Game Time’s Calling: This Is Los Angeles for Sports Lovers

For some people, Los Angeles is the home of silver screen celebrities. But diehard sports fans know the city is teeming with icons and legends from football, basketball, baseball, hockey and a wealth of other athletics. This sports-centric city is ready with venues aplenty and maximum enthusiasm.

Here are the hot spots for watching competitors go toe-to-toe in what is fast becoming the sports capital of the world.

SoFi Stadium Beckons with Pro Football

The brand-new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (the former site of Hollywood Park) has sports fans eager for football season to get underway. Keeping things interesting — the stadium is home to two professional football teams: The L.A. Chargers and the L.A. Rams.

Also being touted as an entertainment complex, SoFi Stadium will feature concert events with headliner concerts featuring the likes of Taylor Swift, Guns N’ Roses and Kenny Chesney.

There are several other stellar events to mark on your calendar: professional football’s big game, which will take place in SoFi Stadium in 2022; the College Football National Championship game in 2023 (where better than a city where college football fans are rabid in their devotion?); and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2028 Olympic Games.

Major League Soccer Kicks It in DTLA and Carson

Downtown Los Angeles’ (DTLA) Exposition Park welcomed the Banc of California Stadium in 2018 and with it a new Major League Soccer (MLS) team. An ideal time to catch a matchup in the space is during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Another momentous event to catch is the 2028 Olympics, when the stadium joins the Downtown Sports Park to host men’s and women’s soccer, as well as track and field events.

During VIP tours of the stadium, its Sunset, Founders and Fields clubs are visited, along with the locker and media rooms.

After soccer matches (or heavy-hitter concerts like Zac Brown and Carlos Santana), linger over a bite at The Fields LA, a “stylized urban culinary destination” with nine dining experiences with cuisine from award-winning chefs.

Thirteen miles away, another MLS team takes on comers at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. Pregame picnics see fans swapping stories of matches past. Food trucks, restaurants, bars and IPA beer offerings keep fans fueled once inside the stadium. Once the match starts, all eyes are on the field. Yes, L.A. loves its “footie.”

Where Basketball, Hockey and Concert Events Cohabitate

Located in DTLA, you’ll find the iconic Staples Center, home to four professional sports franchises and three professional leagues, including teams from the NBA (two teams, in fact!), WNBA and NHL. Speaking of hockey, nearby Orange County’s (OC) NHL team plays at the Honda Center, keeping L.A.’s team on its toes when the two match up.

Where to celebrate victories post Staples Center events? L.A. LIVE. In walking distance from the Staples Center, this entertainment mecca offers up superb cuisine, including Katsuya, WP24, Rock’n Fish, Shaquille’s … dining options abound.

When ready to take to the dance floor, hit up the Conga Room. With a list of co-owners including Jennifer Lopez, Sheila E. and will.i.am., there’s no doubt the music will be groove-worthy.

L.A.’s Two Homes of Baseball

Two of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) rivals live a mere 30 miles from one another, but both teams manage to represent Los Angeles. And when pitted against one another, dividing lines are definitely drawn. Dodger Stadium, which is located in Los Angeles’ Elysian Park, is the MLB’s oldest baseball stadium west of the Mississippi with its “birth date” of 1962. And yes, there are behind-the-scenes tours of this historic stadium.

Head south to visit Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Orange County, where MLB games have been played since 1966. A fun fact: The first owner of this OC fave team was the singing cowboy, actor Gene Autry. Go behind the scenes at this stadium to see sites like the field, dugout, Visitors’ Clubhouse and Broadcast Booth.