Let's Play: Pasadena's Sports Culture

College Football in Pasadena

Pasadena is synonymous with American college football. Each year, the best of the east and the best of the west descend onto the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium for the New Year's Day Rose Bowl Game. It's where records are broken and careers are made.

The stadium has been the proud home to UCLA Bruins Football since 1982, welcoming college teams from across the country for home games. Currently, UCLA is a part of the Pac-12. This season, the Rose Bowl Stadium will welcome Coastal California, NC Central Eagles, Washington State, Colorado, Arizona State and Cal football teams.

In 2024, UCLA will be joining the Big Ten conference.

Football (Soccer) in Pasadena

Football (soccer) in Pasadena is a special kind of fandom experience, of the loud and rowdy variety. The Rose Bowl Stadium hosted the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, where the United States national team emerged victorious, capturing the attention of the nation and inspiring a new generation of female soccer players. Pasadena has also hosted international matches, MLS (Major League Soccer) preseason games, college tournaments, and youth championships, further solidifying its reputation as a soccer hub.

Sports Bars

Whether it's the Bruins Football, the Rose Bowl Game, the World Cup, or any other nail-biting match for basketball, baseball, and hockey, Pasadena's sports bars serve up a roaring fandom experience.

Pasadena Sporting Venues

Annual Sporting Events

Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation Golf Classic

September 8, 2023The Tournament of Roses Foundation is hosting its 2nd Annual Golf Classic at the Brookside Golf Course, nestled up against the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium. Designed by famed golf architect William P. Bell in the Arroyo Seco, the Golf Classic is presented in partnership with J.P. Morgan Private Bank.

UCLA Bruins College Football

September – October 2023

The Rose Bowl Stadium is the proud home of the UCLA Bruins football team, offering an exciting opportunity to experience one of the finest football fandoms in the nation.

Breeders’ Cup World Championships

November 3 – 4, 2023

14 new world champions will be crowned at the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park. The festivities include the return of Pasadena Fan Fest at the plaza outside of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where The Spazmatics, a four-piece 80s cover band, will kick off the action.

Adaptive Sports Festival

November 2023

Triumph Foundation presents an annual Adaptive Sports Festival at Brookside Park in Pasadena, featuring wheelchair basketball, tennis, rugby, pickleball, hockey, golf, handcycling, archery, and more. The event is open to everyone and free to attend.
https://www.cityofpasadena.net/parks-and-rec/community-event/14031/

Santa Anita Park Horse Racing

December 2022 – June 2023

Experience the live horse races at “The Great Race Place” while enjoying tack amenities and a breathtaking panorama view of the San Gabriel Mountains. Racing season runs from December to June from Thursday to Sunday. You can wager at betting windows or self-service terminals.

Rose Bowl Game

January 1, 2024

The 2024 Rose Bowl Game will be the 110th “Granddaddy of Them All” on New Year’s Day. The game will be a College Football Playoff Semifinal featuring a matchup between two of the top four teams in the country. Born in 1902, the Rose Bowl Game is the oldest of bowl games. The Rose Bowl Game immediately follows the 135th Rose Parade, as part of the Tournament of Roses. The champions of the game will receive the Leishman trophy. Game day packages and tours are available through On Location with the Official Rose Bowl Game Packages. The public fanfest and the official tailgate parties begin at 8:00 a.m. on game day, featuring a variety of food and beverage vendors, as well as interactive games, music, TVs and more.

Rose Bowl Half Marathon & 5K

January 21, 2024

The Rose Bowl Half Marathon presents a one-of-a-kind finish line on the field of the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium. The course runs through Pasadena’s remarkable landmarks such as the Colorado Street Bridge, Historic Old Pasadena, and Caltech University. The event benefits the McCourt Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on Neurological Diseases to help patients and families affected by Alzheimer’s, MS, ALS, and Parkinson’s diseases.

Pasadena City Championship

March 2024

The Pasadena City Championship is a golf tournament that dates back to 1929 as one of Southern California’s most prestigious amateur tournaments. The tournament is currently a 54-hole medal play event with a 36-hole cut after two days. The event currently averages more than 300 players and is hosted by the Brookside Men’s Golf Club in collaboration with the Rose Bowl Operating Company, American Golf and The First Tee of Greater Pasadena. The proceeds support youth development programs for the First Tee of Greater Pasadena.

UCLA & USC Rivalry Game

November

The Los Angeles college football scene is brimming with excitement and rivalry. The UCLA and USC rivalry is infamous, and the college football rivalry is second to none. The annual rivalry game alternates between the Bruins home stadium at the Rose Bowl Stadium and the Trojans home stadium at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The winning team takes home the Victory Bell trophy, a 295-pound brass bell that was originally a part of the Southern Pacific railroad locomotive. The trophy’s undercarriage is painted “True Blue” when in UCLA’s possession, and when USC has it, it’s painted in the Trojan cardinal. The Bruins were the first winners of the Victory Bell, when the bell was donated to the team by the UCLA Alumni Association in 1939. The rivalry began with some Trojan mischief, when the bell was stolen and hidden for more than a year in 1941. After the student body presidents from both universities came to an agreement, the winner of the annual football rivalry game would be awarded the bell.

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