A sports league is a professional body that governs the competition of its teams.[clarification needed] They make the rules for competition and behavior and disciplines its members as necessary. This is done through a structure that varies by league. Some are made up of a board of governors that have a Commissioner or President, while others are single entity organizations where the league owns the franchises and therefore does not have a board of governors.[clarification needed]
A list of professional sports leagues:
This list attempts to show those sports leagues for which all players and teams are paid to play. In other words, these players can be considered to play their chosen sport as their profession. Some leagues don't pay well enough to allow players to use them as their primary or only source of income, but because the players are paid, it's still considered professional, or semi-professional. As such, some leagues listed here may not be fully professional.
Contents
- 1 Auto racing
- 2 Badminton
- 3 Bandy
- 4 Baseball
- 5 Basketball
- 6 Boxing
- 7 Bowling
- 8 Cricket
- 9 Cycling
- 10 Gridiron football: American football
- 11 Football: Association Football
- 12 Football: Australian rules football
- 13 Football: Futsal
- 14 Fencing
- 15 Golf
- 16 Ice hockey
- 17 Inline hockey
- 18 Lacrosse
- 19 Mixed martial arts
- 20 Motorcycle racing
- 21 Speedway
- 22 Rugby league
- 23 Rugby union
- 24 Softball
- 25 Team Handball
- 26 Tennis
- 27 Track and field
- 28 Ultimate
- 29 Video Gaming/Electronic sports
- 30 Volleyball
- 31 Water polo
- 32 Wrestling
- 33 See also
- 34 References
- 35 External links
Auto racing[edit]
- Arena Racing USA
- American Le Mans Series
- Asian Le Mans Series
- British Touring Car Championship
- Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (German Touring Car Masters)
- D1 Grand Prix
- European Le Mans Series
- Formula One
- Formula D
- Formula Truck
- Grand-Am Road Racing
- FIA GT1 World Championship
- IndyCar
- NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
- National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)
- Pirelli World Challenge
- Stock Car Brasil
- Super GT
- TC 2000
- Top Race
- Turismo Carretera
- V8 Supercars (Australia)
- FIA World Endurance Championship
- World Rally Championship
- World Touring Car Championship
Badminton[edit]
Bandy[edit]
Baseball[edit]
Americas[edit]
United States and 
Canada
- Major League Baseball:
- AL – American League
- NL – National League
- Minor League Baseball:
- AAA: IL – International League
- AAA: PCL – Pacific Coast League
- AA: EL – Eastern League
- AA: SL – Southern League
- AA: TL – Texas League
- A+: CalL – California League
- A+: CarL – Carolina League
- A+: FSL – Florida State League
- A: MwL – Midwest League
- A: SAL – South Atlantic League
- SSA: NYPL – New York-Penn League
- SSA: NwL – Northwest League
- R+: ApL – Appalachian League
- R+: PL – Pioneer League
- R: AzL – Arizona League
- R: GCL – Gulf Coast League
- Independent Baseball:
- American Association of Independent Professional Baseball
- Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
- Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball
- Frontier League
- Mount Rainier Professional Baseball League
- North Country Baseball League
- Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs
- Pecos League
-
- Dominican Summer League (Official Minor League Affiliate)
- Dominican Professional Baseball League
-
- Mexican League (Official Minor League Affiliate)
- Mexican Pacific League
-
- Venezuelan Summer League (Official Minor League Affiliate)
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
Asia[edit]
South Korea:
- Major: KBO League
- Minor: KBO Futures League
Australia[edit]
Europe[edit]
-
- Major: Italian Baseball League 1D
- Minor: Italian Baseball League 2D
-
- Major: Honkbal Hoofdklasse (relegation to Honkbal Overgangklasse)
- Minor: Honkbal Overgangsklasse (promotion to Honkbal Hoofdklasse)
- Minor: Honkbal Rookie League
Basketball[edit]
See also: List of basketball leagues
- 1. A SKL - known for sponsorship reasons as Liga Telemach (Slovenia)
- A-1 Liga (Croatia)
- ACB - Liga ACB (Spain, men's first level)
- ABA
- Liga ABA, also known as Adriatic League (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Slovenia)
- American Basketball Association (Official Page)
- ABL - ASEAN Basketball League (Asean Countries) (Official page)
- Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- BBL
- Baltic Basketball League (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Sweden)
- Basketball BundesLiga (Germany)
- British Basketball League (United Kingdom)
- BLB - Basketball League Belgium
- BLNO (Norway)
- BSN - National Superior Basketball (Puerto Rico)
- CBA - Chinese Basketball Association
- DBL - Dutch Basketball League
- Euroleague - Pan-European competition for elite clubs (Official Page)
- Eurocup - known as the ULEB Cup from 2002-2008. Is the second-tier transnational professional basketball competition in Europe.
