What Sports Teams Does Ohio Have?

Throughout the state of Ohio, there are nine major professional sports teams for fans of all sports to enjoy. Those nine teams are spread out across six different sports: basketball, baseball, football, hockey, rugby, and soccer. Below, each of the nine teams is discussed in greater detail.

What Are the Biggest Sports Teams in Ohio?

Below are the professional teams located in Ohio:

• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cincinnati Reds
• Cleveland Browns
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Cleveland Guardians
• Cleveland Rugby League
• Columbus Blue Jackets
• Columbus Crew
• FC Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bengals

• Sport: Football
• League: NFL
• Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
• Stadium: Paycor Stadium
• Founded: 1967
• Championships: 0

The first team discussed here is the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. Originally founded in 1967, the Bengals played in the American Football League (AFL) for two seasons prior to the AFL and NFL merging in 1970. Throughout its history, the team has appeared in three Super Bowls, although they have yet to win one. The Bengals were the AFC champions in 1981, 1988, and 2021, but they were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers on two occasions (1981 and 1988), as well as the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. Led by quarterback Joe Burrow, Bengals fans are hoping their first Super Bowl Championship is not too far in the future.

Cincinnati Reds

• Sport: Baseball
• League: MLB
• Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
• Stadium: Great American Ball Park
• Founded: 1881
• Championships: 5

The second of three teams from Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Reds are the oldest team in Ohio and one of the oldest in professional sports. They were initially founded as the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1881, playing eight seasons as a charter member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. That year, they also changed their name to the Reds, which they kept until 1954, when they briefly went by the Redlegs for a few years. In 1958, they switched back to the Reds for good. The team has won five World Series throughout its long history, winning it all in 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, and 1990. 

Cleveland Browns

• Sport: Football
• League: NFL
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: FirstEnergy Stadium
• Founded: 1944
• Championships: 8 (pre Super Bowl era)

The second professional football team in the state of Ohio, the Cleveland Browns are the older of the two franchises. The Browns franchise was first created in 1944, and they began to play in 1946 in the All-American Football Conference, a league separate from the more popular NFL at the time. The Browns played in this league for four seasons, and they won the league championship all four years from 1946-1949. Starting in 1950, they began to play in the NFL. From 1950-1964, the Browns won four more titles in the NFL, winning the NFL championship in 1950, 1954, 1955, and 1964. Since the Super Bowl Era began in 1967, however, the Browns have yet to win the title. Browns fans are certainly hoping that their title drought ends soon.

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Sport: Basketball
• League: NBA
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
• Founded: 1970
• Championships: 1

The lone professional basketball team in the state of Ohio, the Cleveland Cavaliers play in the NBA. Their first season as an expansion team in the league came in 1970. The team did not have a lot of success, particularly in the playoffs, for the first 35-plus years of its existence. Thanks in large part to hometown kid LeBron James, Cleveland finally found some consistency. In 2007, LeBron led them to their first NBA Finals, and after leaving for a few seasons, he came back and led them to four straight Finals appearances from 2015-2018. While they lost in 2007, 2015, 2017, and 2018, they did break through and win their only title in franchise history in 2016.

Cleveland Guardians

• Sport: Baseball
• League: MLB
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: Progressive Field
• Founded: 1894
• Championships: 2

Like the Reds, the Cleveland Guardians are a baseball team that began to play in the late 19th century. They initially began to play in 1894 as the Grand Rapids Rippers in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were a minor league team in the Western League until 1901, when the American League was founded and took the now Cleveland Lake Shores in as a founding member. The Cleveland team went through a few names before settling on the Indians in 1915, a name they kept for over 100 years, until 2021. That season is when they became the Cleveland Guardians. As for championships, the team has won two World Series in its history, one in 1920 and one in 1948.

Cleveland Rugby League

• Sport: Rugby
• League: North American Rugby League
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: Cleveland Rovers RFC
• Founded: 2018
• Championships: 0

From one of the oldest teams in Ohio to one of the youngest, the Cleveland Rugby League is a rugby team founded in 2018. The initial hope when the club was established was that they could start a Rugby League called the Midwest Rugby League Conference. When that league did not work out, Cleveland pivoted to becoming a founding member of the North American Rugby League. That league was supposed to begin to play in 2021, but COVID-19 restrictions pushed the start of the league back to 2022. Prior to the league starting in September of 2022, the Cleveland Rugby Team withdrew from the league, leaving its future in an uncertain state.

Columbus Blue Jackets

• Sport: Ice Hockey
• League: NHL
• Location: Columbus, Ohio
• Stadium: Nationwide Arena
• Founded: 2000
• Championships: 0

Just as the Cavaliers are the only major professional basketball team in Ohio, the Columbus Blue Jackets are the only major professional ice hockey team. The Blue Jackets were expanded into the NHL in 2000, and the team has found little success since joining the league. They have yet to win a Stanley Cup or even reach the Stanley Cup Finals. They made the playoffs for the first time in 2009, but did not win a playoff game until 2014. In 2019, they finally won a playoff series, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were the best team in the NHL’s regular season that year. We shall see if the team finds more success than this in the years to come.

Columbus Crew

• Sport: Soccer
• League: MLS
• Location: Columbus, Ohio
• Stadium: Lower.com Field
• Founded: 1994
• Championships: 2

The oldest of the two MLS soccer teams in the state of Ohio, the Columbus Crew was one of the 10 founding members of the league when it began in 1996. Originally founded in 1994, the Crew helped to bring the MLS into existence two years later. In all, the club has won six major trophies in its history, highlighted by its two MLS Cup victories in 2008 and 2020. Additionally, the team won the Supporter’s Shield in 2004, 2008, and 2009, as well as the 2002 U.S. Open Cup. In 2021, the team won its first continental trophy by taking home the Campeones Cup.

FC Cincinnati

• Sport: Soccer
• League: MLS
• Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
• Stadium: TQL Stadium
• Founded: 2018
• Championships: 0

The final team on this list, and one of the youngest teams in the MLS, is FC Cincinnati. The club, which followed a lower-division team that bore the same name, joined the MLS as an expansion team in 2019. As is typically expected with expansion franchises, FC Cincinnati struggled mightily to start their time in the MLS. In their first three seasons, they posted a combined record of 14-59-18. Last season, however, they had by far their best season to date, winning 12 games against only nine losses, along with 13 draws. FC Cincinnati fans are hoping this progress continues in 2023 and beyond.

FAQ