillies appeared in the 1993 World Series, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays. The franchise experienced a resurgence starting in 2001, though it did not make the playoffs until 2007. From 2007 to 2011, the Phillies made the playoffs for five straight seasons, winning the 2008 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays and also appearing in the 2009 World Series. After an 11-year playoff drought, the Phillies reached the 2022 World Series, losing to the Houston Astros in six games.

The Philadelphia Athletics were founded in 1901 as one of the eight charter franchises of the American League. Like several other MLB teams, the Athletics relocated in the 1950s, moving to Kansas City after the 1954 season. The Philadelphia Athletics won the World Series in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, and 1930. The team won the American League pennant nine times while in Philadelphia, including a 1902 pennant victory that occurred before the start of the modern World Series. The Athletics declined after their victory in the 1930 World Series, and usually finished below .500 in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Having played 53 seasons in Philadelphia, the Athletics are the sixth-longest tenured team in major North American professional sports to relocate, behind four other baseball teams (the Braves, Giants, Dodgers, and Senators) and one football team (the Chargers). The Athletics would later relocate to Oakland after the 1967 season, becoming the Oakland Athletics, and plans are now in place for the Athletics to relocate to Las Vegas in 2028. Philadelphia Athletics players such as Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx, and Al Simmons have been inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, as has long-time manager and owner Connie Mack, who holds the record for most games managed, won, and lost. While the Athletics played in Philadelphia, they frequently played the Phillies in exhibition games known as the City Series. However, the teams never met in the World Series, and did not play each other in the regular season until 2003 (after the introduction of interleague play).^{[citation needed]}

Before the integration of Major League Baseball following World War II, Philadelphia was the home of numerous Negro league teams playing in various leagues. The Philadelphia Pythians played from 1867 to 1887, and were one of the top early black baseball clubs. Shortly after the end of the Civil War, the Pythians tried to join the National League but were denied membership.^[20] The Philadelphia Giants were a Negro league team that played from 1902 to 1911. The Hilldale Club played as an independent and in several leagues from 1910 to 1932. The Philadelphia Tigers played in the Eastern Colored League in 1928. Two franchises played in the second incarnation of the Negro National League: the Philadelphia Stars played from 1934 to 1948, while the Bacharach Giants played in the league in 1934. In 2020, Major League Baseball retroactively extended major league recognition to seven negro leagues,^[21] making the Giants, the Tigers, the Hilldale Club, the Bacharach Giants, and the Stars major league franchises for part or all of their existences. The Hilldale Club and the Stars, two of the longest lasting Negro League franchises, were both led by local postal official Ed Bolden. Hilldale was defeated in the inaugural Negro World Series of 1924 but won the following year in 1925, while the Stars won the Negro National League championship in 1934.^[22]

The first game in the history of Major League Baseball was played in Philadelphia, on Saturday, April 22, 1876, at the Jefferson Street Grounds. The Boston Red Caps defeated the Philadelphia Athletics, 6–5, in the inaugural game of the National League.^[23]^[24] These Athletics (officially known as the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia) were formed in 1860, and played in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), then the National Association (NA), and finally the National League (NL; for only one year). The Athletics won the inaugural National Association title, making the franchise the winner of arguably the first title in major league history. After the end of the 1876 season, the franchise folded, having been expelled from the National League for refusing to make a late-season road trip. Three other franchises would later use the name "Athletics", including the now–Oakland Athletics. Though the 1860–76 Athletics were the first prominent Philadelphia baseball club, the history of baseball in Philadelphia extends to even before the Athletics, as Philadelphians were playing town ball by the 1820s.^[25]

