Current NFL cities/regions only. In the world of major professional sports, some cities are known as consistent winners, while others have a long history of hard luck in the search for a sports championship. The Hornets would move to New Orleans after the 2002 season. 1. The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl (aka the Playoff Bowl; 19601969) is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list. It has been an essential part of our streaming toolkit for years. Pirates: 43 seasons (Last title in 1979)Only six franchises have won more championships than Pittsburgh (five), but its been a rough road for the franchise since Barry Bonds departure following a heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS. Total professional sports championships: 18. Sadly for hockey fans in Philly, the Philadelphia Flyers arent far behind. The team would move to Dallas in 1993, with the Minnesota Wild debuting in 2000. It is the largest city on the list and the only one with teams in all major leagues. Though no other American sports franchise has reached the century mark for years without a title, there . The Chicago Cubs: A History Of The Longest Pennant Drought In Major The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason . Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. That 10-year drought is twice as long as anyone else in the NFL, as the Cardinals, Bengals and Broncos have all most . But the magic hasnt been sufficient enough in the years since, though the Mets did enjoy plenty of memorable moments during their NL pennant runs in 2000 and 15. The Bucs only three postseason appearances since then (2013-15) all fell short of the NLCS. Since the Chargers won the 1963 AFL championship, the Chargers, Padres, Clippers and Rockets have played a combined 109 seasons without a championship among them. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. How to Stream Without Cable, Why Sports Matter to Cable Subscribers: One-Third May Cancel If NFL is Postponed. Twins: 31 seasons (Last title in 1991)The days of Jack Morris, Kirby Puckett and the "Homer Hanky" are growing further and further into the rearview mirror for the Twins. Advertisement. In 2016-17 they claimed the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and then swept the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks and then beat the St. Louis Blues (4-2) and Anaheim Ducks (4-2) to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. A championship is listed as winning an NFL Championship (19201969), AFL Championship (19601969), and Super Bowl Championship (1966present). The New York Liberty are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. Paul) owns the longest championship drought of all American cities that have teams in the four major sports. And here are the 10 longest World Series title droughts in MLB history that are no longer active (going back to the inaugural World Series in 1903): Cubs: 107 years (1909-2016)White Sox: 87 years (1918-2005)Red Sox: 85 years (1919-2004)Phillies: 77 years (1903-80)Orioles/Browns: 63 years (1903-66)Twins/Senators: 62 years (1925-87)Astros: 55 years (1962-2017)Giants: 55 years (1955-2010)Dodgers: 52 years (1903-55)Nationals/Expos: 50 years (1969-2019), MLB-record streak of elimination-game losses. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. Each of the traditional Big Four sports leagues expanded into new markets throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, while Major League Soccer has only existed since 1996. The Rochester Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings, won the NBA Finals in 1951. Some believe a curse is a reason for this title drought. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. For many of these teams, these streaks of decades without a championship extend beyond one generation. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts. Prior to the 1972 season, the AFL's Oakland Raiders defeated the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. The Kings also have one of the longest playoff droughts in American professional sports. Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the. It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. Nashville became a major league city in 1998 when the NFLs Tennessee Oilers moved from Memphis (they became the Titans the following season) and the Nashville Predators debuted as an NHL expansion team. Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts The team has two WNBA Finals appearances in its history: 2008 and 2020. Active droughts are listed in bold type City. The 2007-08 Celtics rolled to a stop-the-insanity 131-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 17, 2008, after which no Boston team would win a championship until . Since then, the Os have fallen in the ALCS in 1996, 97 and 2014. Detroit Tigers - 7 years. And in some cases, it could be all of a citys sports franchises struggling simultaneously, like in Cleveland, which experienced a 52-year championship drought from the Browns 1964 NFL title to the Cavaliers 2016 NBA championship. (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). 7 seed in the NFC with a Seattle Seahawks loss in Week 18 and a Lions victory over the Green Bay Packers. 6 seed. The . The Hornets/Bobcats have made only 10 playoff appearances and have never advanced beyond the second round. The Mariners last made the playoffs in 2001, an unforgettable season for the team. Active droughts are listed in bold type. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. Mets: 36 seasons (Last title in 1986)It took a series of miracles for the Mets to come back in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series before eventually prevailing in Game 7. Your email address will not be published. They have not won a playoff series since then. Of the 12 teams that have never won the Super Bowl, four are expansion franchises younger than the Super Bowl itself (the Bengals, Panthers, Jaguars, and Texans), while the Falcons began playing during the season in which the Super Bowl was first played. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. The franchises most recent Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza, was 18 years old when the Mets won it all in 86. Its made just one Fall Classic, in '82, when the Brew Crew was unable to finish off a 3-2 lead against the Cardinals. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals . Note that the NFL did not institute a permanent playoff tournament until 1967 and that the NFL Championship Game and any impromptu one-game playoffs (played only in the event of a tie atop the division standings) were the only postseason matchups in this era. