A division in sports consists of a group of teams which compete against one another for a divisional title. For the River in the North-East of England, see River Team. ...

It is often part of a league system, which is a set of divisions, in which teams can move between differently ranked divisions. Divisions are then organised in such a way that teams or players in any given division are comparably adept at their chosen sport, so that matches are more even, and therefore more exciting. Often this is achieved by ensuring that the victors of one division are promoted to some "higher" division upon achieving their divisional title, while the worst teams in the division are relegated. Variations on this idea exist in the form of playoffs. A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport that teams (usually) can be promoted or relegated between, depending on finishing positions or playoffs. ... A player of a game is a participant therein. ... Tug of war is an easily organized, impromptu game that requires little equipment. ... Promotion, used in sports leagues of most countries outside North America, is the mandated transfer of the best team(s) of a lower league into a higher league at the end of the season. ... In the sports leagues — especially soccer leagues — of many countries, relegation (or demotion) means the mandated transfer of the worst team(s) (often the bottom three) of a higher league into a lower league at the end of the season. ... A playoff in sports (North American professional sports in particular) is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion, or a similar accolade. ...

Sometimes divisions are based on geography instead of competitive success—for instance, Major League Baseball's American and National Leagues have East, West, and Central divisions. In some sports, the geographical divisions are quite loosely related to actual geography; this is sometimes a source of controversy, as in the National Football League, where the Dallas Cowboys—despite being farther west than the St. Louis Rams of the NFC West—reside in the NFC East due to longstanding rivalries with NFC clubs in the northeastern U.S. In the late 1990s, the NFC West contained only one team west of the Rocky Mountains and included two teams from states the bordered the Atlantic Ocean. MLB and Major Leagues redirect here. ... The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League, is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada and the worlds oldest extant professional team sports league. ... NFL redirects here. ... City Irving, Texas Other nicknames Americas Team, The Boys Team colors Royal Blue (PMS 661), Silver-Green (PMS 8280), Silver (PMS 8240), and Navy Blue (PMS 282) Head Coach Wade Phillips Owner Jerry Jones General manager Jerry Jones League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1960–present) Northern Conference (1960... City St. ... The NFC West refers to the Western Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States of America defined by the US Census Bureau. ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ...

The term "league" is also sometimes used to describe an individual division within a league.

See also

• List of professional sports leagues
• Group tournaments