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.
The Detroit Mechanix are a professional ultimate team based in the Detroit metropolitan area. The Mechanix compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the Central Division. The Mechanix, owned by Brent Steepe and was founded in 2010, began play in 2012 as one of the eight charter teams of the league.
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 New York Empire are a professional ultimate team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Empire compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division. The team played its first season in 2013. The Empire won their first title in 2019, followed by titles in 2022 and 2023.
The 2012 American Ultimate Disc League season was the first season for the league. Each team was scheduled to play a 16-game schedule. The Philadelphia Spinners won the championship over the Indianapolis AlleyCats at the Pontiac Silverdome. After the season all but three teams left or folded.
The city of Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area are home to teams in six major sports: the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, and Dallas Wings.
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 Carolina Flyers, formerly the Raleigh Flyers, are a professional ultimate team based in Durham, North Carolina. The Flyers compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the South Division. The team was founded in 2015. From 2015 through 2018, the Flyers played most of their home games at Crusader Stadium on the campus of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, with some home games at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. In 2019, the team has played home games at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, and other venues. After the 2020 AUDL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team moved their home games to Durham County Stadium beginning in 2021. In 2022, the team announced that it was changing its name to the Carolina Flyers. The team had won the national title once in 2021.
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 Oakland Spiders are a professional ultimate team based in Oakland, California. The Spiders compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team was founded as the San Jose Spiders in 2014 when the league expanded to the West Coast, and played under that name until moving to Oakland in 2022. The Spiders won the National Championship in their first season and became the first team in the league's history to win consecutive titles when they defeated the Madison Radicals in the 2015 championship game.
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 Austin Sol are a professional ultimate team based in Austin, Texas. The Sol compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the South Division. The team was founded in 2016, and played its first match on April 2, 2016. The Sol play their home games at The Pitch. The owner and general manager of the Sol is Patrick Christmas, the head coach is Steven Naji, and the assistant general manager is Ryan Purcell.
The Tampa Bay Cannons were a professional ultimate team in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Cannons were active from 2015 to 2022.
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 Premier Ultimate League (PUL) is a professional women's ultimate league that formed in 2019. The mission of the PUL is "to achieve equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to the sport for, and visibility of women, transgender, intersex, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid people through high-quality competition, leadership experiences, and community partnerships". The league strives for gender, racial, and economic diversity in the sport of ultimate frisbee. PUL players are paid $40 per league game.
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.