Basketball

The Philadelphia 76ers (commonly referred to as the Sixers) represent Philadelphia in the NBA. The franchise, which plays in the Atlantic Division, has won three NBA championships, nine conference titles, and five division titles. As of 2014, the Sixers have the third most wins in NBA history.^[26] The franchise began in 1946, as the Syracuse Nationals in the National Basketball League (NBL). In 1949, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that merged with the BAA to form the NBA. The franchise won its first championship in 1955, as the Nationals. After moving to Philadelphia in 1963 and being renamed the 76ers, the franchise acquired Wilt Chamberlain and experienced a great period of success. The team won a then-record 68 games and the championship in the 1966–1967 season, making it the only team besides the Boston Celtics to win an NBA championship in the 1960s. The franchise missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons in the early 1970s, and the 1972–1973 Sixers hold the NBA record for most losses in one season, with 73. However, the team quickly bounced back after it acquired Julius Erving, and Erving and Moses Malone led the Sixers to a championship in 1983. The franchise continued to experience success until the early 1990s, when it traded Charles Barkley. The Sixers missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons until the emergence of Allen Iverson, who led the team to the 2001 Finals. The team hovered around .500 for most of the 2000s decade, and missed the playoffs from 2013 to 2017.^[27] However, the team has since made six consecutive playoff appearances with star center Joel Embiid. In 1996, the NBA named the 1967 and 1983 championship-winning teams two of the ten greatest teams in NBA history.

The Philadelphia Warriors played in Philadelphia from 1946 to 1962 before moving to San Francisco and becoming the Golden State Warriors. The Philadelphia Warriors won two championships and three conference titles during that time. The team won its first championship in 1946–47, the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Following the merger between the BAA and the National Basketball League that formed the NBA, the Philadelphia Warriors won their second title in 1956. While a member of the Philadelphia Warriors, Wilt Chamberlain set several NBA records; scoring 100 points in a game against the New York Knicks is perhaps his most well-known achievement. The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame has inducted Paul Arizin, Neil Johnston, Joe Fulks, and other people associated with the Philadelphia Warriors. The Warriors franchise moved to San Francisco in 1962 and became the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors and Sixers/Nationals have met in the playoffs ten times, most recently in the 1967 NBA Finals. Philadelphia went one season without an NBA franchise before the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia and became the Philadelphia 76ers. In the lone season that Philadelphia lacked an NBA franchise, the American Basketball League, which had been started in 1961 by Abe Saperstein as an attempt to compete with the NBA, moved a franchise to region. Both the team (the Philadelphia Tapers) and the league folded in December 1962.

Ice hockey

The Philadelphia Flyers were one of six teams that the National Hockey League (NHL) added as part of the 1967 NHL expansion, which ended the Original Six era. The Flyers play in the Metropolitan Division and have won two championships: the 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cups. The Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Maroons won the cup in 1935. The Flyers have won eight conference championships and 16 division championships. The Flyers were particularly successful in the 1970s: the team won back-to-back Stanley Cups, appeared in a third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in 1976, defeated HC CSKA Moscow (the Soviet "Red Army team") in a famous exhibition game, and, in the 1979–80 season, set the record for the longest unbeaten streak in NHL history.^[29] The franchise experienced success even after the retirement of Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke, making Stanley Cup appearances in 1985 and 1987. After a down period in the early 1990s, Hart Trophy-winner Eric Lindros helped lead the team to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals and a string of playoff appearances. The team made another Finals appearance in 2010, but lost in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks.^[30] As of 2016, the Flyers have accrued the second-highest points percentage of all NHL franchises, behind only the Montreal Canadiens.^[31] The 1970s Flyers earned the nickname "Broad Street Bullies" for their aggressive style of play, and the nickname is still applied to the franchise.^[32] Flyers enforcer Dave Schultz holds the record for most penalty minutes in a season, with 472.

