As if California didn’t have enough to brag about: according to a recent study, California is home to the highest number of top athletes in the country. *
We really are the “Golden State,” aren’t we? Our home leads the nation with an impressive 5,599 sports professionals across the four major American sports: NBA/ABA, MLB, NFL, and NHL. This includes legends like Yankees royalty Joe DiMaggio and NFL superstar Tom Brady, both of whom are from California. The list goes on when it comes to present players in the NBA — like James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Paul George — you get the idea.
Speaking of which, the west coast stands out as the top producer of athletes — with the highest number of NBA/ABA players (443) and MLB players (2,473). It excels across all major leagues, surpassing other states in the number of NFL, NBA/ABA, NHL, and MLB athletes.
To reach this conclusion, the online gambling company Betway studied which states produce the most professional athletes. They compiled data on athletes from basketball, baseball, football, and hockey. For the NBA/ABA, rankings were based on total points scored (PTS) and points scored per game (PTS per game). MLB players were ranked by their Wins Above Replacement (WAR), NFL athletes by their Weighted Approximate Value (wAV), and NHL players by their total points scored (PTS).
Using these rankings, Betway determined the number of professional athletes born in each state for each sport and overall — highlighting California’s dominant position in the world of professional sports. Maybe it’s the California sunshine to blame for our athletic stars. Whatever it may be, we’re not complaining — only bragging!
If you’re wondering who scored below in second place: it’s Texas. You can read the study in depth here.
* It is worth noting that unfortunately, this study did not include the incredible female athletes that California is home to, as it only looked at players who have played in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL. *