South Carolina does not have any major league professional sports teams (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS) based within the state. However, it is home to a number of professional minor league and lower-division teams across various sports.
Here’s a list of professional sports teams in South Carolina:
Baseball (Minor League)
- Greenville Drive (High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox) – Greenville
- Charleston RiverDogs (Low-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays) – Charleston
- Columbia Fireflies (Low-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals) – Columbia
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Low-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) – Myrtle Beach
- Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves) – North Augusta (though in SC, they represent Augusta, GA)
- Florence Flamingos (Coastal Plain League – Summer Collegiate) – Florence
- Lexington County Blowfish (Coastal Plain League – Summer Collegiate) – Lexington County
Soccer
- Charleston Battery (USL Championship) – Mount Pleasant (oldest continuously operating professional soccer club in the US)
- Greenville Triumph SC (USL League One) – Greenville
- Greenville Liberty (USL W League – women’s soccer) – Greenville
- SC United Bantams (USL League Two – pre-professional) – Columbia
Hockey
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings) – Greenville
- South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals) – North Charleston
Basketball (Semi-pro)
- South Carolina Warriors (ABA) – Myrtle Beach
- Greenville Galaxy (ABA) – Greenville
- Palmetto State Rizers (ABA) – Columbia
It’s also worth noting that major league teams based in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina (like the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and MLS’s Charlotte FC) have a significant fanbase and interest in representing both North and South Carolina.