Philadelphia has had only brief experiences with top-level hockey aside from the Flyers. The Philadelphia Quakers were a National Hockey League team that played only one full season, 1930–31, at the Philadelphia Arena. The franchise, which had moved from Pittsburgh, folded after its only season in Philadelphia, during which the club set a record for the lowest winning percentage and the longest losing streak in league history—records that stood for over forty years. The Quakers were one of several NHL teams that folded in the 1930s, leaving the NHL with just six teams between 1942 and the 1967 expansion that brought the NHL to Philadelphia and five other American cities. Len Peto attempted to bring the Montreal Maroons to Philadelphia in the 1940s, but the lack of both league support and a suitable arena prevented the Maroons from playing in Philadelphia.^[33] The Philadelphia Blazers played for one season in the World Hockey Association, a league that attempted to challenge the NHL's supremacy, using a rink constructed in Convention Hall at the Civic Center (later used by the Philadelphia Firebirds of the North American Hockey League and the American Hockey League). After the 1972–73 season, the Blazers moved to Vancouver and then Calgary, but the franchise folded in 1977. Another World Hockey Association franchise, the Jersey Knights, moved in November 1973 to the Cherry Hill Arena in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and then relocated to San Diego before the start of the 1974–75 season.^[34]

Soccer

The Philadelphia Union is a Major League Soccer (MLS) team that plays in the Eastern Conference. The franchise began play in 2010. The Union play at Subaru Park, a soccer-specific stadium located in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Sons of Ben is an independent supporters group that helped bring the Union to the Philadelphia area and continues to support the Union. The Union's top affiliate is Philadelphia Union II. Originally known as Bethlehem Steel FC as a tribute to the early 20th century soccer powerhouse, the team began play in 2015 in the second-level United Soccer League, now known as the USL Championship. Steel FC played its first four seasons at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but moved to Subaru Park for at least the 2019 season because Goodman Stadium no longer meets league stadium requirements. Steel FC was renamed Union II in advance of the 2020 season, and went on hiatus for the 2021 season. Union II returned the next year as one of the inaugural teams of MLS Next Pro, an MLS-operated third-level league made up mainly of MLS reserve sides.

The Union have also reached the U.S. Open Cup final three times, in 2014, 2015 and 2018, losing two games at home (in extra time in 2014 to Seattle Sounders FC and after penalties in 2015 to Sporting Kansas City) and once on the road (in 2018 away to the Houston Dynamo). In 2020, the Union won the Supporters' Shield, given to the team in MLS with the best regular season record, the first major trophy in the team's history.^[35]

The original Bethlehem Steel F.C. was one of the most successful early American soccer clubs; the club was sponsored by the Bethlehem Steel and played from 1907 to 1930.^[36] The club won league championships in two semi-professional leagues, the AAFBA and the NAFBL. For the inaugural 1921–1922 season of the professional American Soccer League, Bethlehem Steel F.C. moved to Philadelphia and competed as the Philadelphia Field Club. The team won the first American Soccer League championship, but moved back to Bethlehem and reverted to its original name. Three other franchises also competed as the Philadelphia Field Club, giving Philadelphia continuous representation in the ASL between 1921 and 1929 (although the second incarnation of Philadelphia Field Club changed its name to the Philadelphia Celtic for one season). During the 1924–1925 season, Fleisher Yarn joined the ASL, giving Philadelphia two teams. Excluding the first incarnation of the Philadelphia Field Club, the Philadelphia ASL teams experienced little success. The ASL was one of the most popular sports leagues in the country before it dissolved due to the onset of the Great Depression and disagreements with the United States Football Association and FIFA.^[37] After returning to Bethlehem, Bethlehem Steel F.C. won a second ASL championship in 1927, and then played in the Eastern Professional Soccer League from 1928 to 1929, winning the league championship in both seasons. The EPSL and ASL merged after the 1929 season, but Bethlehem Steel FC folded in 1930 and the ASL collapsed in 1933. Bethlehem Steel F.C. won the US Open Cup five times, which remains a record (shared with Maccabi Los Angeles). The club also won the American Cup six times. Hall of Fame Bethlehem Steel players include Jock Ferguson, Robert Millar, Harry Ratican, Tommy Fleming, and Archie Stark, whose international record of 70 goals in one season stood for 87 years before it was broken by Lionel Messi in 2012.^[38] In 2013, the Philadelphia Union unveiled a third uniform that pays homage to Bethlehem Steel F.C.^[39]

