 Virginia is the most populous U.S. state without a major professional sports league franchise . The reasons for this include the lack of any dominant city or market within the state , the proximity of teams in Washington , D.C. and North Carolina , and a reluctance to publicly finance stadiums . However , in recent years , the city of Virginia Beach has proposed a new arena designed to lure a major league franchise . Norfolk is host to two minor league teams : The AAA Norfolk Tides and the ECHL 's Norfolk Admirals . The San Francisco Giants ' AA team , the Richmond Flying Squirrels , began play at The Diamond in 2010 , replacing the AAA Richmond Braves , who relocated after 2008 . Additionally , the Washington Nationals , Boston Red Sox , Seattle Mariners , Chicago White Sox , and Atlanta Braves also have Single @-@ A and Rookie @-@ level farm teams in Virginia . 
