longest championship drought city longest championship drought city

Unfortunately, the wheels have fallen off in recent decades. The Las Vegas Aces organization also has never won an WNBA title in its 25-year history. 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. One of two teams from Cleveland on the list, the Guardians not only hold the longest drought, but also have the most championship appearances of any team on this list with . Last championship in the city: New York Giants (2012), or for Brooklyn specifically, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. A good VPN provides extra security and unequalled privacy for everything you do online. Detroit Tigers - 7 years. It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. Contact Frank with thoughts, questions, and story ideas at [emailprotected]. Of those 12, they have the longest championship victory or appearance drought. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. New Orleans Saints (1967-2010): . After the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks share the second-longest Cup drought at 51 years. The franchise was originally based in Los Angeles, but moved to Oakland prior to the 1982 season. Here's a look at the longest championship droughts for teams still in their original cities. Mariners: 46 seasons (No titles)With the Nationals making it to the Fall Classic in 2019, that left the Mariners as the only franchise without an appearance in baseballs championship event. To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. The Kings had a mini-dynasty under Coach Rick Adelman from 1997-2006 making the playoffs 8 consecutive years, including winning back-to-back Pacific division titles in 2002-2003. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. Your email address will not be published. Buffalo, who has With the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs breaking their respective curses this century, the longest World Series drought now belongs to the Cleveland Guardians. 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). The Bucs only three postseason appearances since then (2013-15) all fell short of the NLCS. The Chargers were 19-point underdogs against Steve Young and San Francisco 49ers, who jumped to a 42-10 lead and coasted to a 49-26 win. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN. Which WNBA team has the longest championship drought? Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. Kansas City's last three playoff losses have come by a total of nine points a freak 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh in a divisional game after the 2016 season, a 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans after the 2017 season and a 37-31 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in the . To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. Longest playoff drought - New York Jets: With the Browns and Bucs both having made the playoffs in 2020, the Jets now own the longest drought, not having appeared in a postseason contest since the 2010 AFC Championship Game. 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. They have not made the playoffs since then. During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). 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. Among teams that have never won a title, the Phoenix Suns have the longest drought at 54 seasons. Its par for the course from a team that has battled to even reach mediocrity during its best seasons in the last two decades. . June 20, 2016 2:16 pm. But there is one important caveat: most of these cities have not had pro sports franchises for very long. This 6 seed. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. Here is how they compare to those 12. Kansas City Royals - 6 years. Milwaukee is the 39th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,576,236. 12. However, they lost to the Houston Astros. Fans growing up as children hoping desperately to see their favorite club they were raised to support one day lift the banner declaring the champions. 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. Buffalo has been home to the NFLs Buffalo Bills, the NHLs Buffalo Sabres and the NBAs Buffalo Bison (now Atlanta Hawks) and Buffalo Braves (now Los Angeles Clippers). Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. This is also a list of the last time a particular club won a divisional playoff game. Updated with completion of NFL season ending in 2023. The club they defeated, the Indians, still maintains the record for the longest World Series drought in baseball history. 8 Philadelphia 76ers: 38 . Columbus has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Memphis history. Led by Dwight Howard, the Magic stunned LeBron James and the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. The Longest NFL Championship Droughts The wait can be miserable. Only locations . Under Coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were a remarkably successful expansion franchise. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Buffalo is the nations 50th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,136,856. We also cover VPNs, internet providers & more. Of active NFL teams 20 have won the Super Bowl, Of active NFL teams 7 have won AFL or NFL championship pre-merger Of active NFL teams 5 have not won any championship or Super Bowl. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. Teams that have never made it beyond each successive milestone are listed under the year in which they began NFL play. Los Angeles Clippers - 52 years. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. Seattle then went 20 years without making it back to the postseason, but that streak is now over. For example, Canada the birthplace of hockey is home to seven cities with NHL franchises, but none of them have brought home a Stanley Cup in the last 30 years. Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. HotDog.com Blog Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts. Nashville has 2 active teams, the, The most recent championship for Portland was the, The most recent championship for Dallas was the, There have been no championships in Salt Lake City history. In 2003-04, the Panthers battled the Patriots in a shootout, with a Jake Delhomme touchdown pass evening the score at 29 with 1:08 to go. Jacksonville is the nations 40th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of1,504,980. How else could he watch one to two films every day? Which NHL team has the longest Stanley Cup drought? and, in a few cases, century-long curses. Here are the US and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. The team moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after 56 years in San Diego. 