- EuroChallenge - is the top Men's Basketball competition directly run by FIBA Europe. The competition was created in 2003 following the defection of several top European basketball teams from the former European Champions' Cup which heralded the formation of the Euroleague under the umbrella of Euroleague Basketball (company).
- Greek Basket League (Greece, first level)
- Greek A2 Basketball League (Greece, second level)
- IBL - International Basketball League
- ISL - Iranian Basketball Super League (Iran)
- KBL - Korean Basketball League (South Korea) (Official Page)
- Korisliiga (Finland)
- KLS – Basketball League of Serbia
- LBL - Latvian Basketball League
- LEB - Liga Española de Baloncesto (Spain, men's second level)
- Lega Basket Serie A (Italy, first level)
- LFB - Liga Femenina de Baloncesto (Spain, women's first level)
- Ligat HaAl (Israel)
- LKL - Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (Lithuania)
- LNB
- Liga Nacional de Básquet (Argentina)
- Ligue Nationale de Basketball (France), itself divided into two fully professional leagues, Pro A and Pro B
- LNBP - Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (Mexico)
- NBA - National Basketball Association (United States & Canada) (Official Page)
- NBA D-League - NBA Development League (Official Page)
- NBB - Novo Basquete Brasil (Official Page)
- NBL
- Opportunity League (Montenegro)
- PBA - Philippine Basketball Association (Philippines) (Official Page)
- PBL
- Russian Professional Basketball League (men's first level)
- Premier Basketball League (United States)
- PLK - Polska Liga Koszykówki, also called Tauron Basket Liga for sponsorship reasons (Poland, men) Official page
- PLKK - Polska Liga Koszykówki Kobiet, also called Torell Basket Liga for sponsorship reasons (Poland, women) Official page
- Russian SuperLeague (men's second level)
- SBL - Super Basketball League (Taiwan)
- Serie A2 Gold Basket (Italy, second level)
- TBSL - Turkish Basketball Super League
- TKBL - Türkiye 1. Kadınlar Basketbol Ligi, or Turkish Women's Basketball League in English
- TPBL - Texas Pro Basketball League
- USBL - United States Basketball League (Official Page)
- VTB United League – Russia, the Baltics, Finland, Poland, and Ukraine.
- WBA - World Basketball Association
- WBA/WABA - Women's American Basketball Association
- WKBL - Women's Korean Basketball League (South Korea) (Official Page)
- WNBA - Women's National Basketball Association (Official Page)
- WNBL - Women's National Basketball League (Australia) (Official Page)
- Hong Kong Basketball League, All-Hong Kong Youth Basketball League
Boxing[edit]
Major Promotions:
Major Sanctioning Bodies:
- World Boxing Association (WBA)
- World Boxing Council (WBC)
- The Ring Magazine (Unofficial Sanctioning Body)
Bowling[edit]
Cricket[edit]
Africa[edit]
Americas[edit]
Asia[edit]
Europe[edit]
Oceania[edit]
Cycling[edit]
- National Bicycle League (BMX)
- American Bicycle Association (BMX)
International
Gridiron football: American football[edit]
- National Football League (Official Page)
- Fall Experimental Football League (Official Page)
- Indoor: Arena Football League (Official Page)
Football: Association Football[edit]
Main article: Professionalism in association football
Football: Australian rules football[edit]
Football: Futsal[edit]
Fencing[edit]
American Fencing League Official Website
Golf[edit]
- See main article: Professional golf tours.
