The San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the major cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, hosts five major league sports franchises, with a major women's sports franchise soon to start play, as well as several other professional and college sports teams, and hosts other sports events.
The Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) is a professional ultimate league in North America composed of 23 teams divided between the South, Central, East, and West divisions. Each UFA season has 12 regular season games which run from April to July. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the top three teams from every division advance to the playoffs, a single elimination tournament that culminates in a final four style showcase known as the UFA Championship Weekend, which is contested in late August over two days.
The Philadelphia Spinners were a professional ultimate team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were founded in 2012 by Katrel Kelly and David Fitzgerald as a team in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), but then moved to Major League Ultimate (MLU) in 2013. They played in the MLU until the league was suspended in 2016. The team played in various stadiums throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
Major League Ultimate (MLU) was a North American semi-professional ultimate league from 2013 to 2016. It was composed of eight member teams, seven in the United States and one in Canada. It was formed in 2012, and began its inaugural season in April 2013.
The Philadelphia Phoenix are a professional ultimate team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The Phoenix compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division. The team is owned and operated by Main Line Today's "Woman on The Move" Christina Lee Chung, MD, FAAD. From 2020 to 2021 the Phoenix competed in the Atlantic Division. The team's home field is located on the campus of Neumann University.
The 2014 American Ultimate Disc League season was the third season for the league. Each team played a 14-game schedule. The San Jose Spiders won the AUDL Championship III over the Toronto Rush in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Spiders enjoyed the most successful season of all teams, finishing with a 16-1 record. Their only loss came to the San Francisco FlameThrowers in Week 6.
The Seattle Cascades are a professional ultimate team based in Seattle, Washington. The Cascades compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team is named after the mountain range that runs through the Pacific Northwest; their mascot is a Sasquatch named Casey.
The Madison Radicals are a professional ultimate team based in Madison, Wisconsin. The Radicals compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the Central Division. The team plays its home games at Breese Stevens Field in downtown Madison. Since the team's inception in 2013, they have won five regular season divisional titles in eight seasons. After losing in the AUDL championship games in 2013 and 2015, the Radicals claimed its first championship in 2018. Madison also hosted AUDL Championship Weekends in 2016, 2018 and 2022, winning the championship in 2018.
The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds are a professional ultimate team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Thunderbirds compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the Central Division. They play their home games at Highmark Stadium, a soccer stadium in Pittsburgh's Station Square.
The Chicago Union are a professional ultimate team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Union compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the Central Division. The team was originally branded as the Windy City Wildfire. In their first year, the Wildfire had the best record in the then-Midwest Division and qualified for the playoffs in its first three seasons. They play home games at Martin Stadium on the campus of Northwestern University.
The Minnesota Wind Chill are a professional ultimate team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wind Chill compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the Central Division. They are one of two teams in the UFA to represent a state rather than a specific city. The team won their first UFA Championship in 2024, beating the Carolina Flyers 17-16.
The San Francisco FlameThrowers were a professional ultimate team based in the San Francisco Bay Area, competing in the West Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team was founded in 2014 as part of the league's west coast expansion. In 2017, the FlameThrowers won the AUDL Championship game, with a final score of 30-29 against the Toronto Rush. The team folded after the 2018 season, but retained the rights to the FlameThrower brand, hinting at a potential rebirth as a women's team.
The DC Breeze are a professional ultimate team based in Washington, D.C. The Breeze compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division. The team first played in the 2013 season. The Breeze play at Carlini Field.
The 2015 American Ultimate Disc League season was the fourth season for the league. Each team played a 14-game schedule. The San Jose Spiders won the AUDL Championship over the Madison Radicals at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spiders won the championship despite entering the final four with the lowest seed after a regular-season finish of 10-4.
Beau Kittredge is a former Ultimate player, author, illustrator, and mobile video game entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the greatest Ultimate players of all time, noted for his top-end speed and athleticism. Kittredge won one college title, six USA Ultimate club titles, seven world championships, and five AUDL titles. He also won the AUDL Most Valuable Player award twice. He is popularly known for a video in which he jumped over an opponent to catch the disc while playing with the University of Colorado.
The Dallas Legion, formerly the Dallas Roughnecks, were a professional ultimate team that competed in the South Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). Founded in 2015, the team played their first year in the 2016 AUDL season, wherein they won the championship title.
The Los Angeles Aviators are a professional ultimate team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Aviators compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team played their first season in 2015.
The San Diego Growlers are a professional ultimate team based in San Diego, California. The Growlers compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team plays its home games at Mission Bay High School. The Growlers began play in the 2015 season.
The Boston Glory are a professional ultimate team based in Greater Boston area. The Glory compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division. The team was announced on December 4, 2019, and played its first season in 2021 owing to the cancellation of the UFA 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Salt Lake Shred are a professional ultimate team based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The Shred compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team plays its home games at Zions Bank Stadium, a soccer stadium in Herriman, Utah.