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship, but one important caveat is that most of these cities have not had pro sports franchises for very long. Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports. If you value privacy, security, and access, you need a quality VPN. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. After that promising start, they have had only four winning seasons and three playoff appearances since 1999. Pottsville won the game 21-7, a win that should have secured the championship. Theyve made it twice total since last winning in 1984. Franchises with the longest championship droughts | Yardbarker Rays: 25 years (No titles)Tampa Bay debuted as the Devil Rays and began with some lean times, averaging 97 losses over its first 10 seasons. Oklahoma City has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Green Bay was the, The most recent championship for Washington DC was the, The most recent championship for Toronto was the, The most recent championship for San Antonio was the, There have been no championships in Las Vegas history. Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos playoff drought extended to seven seasons. Columbus has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Memphis history. The organizations last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. They have not made the playoffs since then. He specializes in technology, business, and film/television. Despite fielding nine teams, the most of any city in the country, New York has not won a title in nearly nine years, almost 3,200 days. They have two teams but took a World Series home in 1990. Super Bowl odds: Every teams championship futures for 2023 NFL season, NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl, MLB power rankings 2022 Houston Astros, New York Yankees battle for No.1 spot, MLB playoffs 2023: MLB postseason predictions, World Series and playoffs info, Who is the oldest NBA player? Between the NHLs Sabres (established 1970) and the NFLs Bills (established 1960), Buffalo has never experienced a sports championship in 62 years of having teams. If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . After the Cav's NBA championship last night, the city that's endured the most seasons without a major sport championship is San Diego. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. But the team has had its stars -- including Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Johan Santana -- who led Minnesota to six AL Central titles from 2002-10 before the club suffered early postseason exits. Of course, some have it worse than others. 10 of those cities have seen at least 2 teams total (in 2 different sports) win a championship ; 10 have seen at least 1 championship since 2010; 11 have seen at least 1 team win a championship since 2000 Colorado has yet to capture an NL West division title. Phoenix, which is home to MLBs Arizona Diamondbacks, the NBAs Phoenix Suns, the NFLs Arizona Cardinals and the NHLs Arizona Coyotes, won its only championship ever in 2001 when the Diamondbacks won a thrilling World Series over the New York Yankees by scoring two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 7. Neither team has been crowned the NHLs champions since entering the league in 1970. An early exit extended Torontos futility with one of the longest championship droughts in sports. The city of Los Angeles has the longest championship drought of any NBA city. They also won the pennant in 2006, when they lost in five games to the 83-win Cardinals. NFL. The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in Chicago. Each of the traditional Big Four sports leagues expanded into new markets throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, while Major League Soccer has only existed since 1996. Your email address will not be published. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. While championship droughts are the focus, some fan bases have gone more than a decade without even seeing their team in the playoffs. Basketball fans must go all the way back to the 1051 NBA to find the last Kings championship. Longest championship droughts within the four major sports And in some cases, it could be all of a citys sports franchises struggling simultaneously, like in Cleveland, which experienced a 52-year championship drought from the Browns 1964 NFL title to the Cavaliers 2016 NBA championship. Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts - HotDog.com To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. "Hotdog" is a registered trademark of Incognito Mode LLC. Jacksonville is the nations 40th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of1,504,980. While the Cardinals appeared in Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, their lone Super Bowl appearance, this organization has never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. They lost the championship the following season and did not reach the championship game for 60 years before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl LIII. 2023 ChampsOrChumps.us Terms Privacy Policy, The most recent championship for Minneapolis was the, The most recent championship for New York was the, The most recent championship for Phoenix was the, The most recent championship for Cincinnati was the, There have been no championships in Charlotte history. In 1990, the Cincinnati Reds swept the favored Oakland As for their 5th World Series Championship. Still, 15 of the 30 teams have gone at least the past 25 seasons -- since MLB's most recent expansion in 1998 -- without winning the World Series. The Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the postseason thanks to the added No. Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since Minnesota last saw a title, when the MLBs Twins won in 1991. The Yankees swept the Padres, clinching Game 4 at Qualcomm Stadium. Rocky Widner / NBA. 