Men's[edit]
Top-level tours[edit]
- PGA Tour (United States)
- PGA European Tour
- Japan Golf Tour
- Asian Tour (Asia outside Japan)
- PGA Tour of Australasia (Australia and New Zealand)
- Sunshine Tour (southern Africa, mainly South Africa)
- OneAsia Tour (joint venture between the Japan, Australasia, China and Korean tours)
Senior tours[edit]
- Champions Tour (United States)
- European Seniors Tour
Developmental tours[edit]
- Web.com Tour (second-tier US tour, operated by the PGA Tour)
- Challenge Tour (second-tier European tour)
- Japan Challenge Tour (second-tier Japanese tour)
- PGA Tour Canada (feeds to the Web.com Tour)
- PGA Tour China (feeds to the Web.com Tour)
- PGA Tour Latinoamérica (feeds to the Web.com Tour)
- Satellite Tour, a group of four third-level tours recognised by the European Tour:
- Alps Tour (jointly sanctioned by the golf associations of Austria, France, Italy, Morocco and Switzerland)
- EPD Tour (based in Germany)
- Nordic League (operating in the Nordic countries)
- SAS Masters Tour (men's version is a Swedish tour included in the Nordic League competition)
- PGA EuroPro Tour (based in the UK)
- Gateway Tour (third-tier US tour)
- Minor League Golf Tour (low cost fourth-tier US tour)
- NGA Pro Golf Tour (third-tier US tour)
Women's[edit]
Top-level tours[edit]
- LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association; United States)
- LPGA of Japan Tour
- Ladies European Tour
- LPGA of Korea Tour (South Korea)
- Ladies Asian Golf Tour (Asia outside of Japan and Korea)
- ALPG Tour (Australia)
Senior tours[edit]
- Legends Tour (United States)
Developmental tours[edit]
- Symetra Tour (second-tier US tour, operated by the LPGA)
- Ladies European Tour Access Series, LETAS, the official feeder tour to the Ladies European Tour, has been formed to give players not part of a major tour an opportunity to compete and progress on to the Ladies European Tour.
- Step Up Tour (second-tier Japanese tour, operated by the LPGA of Japan)
- SAS Masters Tour (women's version is a second-tier tour in Sweden, feeding to the Ladies European Tour)
Ice hockey[edit]
See also: List of ice hockey leagues
- Americas
Canada and United States
- National Hockey League (major)
- American Hockey League (high minor)
- ECHL (mid-minor)
United States only
- Southern Professional Hockey League (low minor)
- Federal Hockey League (low minor)
- Asia
Japan, South Korea, and 
China
- Eurasia
Russia, 
Belarus, 
Croatia, 
Finland, 
Kazakhstan, 
Latvia, 
Slovakia and 
Ukraine
- Kontinental Hockey League (major)
Russia only
- Russian Major League (high minor)
- Russian Hockey League (low minor)
- Europe
Austria, 
Slovenia, 
Hungary, 
Czech Republic and 
Italy
Netherlands and 
Belgium
United Kingdom (
England, 
Scotland, 
Wales and 
Northern Ireland)
- Oceania
Inline hockey[edit]
- Ligue Elite (France)
- Major League Roller Hockey (United States)
- Professional Inline Hockey Association (United States)
Lacrosse[edit]
Box / Indoor lacrosse[edit]
United States and Canada
- NLL - National Lacrosse League (United States and Canada) [Major]
- WLA - Western Lacrosse Association (Canada) [high minor]
- MSL - Major Series Lacrosse (Canada) [high minor]
- CLax - Canadian Lacrosse League (Canada) [mid minor]
- CILL- Continental Indoor Lacrosse League (United States) [low minor]
- USLL- United States Lacrosse League (United States) [low minor]
Field lacrosse[edit]
Mixed martial arts[edit]
- United States: Ultimate Fighting Championship (Premier American/International Organization)
- United States: Bellator Fighting Championships (Second Tier American Organization)
- United States: World Series of Fighting (Minor American Organization)
- United States: King of the Cage (Minor American Organization)
- United States: Shark Fights (Minor American Organization)
- United States: Titan Fighting Championships (Minor American Organization)
- United States: Tachi Palace Fights (Minor American Organization)