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. Rangers/Senators: 62 seasons (No titles)The franchise didnt make the postseason in its first 35 seasons (the first 11 in Washington) after arriving as an expansion team in 1961. The Brewers have made it to the playoffs only three times since then. Which teams have the longest championship droughts? If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . Toronto Star via Getty Images. General manager Billy Beanes innovative roster strategies have kept the As competitive on small-market budgets, particularly during the clubs Moneyball period in the early 2000s, but the franchise has reached just two ALCS since last winning the World Series in 1989. With their Game 7 win in the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers became the first professional sports team in Cleveland to win a championship in 52 years ending what had been the longest drought between . They returned to the AFC Championship in 2002-03, losing to the Oakland Raiders 41-24. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. The Colorado Avalanche last won the Stanley Cup in 2001. 57 years. Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nations 16th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,600,618. Listed here are both appearance droughts and winning droughts in almost every level of the NFL playoff system. The Magic faced the defending champion Houston Rockets who had struggled during the season, leading some to predict a Magic sweep. Locations were attributed championships for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time that they won the championship. But cities that have been awarded franchises recently have an additional disadvantage, because there are now more teams to compete against than in earlier years. appreciated. The organization's last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. Things looked promising for the Magic when they landed Shaquille ONeal with the #1 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. However, they were stripped of the title and the Maroons were suspended by the NFL for playing an exhibition game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Longest championship drought, by sport. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals . The Bucks lost in seven games to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in a series that some believe was rigged in Philadelphias favor. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Ottawa. Phoenix Suns - 53 years. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. 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. San Diego is the nations 17th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,337,685. 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. The Reds have been 2-11 in its four post-season appearances since then and has finished in last or next to last 11 times including the last five seasons. Tigers: 38 seasons (Last title in 1984)Detroits last trip to the World Series came in 2012, when the Tigers were swept at the hands of the Giants. Milwaukees only championships in the modern era are from the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. Locations were attributed wins for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time it took place. The Game 1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals also represented the Phillies first playoff victory since Game 3 in the 2011 NLDS on Oct. 4, 2011. He specializes in technology, business, and film/television. . For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the US for the longest championship drought. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much For more information, check out our comprehensive FuboTV review. Ironically, the 2016 World Series loss to the Chicago Cubs snapped the longest championship drought ever, with the Cubs going 107 years without a title. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). Counted from the first Super Bowl season, 1966, to present. Whether curses are to blame or just bad management and worse luck, fans put up with a lot. The Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees. The Kings lost Game 6 in Los Angeles 106-102 in a controversial game that many have claimed demonstrates that the league wanted to ensure that the marquee Lakers and not the small-market Kings reached the NBA Finals; as in the final minutes, all foul calls and non-calls went the Lakers way. It would take the Sabres 24 years to return to the Stanley Cup Finals where they faced the Dallas Stars in 1999. In 1995, Charlotte became home to the NFL Panthers who have had much greater success, including making it to the NFC Championship game in their second year. As a one-sport city, Sacramento lives and dies by its Kings. Cleveland Guardians (MLB) - 73 years. The Queen City is home to the MLBs Cincinnati Reds, NFLs Cincinnati Bengals and MLS FC Cincinnati (debuting this season) and was once home to the NBAs Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings) and the World Hockey Associations Cincinnati Stingers. The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a 52-year championship drought June 19, 2016, when they toppled the Golden State Warriors in a best-of-seven series. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. In this installment, we cover the 10 cities who have not seen a championship in 20 years or more in any major sport San Diego, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Charlotte, Orlando, Cincinnati, the Twin Cities, Jacksonville, and Nashville. 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. Padres fans can take comfort in the fact that the Yankees were simply that good, as they began a 10-game World Series winning streak as the Yankees also swept the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and beat the New York Mets (4-1) in 2000. Active droughts are listed in bold type In 2015-16, Cam Newton would lead the Panthers to a 15-1 season that was capped off with a 49-15 rout of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game. The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in Chicago. There were World Series chances in '84 and 98, but the Padres won just one Fall Classic game in those years against the Tigers and Yankees, respectively. In their last appearance, the Vikings were playing for a chance to play in the Super Bowl to be held in Minneapolis. The Cubs last win came in 1945 against the . Blue Jays: 29 seasons (Last title in 1993)The road to the World Series title ran through Toronto at the beginning of the 1990s, but dynastic days north of the border subsided at the turn of the millennium. Sadly for hockey fans in Philly, the Philadelphia Flyers arent far behind. Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring. The other seven clubs (Cardinals, Lions, Oilers/Titans, Chargers, Browns, Bills, and Vikings) all won an NFL or AFL championship prior to the AFLNFL merger; in the case of the Vikings, however, the Super Bowl existed at the time they won their only league title (in 1969), leaving them and the Falcons as the only two teams to have never won the highest championship available to them. But if youre not going to count those as championships then you have to start counting years with the start of Super Bowls. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. . WOLVERHAMPTON, England: Wolverhampton boosted their survival hopes and delivered a damaging blow to Tottenham's Champions League ambitions in a 1-0 win in the English Premier League on Saturday. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. Your email address will not be published. You can see his writing on low-budget and weird film at, Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts, Metros With the Longest Active Championship Droughts, Cities With the Most Professional Sports Championships, Cities With the Longest NBA Championship Droughts of All Time. The next season, the Predators won the NHLs Presidents Trophy for the best record but were upset by the Winnipeg Jets 4-3. Of course, the Cardinals arent the only franchise with a championship drought beyond 50 years. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); HotDog is the internet's oldest guide to cordcutting, replacing expensive cable or satellite TV with cheaper or free live stream and OTA options. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. Sacramento is the 27th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,324,884. Here are the longest title droughts among the remaining NBA playoff teams, starting with the longest. They have two teams but took a World Series home in 1990. The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason . The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice. From 1917-67, Toronto won the Stanley Cup finals 13 times, they still have the second-most Stanley Cup wins in NHL history. Entering Week 18, the Giants have only their second winning season in 10 yers. Orioles: 39 seasons (Last title in 1983)Baltimores most recent trip to the World Series was its victory over the Phillies in 1983, when Cal Ripken Jr. was a 23-year-old who was only a year and a half into his consecutive-games streak. 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. Time flies by and those same fans are capturing their children and even grandchildren in that same feeling. While they have had some success in Memphis, they have only reached the conference finals once in 2013 where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Sacramento has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Miami was the, The most recent championship for Ottawa was the, There have been no championships in Orlando history. It is the largest city on the list and the only one with teams in all major leagues. Charlotte has 2 active teams, the, There have been no championships in Vancouver history. The closest Milwaukee came to a title since 1971, however, was in 1982 when the Harvey Wallbanger Brewers won their only pennant in their 50-year history. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for 16 consecutive seasons. 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. NFL. With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's look at the cities with two or more "Big Four" sports teams (meaning from the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL sorry, MLS and college sports) that have gone the longest without a title. The team lost the World Series four times over the last 73 seasons, most recently in 2016 when the Cubs snapped their unprecedented 108-year skid. The Sacramento skyline, as seen fromThe ZigguratinWest Sacramento, California. The Predators, after missing the playoffs their first five seasons, have made the playoffs 12 of the 15 seasons since then. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. Featured Photo Credit: Doug Lemke / Shutterstock. Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks back to the NBA Finals in 1974 against the Boston Celtics. For everything you need to know about Hulu, be sure to browse our Hulu + Live TV review. The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. After the Cav's NBA championship last night, the city that's endured the most seasons without a major sport championship is San Diego. 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. Far more importantly, New York is in the playoffs for the first time since Ben McAdoo was the head coach, bringing an end to the Giants five-year playoff drought. If you value privacy, security, and access, you need a quality VPN. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. The Detroit Red Wings brought the last major championship home to the Motor City ten . The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . In 2015, the MLS added Orlando FC, which has yet to qualify for the playoffs. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. The Mariners have gone 20 years without reaching the MLB playoffs, it is the longest active postseason drought in the top four American mens sports. It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. Since then the Bills have won only one playoff game the 1995 Wild Card game. The Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. The franchise is 0-4 in potential championship clinchers over its past two trips to the Series, having squandered a 3-1 advantage to the Cubs in 2016. This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended decade-long and, in a few cases, century-long curses. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. Your email address will not be published. Basketball fans must go all the way back to the 1051 NBA to find the last Kings championship. While championship droughts are the focus, some fan bases have gone more than a decade without even seeing their team in the playoffs. The Original Ottawa Senators last won the Stanley Cup in 1927. San Jose has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Chicago was the, There have been no championships in Winnipeg history. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. We recommend (And use!) Milwaukee since has made two National League Championship Series appearances. Its made just one Fall Classic, in '82, when the Brew Crew was unable to finish off a 3-2 lead against the Cardinals. Related: MLB power rankings 2022 Houston Astros, New York Yankees battle for No.1 spot. 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. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. Guardians: 74 seasons (Last title in 1948)Cleveland has had its chances during this time, but it lost World Series in 1954, 95, 97 and 2016 -- four of the clubs 12 postseason appearances since beating the Boston Braves in the 1948 Fall Classic. (SeeThrowback Thursday: Bucks wintitle.). After taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, Colorado is back on top of the NHL world. Padres: 54 seasons (No titles)An expansion team in 1969, San Diego has yet to bring home a title. In 2001, the NBAs Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis after six seasons and a dismal 101-359 (.219) record. The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in. In the Super Bowl, however, the Denver Broncos defense shut down Newton, as the Broncos won 24-10 in Peyton Mannings final game. It is the longest playoff drought in NBA history, surpassing the Los Angeles Clippers (15, 1977-19992) and Minnesota Timberwolves (13, 2005-18).