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After losing Game 6, the Brewers jumped to a 3-1 lead in Game 7 and were 9 our away from a World Series title, but the Cardinals came back to win 6-3. Entire US Womens Soccer Team Sues US Soccer for Gender Discrimination, we covered franchise championship conference titles, conference finals, and playoff appearance droughts, team moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after 56 years in San Diego. In our first installment, we covered franchise championship conference titles, conference finals, and playoff appearance droughts, with theArizona Cardinals (71 years), Cleveland Indians (70), Sacramento Kings (67), Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues (50) having the longest droughts in their respective leagues. The Kansas City Royals have a chance to end a 29-year wait for a second world title. The Magic came back and won 60 games, but could not get past the 72-win Chicago Bulls who swept the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Required fields are marked *. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. ExpressVPN. The Bills lost all four Super Bowls, with the closest one being in the 1990-91 season when Scott Norwoods potential game-winning 47-yard field goal attempt with 8-seconds remaining was wide by a foot. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. Buffalo, who has All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. Who are the teams with the longest championship drought? The Brewers have made it to the playoffs only three times since then. Which NFL team has the longest Super Bowl drought? Its par for the course from a team that has battled to even reach mediocrity during its best seasons in the last two decades. Additionally, each location must have had at least one professional sports team operating in all years of its championship drought for that losing streak to count. Cleveland last won a championship 69 years ago, in 1948. Cities With the Longest NBA Championship Droughts of All Time This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. and, in a few cases, century-long curses. Only one team can win the World Series every year, but some fanbases have been waiting a long time to see their team raise the Commissioners Trophy. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. Following the 2021-22 NBA season, Sacramento has missed the playoff in 16 consecutive seasons. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports - WPRI.com But their quest to give the city of San Diego its first World Series crown ended when the Phillies beat them in five games. After the Eagles' Super Bowl win, the longest championship droughts for This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. The Bucks made it back to the conference finals in 2001 with a team led by Hall of Famer Ray Allen and Sam Cassell in the backcourt and power forward Glenn Big Dog Robinson. Additionally, each location must have had at least one professional sports team operating in all years of its championship drought for that losing streak to count. Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. 8 Philadelphia 76ers: 38 . Last championship in the city: New York Giants (2012), or for Brooklyn specifically, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked US and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA. Cleveland reached the World Series multiple times (1954, 95, 97 and 2016). After the Kings, the Atlanta Hawks hold the next-longest championship drought, which extends back to 1958. appreciated. The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . Note that for continuity purposes, the Cleveland Browns are officially considered to have suspended operations for the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons. The Maple Leafs have now gone 55 years without being crowned NHL champions. We have seen one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts end in recent years. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS. Cincinnati is the 29th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,179,082. Ranking Lists - Champs or Chumps Active droughts are listed in bold type. The Bucks swept through the NBA playoffs beating Nate Thurmond and the San Francisco Warriors (4-1), Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers (4-1) and sweeping Wes Unseld and the Baltimore Bullets. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports. We recommend (And use!) It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. What Sports Team Has the Longest Drought? - Sportsmanist Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. Jabbar played only one more season with the Bucks, but the franchise found new life in the 1980s under Coach Don Nelson with 7-straight 50-win seasons and three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals only to face dynastic Philadelphia and Boston teams. . The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills are the other franchises that were in existence before the Super Bowl era that have yet to take home the Lombardi Trophy. New York lost in the midst of long title drought Projected by many as a contender entering the season, Russell Wilson regressed and Nathaniel Hackett didnt make it a full season before he was fired. (SeeThrowback Thursday: Bucks wintitle.). Orlando has not won a title since becoming a pro-city in 1989 when the Orlando Magic joined the NBA. The first time was in 1920 behind the guise and bat of player/manager Tris Speaker. During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). What are the worst droughts in modern sports history? - Deadspin Longest Active Championship Droughts | The Poolside Post It could be a decades-long, mythic streak of losing, like the 86- and 108-year World Series droughts of the Boston Red Sox (ended in 2004) and the Chicago Cubs (ended in 2016). Keep in mind, that this happened when this franchise played in Rochester, New York as the Rochester Royals. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. The NFL's longest current drought is held by the Oakland Raiders, who have not won a championship since 1972. Discovery Company. Top 10 Longest Championship Droughts in North American Pro Sports NBA championship drought: 39 seasons (1975-2013) Reason the drought ended: 2014 championship season (Warriors) Most recent championship season: 2017 season (Warriors) Total NBA championships: 4. Shaq would leave for the Lakers the next season and it would not be until 2008-2009 that the Magic would return to the conference finals. Instead, it was the Rockets who swept the Magic as Hakeem Olajuwon outplayed the younger Shaq. Cyber Monday is coming with lots of deals on the things cord-cutters want and need from top providers like Hulu, ExpressVPN and NordVPN. New York then lost in the Finals three times from 1999 to 2002. After snapping one of the longest playoff droughts in MLB, the Phillies made it back to the World Series for the first time since 2009. Since then the Wild has only had eight playoff appearance and won only two playoff series.