Which professional sports teams have moved the most?
The Athletics are set to play baseball in Las Vegas in four short years.
It won’t be the the first time the team has moved, or the second. It’s one of many major league sports franchises that have packed up and set up shop in a new location multiple times. Some teams have even had more homes than the A’s.
Here’s a list of the professional teams that have moved the most:
MLB
The Athletics
Philadelphia (1901-54), Kansas City (1955-67), Oakland (1968-2027?), Las Vegas (2028?-)
Connie Mack managed the team for 50 consecutive years after its birth in Philadelphia and won five World Series titles. The team’s National League neighbors, the Phillies, didn’t win one when the two shared a city. Yet it was the A’s who found Philadelphia wasn’t big enough for the both of them.
Kansas City didn’t last long as the team’s next stop. The A’s time there is mostly remembered for all the talented players they developed and then traded to the Yankees, like Clete Boyer, Bob Cerv and Roger Maris.
The club’s fortunes turned for the better when Charlie O. Finley bought the franchise and moved it to Oakland. The A’s won three straight titles from 1972-74 and earned another championship in 1989.
The Braves
Boston (1876-1952), Milwaukee (1953-65), Atlanta (1966-present)
The franchise possessed a plethora of nicknames in Boston, like the Bees, Doves, Nationals and Reds. It’s stuck with the Braves since.
The only player to appear with the team in all three locations was Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews.
The Orioles
Milwaukee Brewers (1901), St. Louis Browns (1902-53), Baltimore Orioles (1954-present)
The franchise started in Milwaukee before being inept in St. Louis.
Things got better in Baltimore. The Orioles have had periods of great success, including three World Series championships.
NFL
The Raiders
Oakland (1960-81), Los Angeles (1982-94), Oakland (1995-2019), Las Vegas (2020-present)
Sound familiar? The Raiders took a long and winding path to Las Vegas, but they’re still one of the most iconic franchises in NFL history.
The Chargers
Los Angeles (1960), San Diego (1961-2016), Carson, Calif. (2017-19), Inglewood, Calif. (2020-present)
The Chargers and Raiders were pursuing a shared stadium in Carson, California, for a few years before the NFL allowed the Rams to relocate to the Los Angeles area (more on them below).
The Chargers still played in Carson for a short time. Their home games were at 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park, home of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy.
The Rams
Cleveland (1937-45), Los Angeles (1946-79), Anaheim, Calif. (1980-94), St. Louis (1995-2015), Los Angeles (2016-19), Inglewood, Calif. (2020-present)
The team has had an eclectic set of owners throughout the years.
There’s Bob Irsay (who bought them in 1972), Carroll Rosenbloom (who traded the Colts to Irsay for the Rams), Georgia Frontiere (Rosenbloom’s widow) and Stan Kroenke. The Rams have collected four NFL titles along the way, including two Super Bowls.
The Cardinals
Chicago (1920-43, 1945-59), St. Louis (1960-87), Phoenix (1988-93), Arizona (1994-present)
The Cardinals have been owned by the Bidwill family since 1933.
They have two NFL titles, with the last coming in 1947. The closest they’ve come since is a 27-23 loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl 43.
NBA
The Kings
Rochester Royals (1948-57), Cincinnati Royals (1957-72), Kansas City-Omaha Kings (1972-75), Kansas City Kings, (1975-85), Sacramento Kings (1985-present)
It’s their 76th season. Some people might have fond memories of their lone title from the 1950-51 campaign.
Hall of Famers in the franchise’s past include Oscar Robertson and Nate “Tiny” Archibald.
The Hawks
Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1949-51), Milwaukee Hawks, (1951-55), St. Louis Hawks (1955-68), Atlanta Hawks (1968-present)
This team bounced around the Midwest before settling down in Atlanta.
The Hawks have won just one championship in 75 years, during the 1957-58 season. Their Hall of Famers include Bob Pettit, Lenny Wilkens and Dominique Wilkins.
The Wizards
Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (1961-63), Baltimore Bullets (1963-73), Capital/Washington Bullets/Wizards (1973-present)
The franchise has changed its name and nickname multiple times despite being in the Washington D.C. area for more than 50 years.
They won a championship in the 1977-78 season but haven’t again since. Some of the franchise’s past stars are Hall of Famers Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe.
The Clippers
Buffalo Braves (1970-78), San Diego Clippers (1978-84), Los Angeles Clippers (1984-present)
The Clippers have been in Los Angeles for decades but are still trying to climb out of the Lakers’ shadow. They have yet to win a championship.
The Warriors
Philadelphia (1946-62), San Francisco (1962-71), Golden State (1971-present)
The franchise has bounced around the Bay Area a few times since exiting Philadelphia.
The Warriors left Oakland in 2019 to go to a new home in San Francisco. They at least left happy memories behind, as they’ve won four championships the past nine seasons.
NHL
The Devils
Kansas City Scouts (1974-76), Colorado Rockies (1976-82), New Jersey Devils (1982-present)
Quite a few teams have moved in the NHL, but this is the only one to do so more than once. At least MLB borrowed the Rockies nickname when Colorado left town.
WNBA
The Aces
Utah Starzz (1997-2002), San Antonio Silver Stars (2003-13), San Antonio Stars (2014-17), Las Vegas Aces (2018-present)
Utah and Texas’ loss was Las Vegas’ gain. The Aces have won two WNBA championships since moving to town.
The Wings
Detroit Shock (1998-2009), Tulsa Shock (2010-15), Dallas Wings (2016-present)
Former Aces boss Bill Laimbeer led the Shock to three WNBA titles in Detroit in 2003, 2006 and 2008.
Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on X.
