Minnesota is home to six professional sports teams (MLB, NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, and MLS), and the University of Minnesota is a member of the oldest major collegiate league currently in operation (the Big Ten). There are also two semi-professional baseball teams based in Minneapolis/St. Paul: the Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Vikings.
In addition, there is one club team in Minneapolis that plays in the National Professional Soccer League: the Minnesota Thunder. The Minnesota Gophers men's basketball team has won more games than any other college basketball program over the last 25 years, and the Golden Gophers women's basketball team has made the NCAA Tournament every year since it began playing division I ball in 1997. The University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs ice hockey team has appeared in the NCAA Division II Ice Hockey Championship each year since its founding in 1971, most recently in 2018.
The city was once home to the Minnesota Twins, the only Major League Baseball team to come from the state, but they moved to Target Field in 2010. Before then, the Twins had played at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis since their original franchise was founded in 1961. The Metrodome was an iconic structure until its demolition in March 2012 after several delays; its replacement, Target Center, opened for the 2001-02 season.
Minnesota has won 18 conference titles, 11 of which were split and seven of which were won outright. Big Ten football implemented divisions in 2011, with the winner of each division participating for the conference championship. Legends and Leaders were the divisions from 2011 to 2013. The 2014 season saw the introduction of a new division name and format, with the East Division becoming the Atlantic Coast Conference and the West Division becoming known as the Midwest Division.
The Big Ten Championship game is played annually on December 3 at University of Minnesota's TC Fargodome. The winner of this game goes on to play in the Rose Bowl.
Minnesota has won more Big Ten games than any other school (91). Iowa has second most with 76 wins. Nebraska has won 70 games over the last three seasons alone. Wisconsin has won 57 games in the last four years. Illinois has won 51 games in the last five years. Indiana has won 46 games over the last four years. Michigan has won 44 games over the last four years. Pennsylvania has been to the Big Ten Championship game five times - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. They have no bowl game appearance to show for it though - going 0-5.
There have been nine different schools that have represented the Big Ten in the NFL. These schools are: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Virginia.
So, once you've found the right area to live in Minnesota, it's time to make new friends, neighbors, visit the nicest sites, and most importantly, play sports and learn more about Minnesota sports. Baseball and basketball are the two most popular professional sports in Minnesota. In college, hockey is the #1 sport.
In baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League is the most successful franchise with 6 World Series titles. The Minnesota Twins have won three World Series titles in their history. The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Vikings also have won NFL championships. In basketball, the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA are the most successful team with eight NBA titles. The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team has been national champion twice. The women's basketball team has never missed the NCAA tournament but has never won a title either.
Hockey is the number one sport in Minnesota in terms of fan support and revenue. The Minnesota Wild of the NHL are the most successful team with four Stanley Cup titles. The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team has been to the NCAA tournament nine times and has won three titles in Durham, North Carolina. In football, the Minnesota Vikings are the most successful team with six NFC championship games and one Super Bowl victory. The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team has won or shared seven Big Ten titles and one national championship (1958).
Washington State University has seven professional sports teams and dozens of minor league clubs: National Football League-Seattle Seahawks (Super Bowl XLVIII Champions) Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby (MLS) Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC (2016 & 2019 MLS Cups) Women's Professional Soccer club Seattle Storm WNBA team Tacoma Stars NBA G League team
The university also has a soccer team in the USL Championship (USLC). And two college football teams play in the NCAA Division I FBS: Washington State Cougars and Eastern Washington Eagles.
In addition, there are three women's pro basketball teams, one men's pro basketball team, and one baseball team in the MLB's Seattle Mariners organization.
Overall, Washington State has 23 sports teams - 11 at the varsity level. This number includes two school districts that maintain their own schools - Shoreline School District No. 16 and Lake Washington School District #401 - while the other 20 are part of larger districts or unincorporated areas. The largest city in Washington to lack a major professional sports team is Spokane, which does not have an NFL, NBA, or MLB team. However, it does have a successful USHL hockey team - the Spokane Chiefs.
Eastern Washington University has five sports teams - three at the varsity level.
The Land of 10,000 Lakes is Minnesota's most well-known moniker, but it's also known as the State of Hockey—and with good reason. In Minnesota, hockey is one of the most popular sports. Every year, about 135,000 people attend the Minnesota Boys State Hockey Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center. The state record for most points in a season is 100, which is held by North Dakota. The Detroit Red Wings of the NHL are considered by many to be the greatest team in Minnesota history.
Minnesota has been known as the Frozen Tundra because of its cold climate, but it's not only the cold that makes Minnesotans love their hockey. There are three major professional hockey teams in Minnesota: the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Minnesota Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL), and the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. The Wild have won two of the last three Stanley Cups awarded by the NHL club champion who wins the most games during the regular season.
In addition to these pro teams, there are several great college ice hockey programs in Minnesota, including University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, and University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers.
College hockey is huge in Minnesota; in fact, it's so big that if you watch any of the NCAA men's basketball tournaments, you'll see Minnesota fans cheering on their schools even though they aren't playing.
Washington State University is home to seven professional sports teams as well as dozens of minor league clubs, including the Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League. National Hockey League-Seattle Krakens (Inaugural Season: 2021-22) and NBA-Seattle SuperSonics (Previous Seasons: 1979-80 to 1992-93)
The WSU Cougars football team plays at Martin J. Whitman Stadium in Pullman while the men's basketball team practices at the Walter Brown Arena on campus.
The university also has a baseball team that plays in the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference. They are known as the Cougars despite being located in Washington State rather than Houston as part of Texas due to sponsorship agreements with Houston's Minute Maid Park and Compaq Center.
The first season of soccer in Washington was in 1978 when the Washington Darts played in the North American Soccer League. The team was owned by Seattle Sounders FC founder Phil Anderson who also founded the SuperSonics. He moved the team to Houston because there was no other major league team in Washington at the time. The NASL collapsed after one season and the Dart withdrew from the league before the start of its second season. In 2019, the NASL began again with several teams in the United States. One of them is the Atlanta Silverbacks who play in Georgia but are based in Seattle.
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