Following the collapse of the ASL, soccer in the United States declined in popularity and the country lacked a major professional soccer league. In 1967, two major soccer leagues, the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the United Soccer Association (USA), both began play.^[40] The Philadelphia Spartans, owned by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney, played at Temple Stadium for the NPSL's lone season. After one season, both leagues merged to form the FIFA-backed, major professional North American Soccer League (NASL). The Spartans did not make the jump to the NASL, but two different franchises later represented Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Atoms played from 1973 to 1976, winning the Soccer Bowl in their inaugural 1973 season. Philadelphia goalkeeper and Pennsylvania native Bob Rigby became the first soccer player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated following the club's championship. The Atoms folded after the 1976 season, having been bought by Mexican owners whose plans to move the team to San Antonio were not approved by the league. The Philadelphia Fury played from 1978 to 1980, but were bought by Molson Brewery and moved to Montreal to become the Manic. The Atoms and the Fury both played at Veterans Stadium, though the Atoms played their final season in Philadelphia at Franklin Field. The NASL folded in 1984, leaving the United States without a top-level soccer league until Major League Soccer (MLS) began play in 1996.

Philadelphia is one of eleven U.S. cities which will host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.^[41]

Team tennis

Two teams named the Philadelphia Freedoms played in World TeamTennis, the original Philadelphia Freedoms, for which the Elton John song was written and a second Philadelphia Freedoms team from 2001 until the league folded in 2021. Elton John and Freedoms star Billie Jean King were good friends, and John and his songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, wrote the song for the team to be used as a team anthem at home matches in the Spectrum.^[42] John was such a big fan of the Freedoms that he attended home matches wearing the team's uniform and sat on the bench with the players.^[43] He recorded the song in the summer of 1974, and it was released on February 24, 1975.

WTT's inaugural season was 1974, and the Freedoms were one of the charter franchises. Teams had the opportunity to sign players to contracts prior to the draft held by the new 16-team league, and King signed with the Freedoms. She served as the team's player-coach, making her the first female head coach of a professional sports team that included male players, since WTT was a co-ed league. The Freedoms finished with WTT's best regular-season record at 39–5 in the league's inaugural season. King was the league's MVP. The Freedoms defeated the Cleveland Nets in the Eastern Division semifinals and the Pittsburgh Triangles in the Eastern Division championship series. Although King performed well in the WTT Finals, WTT Playoffs MVP Andrew Pattison was dominant for the Denver Racquets, and that proved too much to overcome, as the Freedoms were swept in two straight matches.

Following the 1974 season, WTT owners concluded it would be in all their interests to have a successful franchise in New York City, and they pressured Freedoms co-owner, Dick Butera, to trade King to the New York Sets, who were 15–29 in 1974, in a complicated deal on February 5, 1975. Upon announcing the trade, Butera said, "It's not an easy thing to let Billie Jean go. I feel like King Faisal giving away his oil wells."^[42]^[44]

After King was traded, a group of investors that included Bob Mades, Paul Slater, Herbert S. Hoffman, Robert K. Kraft and Harold Bayne expressed interest in buying the original Boston Lobsters. However, the Lobsters franchise had already been contracted by WTT. With Freedoms owners Dick and Ken Butera far less enthusiastic about their team after trading King, the two sides struck a deal, and the Freedoms were sold on March 27, 1975, and moved to Boston. In order to claim the name and intellectual property of the original Lobsters, the new ownership group was required to settle some of the debts of the former team. Once they accomplished this, the Freedoms were renamed as the Boston Lobsters.^[45]^[46] As a consequence, "Philadelphia Freedom" was never paid at a home match of the original Philadelphia Freedoms. King went on the win two WTT championships in New York in 1976 and 1977. The team changed its name to New York Apples after the 1976 season.

Billie Jean King and the Freedoms returned in 2001, when they became a WTT expansion franchise with King as their owner. The team first played its home matches at Cabrini College in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania and won WTT championships in 2001 (as an expansion team) and 2006. For the 2008 and 2009 seasons, home matches were played at a temporary stadium erected in the parking lot of the King of Prussia mall. From 2010 to 2016, the Freedoms played their home matches at The Pavilion on the campus of Villanova University. In 2017, the Freedoms home court moved to Hagan Arena on the campus of Saint Joseph's University, returning to play within the City of Philadelphia for the first time since 1974.^[47]^[48]

Timeline of franchises

The timeline includes Philadelphia franchises that played in major professional sports leagues after 1900.

