5 Reasons why Long Beach, California is a great city for all sports fans to visit

#5 The Sports History

As discussed earlier, California State University, Long Beach had many notable athletes graduate from its institution. The city itself has been home to countless professional athletes before, during and after their successful careers.

Within professional basketball this includes Chris "Birdman" Andersen, Jordan Bell, Chuck Terry, Brian Scalabrine, and Russell Westbrook. From hockey, this includes Emerson Etem, Matt Nieto, and Jonathon Blum.

Many past and present NFL players have called Long Beach home including Jayon Brown, Jurrell Casey, Antonie Cason, Ronnie Hillman, DeSean Jackson, and Donovan Warren. From baseball, Long Beach-related players include Justin Turner, Tony Gwynn Jr. and Sr., Tyler Houston, Jeff Burroughs, Scott Erickson, and Aaron Hicks.

Other sports greats from the area include tennis legend Billie Jean King, L.A. Galaxy soccer player Daniel Steres, track-and-field record holder Kate Schmidt, NASCAR driver Jason Leffler, and pro skateboarder Terry Kennedy. Sports-related entertainers with Long Beach roots include Snoop Dogg, Nicolas Cage, Cameron Diaz, and Korn singer Jonathan Davis.

The key is that Long Beach has no shortage of sports-related celebrities to brag of, and that the city continues to show its widespread influence on an international basis. Even without a major sports franchise to call its own.