Professional Sports You Can See in the San Francisco Bay Area

Baseball: San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics

Regular season baseball starts in early April and runs until early October, which lets you enjoy the games in San Francisco's mild weather. Plus, if your team makes it into the postseason, you have the opportunity to enjoy a few more thrilling days. Baseball tickets can be purchased at each team's official MLB website or via a third-party vendor such as StubHub.

San Francisco's Major League Baseball team is the Giants, who first played in New York (where they originated in 1883) before coming to San Francisco. The Giants played in San Francisco's iconic Candlestick Park from 1960 to 1999, but they moved to Oracle Park in 2000. This ballpark is centrally located and can be accessed by public transportation (Muni, Caltrain, and ferry). Even when the Giants aren't in town, you can still enjoy Oracle Park with a behind-the-scenes tour. The Giants won three World Championships within a five year span from 2010-2014 (winning in 2010, 2012, and 2014—even year magic).

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Across the bay, you'll find the Oakland Athletics, usually called the Oakland A's, who were founded in 1901 in Philadelphia and moved to Oakland in 1968. They were spotlighted in the book and Oscar-nominated film Moneyball, which shows how this winning team was assembled on a thin budget. The A's have played in the same stadium since 1968 that was once called the Oakland Coliseum but now goes by the name Ring Central Coliseum. The Coliseum can be reached by car, BART, Alameda County Transit or Capitol Corridor train.

Basketball: Golden State Warriors

San Franciscans cheer for the Golden State Warriors, the seven-time NBA champions. First formed in Philadelphia in 1946, the team became the San Francisco Warriors in 1962 and by 1971, they represented the entire state and relocated to Oracle Arena in Oakland. In 2019, the Warriors moved into their state-of-the-art arena, Chase Center, located in the Mission Bay neighborhood in San Francisco.

Basketball's regular season begins in October and ends around the middle of April. Tickets can be purchased at the team's website or at any ticket service for Chase Center. Chase Center is easy to reach on public transit friendly, as it sits right next to Muni's Third Street Rail. For more information on Chase Center, click here.

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Football: San Francisco 49ers

Football season begins with preseason games in August and runs until the Super Bowl in early February.

The San Francisco 49ers hold the honor of being the city's very first professional major-league sports team. The 49ers played their home games in San Francisco from 1946 to 2013, first at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park and then at Candlestick Park. In 2014, the team moved 40 miles south to a spacious new home at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. This venue can be easily reached by the Valley Transportation Authority light rail and city buses, as well as the Capitol Corridor train and Caltrain for a direct connection to San Francisco. Football games are almost never canceled, although they are occasionally moved or rescheduled. 

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The San Francisco 49ers hold the honor of being the city's very first professional major-league sports team.

Hockey: San Jose Sharks

San Francisco Bay Area hockey fans follow the San Jose Sharks, one of the teams in the National Hockey League. The regular season runs from early October to April, followed by the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Sharks play in San Jose's SAP Center in the heart of Silicon Valley. Caltrain brings San Francisco hockey fans directly to the venue, while ACE and VTA buses provide access along many local routes. Fans can also access the venue from the Capitol Corridor train, arriving at Diridon Station directly across the street from the Pavilion. The Sharks are known for their theatrical entrance, which involves lowering a 17-foot shark mouth with flashing red eyes from the ceiling.

Soccer: San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose is also home to the Bay Area's only Major League Soccer team, the San Jose Earthquakes. Initially known as the Clash when they formed in 1996, this team was one of the 10 charter members of the MLS. They play in San Jose's PayPal Park, and their season runs from early March to late October. Visibility in the stadium is exceptionally good because the seat rise is the steepest of any soccer stadium in Major League Soccer. PayPal Park also boasts the largest outdoor bar in North America.

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