Baseball Football Basketball Hockey Soccer

Major professional championships, awards, and events

Major professional championships

Franchise	League	Championships
Philadelphia Eagles	NFL	1948, 1949, 1960, 2017
Frankford Yellow Jackets	NFL	1926
Philadelphia Phillies	MLB	1980, 2008
Philadelphia Athletics	MLB	1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930
Hilldale Club	ECL	1925
Philadelphia 76ers	NBA	1967, 1983
Philadelphia Warriors	NBA	1947, 1956
Philadelphia Flyers	NHL	1974, 1975
Philadelphia Atoms	NASL	1973

Championship game/series appearances

Franchise	Season^[a]
Athletics	1905
Athletics	1910
Athletics	1911
Athletics	1913
Athletics	1914
Phillies	1915
Athletics	1929
Athletics	1930
Athletics	1931
Warriors	1946-47
Eagles	1947
Warriors	1947-48
Eagles	1948
Eagles	1949
Phillies	1950
Warriors	1955-56
Eagles	1960
Sixers	1966-67
Atoms	1973
Flyers	1973-74
Flyers	1974-75
Flyers	1975-76
Sixers	1976-77
Flyers	1979-80
Sixers	1979-80
Phillies	1980
Eagles	1980
Sixers	1981-82
Sixers	1982-83
Phillies	1983
Flyers	1984-85
Flyers	1986-87
Phillies	1993
Flyers	1996-97
Sixers	2000-01
Eagles	2004
Soul	2008
Phillies	2008
Phillies	2009
Flyers	2009-10
Soul	2016
Soul	2017
Eagles	2017
Phillies	2022
Union	2022
Eagles	2022

Awards

MVPs

The following Philadelphia players won the regular season most valuable player award of the NFL (AP), MLB, NHL, NBA, or MLS. Note that MLB confers an MVP award to one player in the American League and one player in the National League.

Eddie Collins, AL, 1914
Mickey Cochrane, AL, 1928
Lefty Grove, AL, 1931
Chuck Klein, NL, 1932
Jimmie Foxx, AL, 1932, 1933

Jim Konstanty, NL, 1950
Bobby Shantz, AL, 1952
Norm Van Brocklin, NFL, 1960
Wilt Chamberlain, NBA, 1959–60, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68
Bobby Clarke, NHL, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76

Mike Schmidt, NL, 1980, 1981, 1986
Julius Erving, NBA, 1980–81
Moses Malone, NBA, 1982–83
Eric Lindros, NHL, 1994–95
Allen Iverson, NBA, 2000–01

Ryan Howard, NL, 2006
Jimmy Rollins, NL, 2007
Bryce Harper, NL, 2021
Joel Embiid, NBA, 2022–23
Dan Raudabaugh, AFL, 2015

