Professional sports in the Western United States

Professional sports have existed in the United States since the late 19th century. The NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL have millions of fans across the nation, and are an important part of American culture. Professional sports did not enter into the American West until the mid-twentieth century. However, the expansion of professional sports into the West has helped to increase the popularity of each of the professional leagues and has changed the landscape of professional sports in America.

Prior to World War II, top-level professional sports in the United States did not exist in the American West. Most teams were located in the Midwest or Northeast, and no top-level professional teams existed west of Kansas City

The Pacific Coast League, a baseball league founded in 1903, was never recognized as a true major league, but its quality of play was considered very high. While many PCL players went on to play in the major leagues, teams often could offer competitive salaries to avoid being outbid for their players' services. After World War II, the PCL suffered a sharp drop in attendance, primarily due to the availability of major league games on television. The hammer blow to the PCL's major league dreams came in 1958, when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco. As a result, three of the PCL's flagship teams (the Los Angeles Angels, the Hollywood Stars and the San Francisco Seals) were immediately forced to relocate to smaller markets. Additionally, the PCL lost customers to the major league teams which now occupied the same territory. The league never recovered from these blows and reverted to Triple-A classification in 1958.

The Western Hockey League (WHL; not to be confused with the modern junior hockey league of the same name) operated from 1952 to 1974. There was speculation that the WHL could grow into a major league capable of rivaling even the long-entrenched National Hockey League.

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