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Professional sports have existed in the United States since the late Nineteenth Century. The NFL, NBA, MLB, 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.

Reasons for Expansion into the West
Prior to World War II, professional sports in the United States did not exist in the American West. Most teams were located in the Midwest or Northeast, and no professional teams existed west of Kansas City. . There were a number of factors leading to the expansion of professional sports in the West. The primary reason for expansion was the population boom of metropolitan areas in the West. After World War II, population centers grew at a much faster rate in the West than in other parts of the country. Leaders of growing metropolitan areas felt that attracting professional sport teams was an important way to legitimize their communities as modern cities. In order to attract teams, cities used public funding to build new stadiums. Sports boosters argued that new stadiums would not only provide cultural centers for the community, but would help to attract tourists and bring in new investment dollars to the city. Cities also offered teams favorable subsidies that provided further incentives for leagues to expand West.

Team owners jumped at the chance to relocate their teams to the West. Owners who had sustained financial losses over the years saw relocation as a viable option to increase short-term profits. Western cities offered new stadiums, access to new markets, and subsidies that many cities in the East could not offer. Western cities also often offered broadcasting agreements and assumptions of past debts. Team owners used the desire of Western cities to host professional teams to their advantage. Owners were able to use the terms offered by Western cities to leverage negotiations with the cities in which they were originally located. Owners threatened relocation if cities did not build them new stadiums or offer increased subsidies.

Expansion into the West would not have been possible without advances in transportation technology. Train travel was the primary means of transporting teams from city to city prior to World War II. Teams played multiple games during the course of the week, and it was not very practical for teams to be located in the West due to the slow nature of train travel. In the decades following the War, air travel gained more wide-spread use. The advancement of air travel allowed teams to travel great distances in a much shorter time than by train. By reducing the time needed for cross-country trips, airplanes made it possible for teams in the West to compete with teams located in the Eastern half of the country. O'Malley

Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League were the first professional sports team to be located west of Kansas City. In 1946, Cleveland Rams owner Dan Reeves relocated the team from Cleveland to Los Angeles, following the team's victory in the 1945 NFL Championship Game. The Rams played their games in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Not only were the Rams the first NFL team in the West, they were also the first NFL team to have African-American players on their squad since 1932 by signing Kenny Washington and Woody Strode in 1946. The Rams would remain in Los Angeles until they were relocated to St. Louis in 1995.

Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants
The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants were the first MLB teams to play in the West, when they were relocated in 1958 from Brooklyn and New York, respectively. Both teams were motivated to move because of new stadiums being offered in California. The New York Giants played at the Polo Grounds since the team's inception, and owner Horace Stoneham longed for a new stadium due to the lack of attendance at home games in the seasons leading up to the move. Stoneham was not pleased with the way talks with New York City officials were going, so he began to look elsewhere. On August 19, 1957, Stoneham announced that the Giants would be relocating to San Francisco. The Giants played their first two seasons at Seals Stadium before moving to Candlestick Park in 1960.

Brooklyn Dodgers' Owner Walter O'Malley had a similar situation to that of Stoneham. O'Malley's team played in Ebbets Field, which seated only 35,000 fans, had parking spots for only 700 cars, and was located in a decaying neighborhood. New York officials once again failed to meet O'Malley's demands for a new stadium with more parking and that could be more easily reached. The city of Los Angeles offered O'Malley a new stadium in Chavez Ravine. The area provided easy access to multiple freeways as well as an uncontested media market in one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas. O'Malley talked with Stoneham about the move, and both agreed that the rivalry between the two clubs should remain intact. On October 8, 1957, O'Malley announced that the Dodgers would be moving to Los Angeles. On April 15, 1958 the two teams faced in the first regular season game since their relocation. The Giants won the game 8-0.

Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers became the first NBA franchise to play in the West after they relocated from Minneapolis in 1960. The Lakers had some success on the court in Minneapolis, but attendance at home games had decreased significantly in the mid-to-late 1950s. Encouraged by the financial success of the Los Angeles Dodgers since their move from Brooklyn in 1958, Lakers owner Bob Short decided to relocate the team before the 1960-1961 season. The Lakers have gone on to be one of the most successful franchises in the NBA history by winning 16 NBA Championships.

Los Angeles Kings and Oakland Seals
Prior to the 1967-1968 season, the NHL expanded from its original six teams to twelve. Among the six new franchises were the Los Angeles Kings and Oakland Seals. The expansion into California was aided by entrepreneur and Los Angeles Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke. Cooke, originally from Canada, wanted to bring his favorite sport to Los Angeles and was awarded a new franchise on February 9, 1966. As part of his plan to bring hockey to the West Coast, Cooke built the The Great Western Forum, a new stadium which would be home to both the Kings and Lakers. The Oakland Seal's time in California was short-lived. After entering the league in 1967, the team consistently had one of the worst records in the league. In 1976, the Seals relocated and became the Cleveland Barons.

List of Professional Sports Teams in the West
NFL
 * Los Angeles Rams (1946-1995)
 * San Francisco 49ers (1950-Present)
 * San Diego Chargers (AFL) (1961-Present) (As Los Angeles Chargers 1960)
 * Oakland Raiders (AFL) (1960-1981, 1995-Present) (As Los Angeles Raiders 1982-1994)
 * Denver Broncos (AFL) (1960-Present)
 * Seattle Seahawks (1976-Present)
 * Phoenix Cardinals (1988-1993) (As Arizona Cardinals 1994-Present)

MLB
 * Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-Present)
 * San Francisco Giants (1958-Present)
 * Los Angeles Angeles (1961-1965) (As California Angels 1965-1996) (As Anaheim Angels 1997-2004) (As Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2005-Present)
 * Oakland Athletics (1968-Present)
 * San Diego Padres (1969-Present)
 * Seattle Mariners (1977-Present)
 * Colorado Rockies (1993-Present)
 * Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-Present)

NBA
 * Los Angeles Lakers (1960-Present)
 * San Francisco Warriors (1962-1971) (As Golden State Warriors 1971-Present)
 * Seattle Supersonics (1967-2008)
 * San Diego Rockets (1967-1971)
 * Phoenix Suns (1968-Present)
 * Portland Trailblazers (1970-Present)
 * Denver Nuggets (1976-Present)
 * San Diego Clippers (1978-1984) (As Los Angeles Clippers 1984-Present)
 * Utah Jazz (1979-Present)
 * Sacramento Kings (1985-Present)

NHL
 * Los Angeles Kings (1967-Present)
 * Oakland Seals (1967-1976)
 * Colorado Rockies (1976-1982)
 * San Jose Sharks (1991-Present)
 * Anaheim Mighty Ducks (1993-2006) (As Anaheim Ducks 2006-Present)
 * Colorado Avalanche (1995-Present)
 * Phoenix Coyotes (1996-Present)