Other awards

Player	League	Award	Year
Harry Byrd	AL	Rookie of the Year	1952
Jack Sanford	NL	Rookie of the Year	1957
Woody Sauldsberry	NBA	Rookie of the Year	1958
Buck Shaw	NFL	Coach of the Year	1960
Wilt Chamberlain	NBA	Rookie of the Year	1960
Dick Allen	NL	Rookie of the Year	1964
Dolph Schayes	NBA	Coach of the Year	1966
Steve Carlton	NL	Cy Young	1972
Fred Shero	NHL	Jack Adams Award	1974
Bernie Parent	NHL	Vezina Trophy	1974
Bernie Parent	NHL	Conn Smythe Trophy	1974
Bernie Parent	NHL	Vezina Trophy	1975
Bernie Parent	NHL	Conn Smythe Trophy	1975
Reggie Leach	NHL	Conn Smythe Trophy	1976
Steve Carlton	NL	Cy Young	1977
Pat Quinn	NHL	Jack Adams Award	1980
Steve Carlton	NL	Cy Young	1980
Manny Trillo	NL	NLCS MVP	1980
Mike Schmidt	NL	World Series MVP	1980
Steve Carlton	NL	Cy Young	1982
Bobby Clarke	NHL	Frank J. Selke Trophy	1983
Bobby Jones	NBA	Sixth Man of the Year	1983
Moses Malone	NBA	NBA Finals MVP	1983
John Denny	NL	Cy Young	1983
Gary Matthews	NL	NLCS MVP	1983
Mike Keenan	NHL	Jack Adams Award	1985
Pelle Lindbergh	NHL	Vezina Trophy	1985
Reggie White	NFL	Defensive Player of the Year	1987
Ron Hextall	NHL	Vezina Trophy	1987
Ron Hextall	NHL	Conn Smythe Trophy	1987
Dave Poulin	NHL	Frank J. Selke Trophy	1987
Steve Bedrosian	NL	Cy Young	1987
Curt Schilling	NL	NLCS MVP	1993
Ray Rhodes	NFL	Coach of the Year	1995
Dana Barros	NBA	Most Improved Player	1995
Allen Iverson	NBA	Rookie of the Year	1997
Scott Rolen	NL	Rookie of the Year	1997
Bill Barber	NHL	Jack Adams Award	2001
Aaron McKie	NBA	Sixth Man of the Year	2001
Dikembe Mutombo	NBA	Defensive Player of the Year	2001
Larry Brown	NBA	Coach of the Year	2001
Larry Bowa	NL	Manager of the Year	2001
Andy Reid	NFL	Coach of the Year	2002
Ryan Howard	NL	Rookie of the Year	2005
Ryan Howard	NL	Hank Aaron Award	2006
Chris Jackson	AFL	Offensive Player of the Year	2008
Matt D'Orazio	AFL	Quarterback of the Year	2008
Mike Brown	AFL	Al Lucas Hero Award	2008
Matt D'Orazio	AFL	Arena Bowl MVP	2008
Brad Lidge	NL	Reliever of the Year	2008
Cole Hamels	NL	NLCS MVP	2008
Cole Hamels	NL	World Series MVP	2008
Ryan Howard	NL	NLCS MVP	2009
Roy Halladay	NL	Cy Young	2010
Jeff Hughley	AFL	Ironman of the Year Award	2012
Kent Richardson	AFL	Defensive Back of the Year	2012
Michael Carter-Williams	NBA	Rookie of the Year	2014
Shannon Breen	AFL	Offensive Lineman of the Year	2015
Tommy Frevert	AFL	Kicker of the Year	2015
Dan Raudabaugh	AFL	Offensive Player of the Year	2015
Tommy Frevert	AFL	Kicker of the Year	2016
Jake Metz	AFL	Defensive Lineman of the Year	2016
Andre Blake	MLS	Goalkeeper of the Year	2016
Dwayne Hollis	AFL	Defensive back of the Year	2017
Wayne Tribue	AFL	Offensive Lineman of the Year	2017
Adrian Trevino	AFL	Kicker of the Year	2017
Beau Bell	AFL	Defensive Player of the Year	2017
Nick Foles	NFL	Super Bowl MVP	2017
Ben Simmons	NBA	Rookie of the Year	2018
James Romain	AFL	Defensive Back of the Year	2019
James Romain	AFL	Defensive Player of the Year
Sean Couturier	NHL	Frank J. Selke Trophy	2020
Bryce Harper	NL	NLCS MVP	2022

Major sports events held in Philadelphia

Philadelphia has hosted the following all-star games and drafts, including the first NFL Draft:

Rivalries

Philadelphia has rivalries with three of the four other major cities in the Northeast megalopolis, particularly New York City along with a long instate rivalry with Pittsburgh. Philadelphia teams also compete with teams from New York City and Pittsburgh for fans support among New Jersey and Pennsylvania residents.^[49]^[50]^[51] In addition to regional rivalries, teams from Philadelphia have a number of other rivalries with teams from other cities.