- United States: Invicta FC (Minor American Organization)
- Japan: DREAM (Premier Japanese Organization)
- Japan: Shooto (Second Tier Japanese Organization)
- Japan: Pancrase (Minor Japanese Organization)
- Japan: DEEP (Minor Japanese Organization)
- Japan: ZST (Minor Japanese Organization)
- Japan: RisingOn (Minor Japanese Organization)
- South Korea: ROAD Fighting Championship (Official Page) (Premier Korean Organization)
- South Korea: TOP Fighting Championship (Official Page) (Second Tier Korean Organization)
Brazil: Jungle Fight Championship (Premier Brazilian Organization)- Russia: M-1 Global (Premier Russian-based Organization)
- Canada: Maximum Fighting Championship (Premier Canadian Organization)
- England: BAMMA (Premier English Organization)
- Netherlands: United Glory (Premier Dutch Organization)
Poland: Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (Premier Polish Organization)- Finland: Finnfight (Premier Finish Organization)
- China: Art of War Fighting Championship (Premier Chinese Organization)
Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship (Premier Singaporean Organization)
Hong Kong: Legend Fighting Championship (Premier Hong Konger Organization)
Philippines: Universal Reality Combat Championship (Premier Filipino Organization)
Motorcycle racing[edit]
Speedway[edit]
Rugby league[edit]
- National Rugby League (also includes New Zealand Warriors)
- Queensland Cup
- New South Wales Cup
- Ron Massey Cup
- Super League (also includes Catalans Dragons in France)
- Championship
- League 1 (also includes North Wales Crusaders and South Wales Scorpions)
- USA Rugby League (USARL)
- Antilles National Rugby League
Rugby union[edit]
- Super Rugby (from 2016)
- Aviva Premiership
- Greene King IPA Championship (second level; fully professional from 2009–10)
- Guinness Pro12 (since 2010–11)
- National Championship of Excellence (effectively second tier since 2010–11, but not linked to Pro12)
- Super Rugby (from 2016)
- Top League
- Super Rugby
- ITM Cup (split into two divisions in 2011, but both remain fully professional)
Softball[edit]
Team Handball[edit]
Tennis[edit]
Track and field[edit]
IAAF Diamond League Official Website
Ultimate[edit]
Video Gaming/Electronic sports[edit]
Asia[edit]
Volleyball[edit]
- Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) (beach volleyball)
- Chinese Volleyball League (CVL) (both men and women)
Enterprise Volleyball League (TVL) (both men and women)
A1 Ethniki Volleyball (men)
Iranian Volleyball Super League (men)- Lega Pallavolo Serie A (men)
Male Superior Volleyball League (men)- Female Superior Volleyball League (women)
Dominican Republic Volleyball League (both men and women)- V.League (both men and women)
- V-League (both men and women)
Pro A (men)- Russian Volleyball Super League (men)
- Superliga Brasileira de Voleibol (both men and women)
- Plus Liga (men)
- Plus Liga Kobiet (women)
Water polo[edit]
Wrestling[edit]
- World Wrestling Entertainment (Official Page)
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (Official Page)
- Ring of Honor (Official Page)
See also[edit]
- List of professional sports leagues in Asia
- List of defunct sports leagues
- List of developmental and minor sports leagues
- Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
- List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
- List of cities by number of pro-sports franchises (North America)
- National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
- Little League, amateur baseball and softball league
- List of sports
- List of sports attendance figures
- List of professional sports leagues by revenue
References[edit]
- ^ Brown, Wendy (17 July 2012). "Soldiers share football skills with German semi-pro team". United States Army. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
- ^ mll.com
External links[edit]
- North American Pro Sports Teams - Lists every league that has operated in Canada and the United States. Grouped by city.