Brain Game: Sports by State

Professional sports teams are tied to cities and metropolitan areas more often than to entire states. There are exceptions, of course, like in the great state of Minnesota, where all four professional teams are referred to geographically by the state's name: the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Vikings, and Minnesota Twins. While we're discussing states and sports, try today's Brain Game query on for size:

What is the most populous U.S. state that is NOT home to AT LEAST ONE major-league sports team (in the NBA, NHL, NFL or MLB)?

Here is the ANSWER.

THE ANSWER:

It's the state of Virginia, with a population of 7.8 million.

While no professional teams are located within the state of Virginia, residents typically root for teams in bordering states, including North Carolina, Maryland, and (most commonly) Washington, D.C., which has teams in all four major league sports.

#2 on this list is Alabama, with 4.7 million residents.

By contrast, Utah (with 2.8 million residents) is the lowest-populated U.S. state that is home to a major league sports team (the Utah Jazz of the NBA).