New York City

As the two largest cities in the United States for much of the nation's history, New York and Philadelphia have a historical rivalry that has continued in the world of sports. There are intra-division rivalries among teams from New York City and Philadelphia in each of the five major leagues, as seen in the rivalries between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East, the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA's Atlantic Division, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers, along with the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League's Metropolitan Division, and the Philadelphia Union and the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference.^[52]

The Flyers also have an intense rivalry with the New Jersey Devils (who play in the New York metropolitan area). The New York Knicks and the 76ers are also divisional rivals, as both teams play in the Atlantic Division. The Phillies and Yankees play each other very rarely, but the teams met in the 1950 World Series and the 2009 World Series. The New York Jets and the Eagles have only played each other thirteen times, with the Eagles winning 12 out of the 13 matchups.^[53]

Pittsburgh

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the two major cities of Pennsylvania and the only two cities in the state with major professional sports franchises, and the teams of the two cities have had strong rivalries in the NHL, MLB, and NFL. Perhaps the strongest current rivalry is between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, both of which play in the Metropolitan Division of the NHL. The rivalry is generally considered to be one of the fiercest in the NHL.^[54]^[55]

Although not major rivals since the 1994 MLB divisional realignment, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Phillies had historically been heated rivals in the National League, and frequently competed for the National League East division title. The Phillies and Pirates still play regularly, but are no longer in the same division. The Pirates earned their name from a 19th-century incident with the Philadelphia Athletics; after the Pirates signed second baseman Lou Bierbauer, the Athletics protested that Pittsburgh's actions were "piratical."

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Eagles both came into the NFL during the 1933 season. Between 1945 and 1970, the Eagles and Steelers played each other every year, and the two teams met in a one-game playoff in 1947.^[56] However, the Steelers moved to the American Football Conference as part of the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, and the Eagles and Steelers only play each other every four years.

There is also a spirited rivalry between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia at both the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University, as there are many students from both cities at both state-related schools.

Boston

Philadelphia and Boston have historically had strong rivalries in the NBA and NHL.^[57] The 76ers have a long rivalry with the Boston Celtics and both currently compete in the Atlantic Division. The two franchises have met each other in the NBA playoffs more than any other pair of franchises.^[58] Sixers guard Andrew Toney earned the appellation "The Boston Strangler" for his clutch play against the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. The Flyers have met the Boston Bruins seven times in the NHL playoffs, including a stretch where they met four out of five years, one of those meetings being the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals. The Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox are interleague rivals, and the two franchises met in the 1915 World Series. The Eagles and the New England Patriots rarely play, but the teams met in both Super Bowl XXXIX and Super Bowl LII. The Union and the New England Revolution both play in the MLS's Eastern Conference.

Washington, D.C.

Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. have teams in the same division in the NFL, NHL, MLB, and MLS. The Eagles and the Washington Commanders have a long history, having (almost always) competed in the same division since 1933. The Flyers and the Washington Capitals both play in the Metropolitan Division; the rivals have met five times in the NHL playoffs. The Washington Nationals franchise (including their predecessor, the Montreal Expos) and the Phillies have competed in the NL East since 1969. The Union have developed an intraconference rivalry with D.C. United.^[59] The Washington Wizards and the 76ers also both play in the NBA's Eastern Conference, and the two teams met in the NBA playoffs five times, most recently in 2021. They also met in the 1971 playoffs, when the current Washington franchise was based in Baltimore.

Other rivalries

Philadelphia teams have rivalries with teams from outside of the Northeast. There is a passionate NFC East rivalry between the Eagles and the Cowboys, with a number of stories and memorable events surrounding the rivalry.^[60] There was also a rivalry (stemming from the NFL) between the Soul and the Dallas Desperados. The 76ers enjoy an interconference rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers. The two teams met in the NBA Finals in 1980, 1982, 1983, and 2001. The Phillies have developed a rivalry with the Atlanta Braves. The teams met in the 1993 NLCS, and the two franchises are the most frequent winners of the NL East.