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. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. Your email address will not be published. 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. Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks back to the NBA Finals in 1974 against the Boston Celtics. After consecutive first-round losses in 2005 and 2006, the Kings fired Adelman despite a .633 win percentage over 8 years. This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. 2023 Cable News Network. Instead, it was the Rockets who swept the Magic as Hakeem Olajuwon outplayed the younger Shaq. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Buffalo, who has gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. The last time the Lions won a championship came in 1957, when they defeated the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game. Sacramento is the 27th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,324,884. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. 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. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald came within a minute of ending that streak in 2007, but a six-yard Santonio . The Mariners last made the playoffs in 2001, an unforgettable season for the team. (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). Then in the Super Bowl, they almost pulled off another miracle, as Kevin Dyson (who scored the Music City Miracle) was stopped a foot shy of a game-tying touchdown on the final play of the game. Some believe a curse is a reason for this title drought. 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. Padres: 54 seasons (No titles)An expansion team in 1969, San Diego has yet to bring home a title. Sadly for hockey fans in Philly, the Philadelphia Flyers arent far behind. This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in the NFL, with their last title coming in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. Which NHL team has the longest Stanley Cup drought? Ottawa. The Sabres made it to the Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007, but have not won a playoff series since then. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals . Researchers at HotDog.com ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. 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 Lakers went on to win Game 7 at Sacramento in overtime 112-106. At least the Maple Leafs arent totally alone. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. Its also an essential tool for getting the most out of your streaming services. Tom Brady, however, drove the Patriots 37 yards to set up the game-winning Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal. The Titans came just a yard short of having a chance to send Super Bowl XXXIV to overtime against the St. Louis Rams. Locations were attributed wins for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time it took place. Here is how they compare to those 12. (See Unfilled Dynasties: The Bucks Stop Here.). Of course, some have it worse than others. In the NBA Finals, the Magic faced Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers who beat them 4-1. 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. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. In 2008-2009, the Arizona Cardinals came back from a 20-7 fourth quarter deficit to go ahead 23-20 with only 2:47 remaining in Super Bowl XLIII but Santonio Holmes amazing end zone catch gave the Pittsburgh Steeles the 27-23 win. To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. Required fields are marked *. Atlanta Hawks - 63 years. The Cubs last win came in 1945 against the . 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. Entering Week 18, the Giants have only their second winning season in 10 yers. The Kings also have one of the longest playoff droughts in American professional sports. The Blue Jays fell in back-to-back ALCS in 2015-16, representing their closest recent attempts. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. They were followed by the World Football Leagues Jacksonville Sharks/Express (defunct), the NASLs Jacksonville Tea Men (defunct), the United States Football Leagues Jacksonville Bulls (defunct) and them, finally, the NFLs Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. 9. 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. Shoutout to the city of Winnipeg, where there's never been a division title in the NHL, but the . 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). After the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks share the second-longest Cup drought at 51 years. Charlotte has 2 active teams, the, There have been no championships in Vancouver history. 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. With a first-round exit in the 2022 playoffs, the Maple Leafs tied the record for longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history, matching the New York Rangers mark from 1940 to 1994. 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. Last Title: 1948 (74-year drought) The Guardians have been the kings of the MLB twice in their 122 seasons of play. The Hornets would move to New Orleans after the 2002 season. The NBA team with the longest championship drought is the sad-Sack-ramento Kings, who last won the league championship in 1951 as the (wait for it) Rochester Royals . He started streaming early, back in 2007 when Netflix introduced what seemed revolutionary even then, "instant watch," or what would eventually become the totality of the company. 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. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. 4:20 PM EDT, Sun October 23, 2016. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. 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. 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. 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. 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. Charlotte is the 22nd largest metropolitan area and has a 2017 population of 2,525,305. (MEDIA GENERAL) After 108 years of waiting for another World Series ring, the Chicago Cubs ended the longest championship drought in major American professional sports history. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for 16 consecutive seasons. After that, the T-Wolves proceeded to miss the playoffs for 13 straight seasons until last year. Advertisement. All Rights Reserved. Among teams that have never won a title, the Phoenix Suns have the longest drought at 54 seasons. The Padres were the last San Diego team with a shot at a title. Total professional sports championships: 18. have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. 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. 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. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Each season begins with optimism across the 30 MLB fanbases, and each one ends with some level of disappointment for 29 of them. Cyber Monday is coming with lots of deals on the things cord-cutters want and need from top providers like Hulu, ExpressVPN and NordVPN. After the Kings, the Atlanta Hawks hold the next-longest championship drought, which extends back to 1958. Things looked promising after they took a 7-0 on their first drive, but then the Philadelphia Eagles shut them down en route to a 38-7 win. We have seen one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts end in recent years. It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. Buffalo's drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. Following the 2021-22 NBA season, Sacramento has missed the playoff in 16 consecutive seasons. The Maple Leafs have now gone 55 years without being crowned NHL champions. 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. The Cleveland Browns are tied for the second-longest conference championship game drought at 29 years. The Sacramento Kings have the longest championship drought in the NBA and one of the longest playoff droughts in American sports. 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. How else could he watch one to two films every day? A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Athletics: 33 seasons (Last title in 1989)The As have enjoyed as many dynastic runs as any team outside the Yankees over the breadth of Major League history, but the last three decades have been a dry period in Oakland. With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's . Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Answer (1 of 3): Counting AFL championships and defunct teams, the longest current droughts for an entire city winning any major sports championship are: 1. 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. Memphis has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Baltimore was the, The most recent championship for Philadelphia was the, The most recent championship for Seattle was the, The most recent championship for Cleveland was the, The most recent championship for Raleigh was the, The most recent championships for Boston were the, The most recent championship for Pittsburgh was the, There have been no championships in Oklahoma City history. Updated with completion of NFL season ending in 2023. 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. 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 . (SeeThrowback Thursday: Bucks wintitle.). The Padres have the distinction of holding the longest championship drought that no one gives a shit about. Manchester United are middle of the pack when it comes to the longest trophy droughts ever suffered by the 20 current Premier League clubs. The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. San Jose has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Chicago was the, There have been no championships in Winnipeg history. The Braves had been one of those teams entering the 2021 season, but they became the latest team to end a lengthy drought by clinching their first title since 1995 by beating the Astros to take home the 2021 World Series trophy that fall. Here are the teams with the longest-running droughts in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and WNBA: Twelve NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl, but no team has gone longer without a championship than the Arizona Cardinals. A puck that rebounds off the goalie, the goal post or an opposing player is not deemed to be a change of possession, and therefore Hull would be deemed to be in possession or control of the puck, allowed to shoot and score a goal even though the one foot would be in the crease in advance of the puck. 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. By: Jill R. Dorson -. Cincinnati is the 29th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,179,082. The Minnesota Timberwolves reached the conference finals only once in 2004 when league MVP Kevin Garnett led them to a conference-best record of 58-24. Since then the Bills have won only one playoff game - the 1995 Wild Card game. 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. Your email address will not be published. In the 1990s the Bills had a dynasty, winning four consecutive AFC Championships (a feat that has not been matched) from 1990-1993 with Hall of Famers Cornelius Bennett (LB), Jim Kelly (QB) James Lofton (WR), Andre Reed (WR), Bruce Smith (DE), Thurman Thomas (RB) and Coach Marvy Levy. Time flies by and those same fans are capturing their children and even grandchildren in that same feeling. See where the Miami Dolphins rank among the current longest title droughts in American major sports. Things looked promising for the Magic when they landed Shaquille ONeal with the #1 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Back in 1925, the Cardinals faced the Pottsville Maroons in the 1925 NFL Championship game. The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are the other NHL teams to go 50-plus years without winning the Stanley Cup. 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. The franchise was originally based in Los Angeles, but moved to Oakland prior to the 1982 season. Unfortunately for the Padres, they faced the New York Yankees, who at 114-48 had posted the second-best record in Major League history. Sacramento Kings - 71 years. Milwaukee is the 39th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,576,236. How to Stream Without Cable, Why Sports Matter to Cable Subscribers: One-Third May Cancel If NFL is Postponed. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? Since then the Wild has only had eight playoff appearance and won only two playoff series. 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. 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. Counted from the first Super Bowl season, 1966, to present. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans. Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. Jacksonvilles debut as a pro-sports city came in 1970 when the American Basketball Associations The Floridians played some of their games in Jacksonville as a regional franchise in 1970 and 1971. They have two teams but took a World Series home in 1990. Milwaukee has been home to MLBs Milwaukee Braves (now Atlanta Braves), the Milwaukee Brewers, the NBAs Milwaukee Hawks (now Atlanta Hawks) and Milwaukee Bucks, the NFLs Milwaukee Badgers and the Green Bay Packers which played some games in Milwaukee from 1933-1994 (Green Bay is not part of the Milwaukee metro area). Its been just as long since the team even reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in five conference finals over that stretch. The following championships were included: Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. 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. Did you encounter any technical issues? As a one-sport city, Sacramento lives and dies by its Kings. It has been home to the NFLs San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers), the NBAs San Diego Rockets (now Houston Rockets), San Diego Clippers (now Los Angeles Clippers) and briefly a second home for the Golden State Warriors, the ABAs San Diego Conquistadors, the NASLs San Diego Sockers (defunct) and the San Diego Padres. Orlando is the 23rd largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,509,831. It would take the Sabres 24 years to return to the Stanley Cup Finals where they faced the Dallas Stars in 1999. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA. To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. The Buffalo Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 prior to Super Bowls between the two football leagues. Here are the US and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. It is the largest city on the list and the only one with teams in all major leagues. Brewers/Pilots: 54 seasons (No titles)After one season in Seattle, the franchise moved to Milwaukee in 1970. All NFL championships since the NFL was founded in 1920 were included; all NBA championships since the NBA was founded in 1946 were included; all World Series were included, dating back to 1903; all NHL championships since the NHL was founded in 1917 were included; and all MLS championships since MLSs first season in 1996 were included. New Orleans Saints (1967-2010): . Last year they had the best record in the National League and were one game away from returning to the World Series, but lost Game 7 of the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1. Kansas City Royals - 6 years. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. In 2017-18, they returned to the AFC Championship and had a 20-10 lead early in the fourth quarter over the defending champion New England Patriots, but Tom Brady led the Patriots back to a 24-20 win. 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. 6 seed. Which WNBA team has the longest championship drought? From 1917-67, Toronto won the Stanley Cup finals 13 times, they still have the second-most Stanley Cup wins in NHL history. When the Cubs rallied from a 3-1 World Series deficit and then broke a 6-6 tie in the 10th inning Wednesday, they broke, as we all know, the longest championship . 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). Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. They have not made the playoffs since then. 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. Once part of the NFL, the Chargers made it to the AFC Championship Game four times: (i) losing to the Oakland Raiders 34-27 in 1980-81; (ii) losing 27-7 to Cincinnati in the famous Freezer Bowl in 1981-82; (iii)losing to the undefeated Patriots 21-12 in 2007-08; and (iv) then there was the 1994-95 season. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl (aka the Playoff Bowl; 19601969) is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list. Mike Bibbys game-winning shot in Game 5 put them up 3-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Since then, the franchise has endured six decades of losing seasons and the longest championship drought among active NFL franchises. The organizations last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. Listed according to seasons waited. 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. With spring training having begun in baseball and basketball and hockey seasons ramping up towards the playoffs towards, hope springs eternal for dedicated fans. The last Buffalo championship was in 1965 when the Bills won their second consecutive AFL title with a 23-0 win over the San Diego Chargers led by quarterback Jack Kemp (who would go on to be a New York Congressman). Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. But the tide turned with a name change and new colors in 2008, when the franchise enjoyed a 31-win turnaround and claimed its first pennant before losing to the Phillies in five games in the World Series. Buffalo is the nations 50th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,136,856. 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. Las Vegas has 2 active teams, the, The most recent championship for Los Angeles was the, The most recent championship for Oakland was the, The most recent championship for St. Louis was the, The most recent championship for Tampa was the, The most recent championship for Atlanta was the, The most recent championship for Milwaukee was the, The most recent championship for Kansas City was the, The most recent championship for Denver was the, The most recent championship for San Francisco was the, The most recent championship for Houston was the. Cleveland last won a championship 69 years ago, in 1948. Not included are some long-suffering cities whose prayers were recently answered such as Atlanta (Atlanta United), Cleveland (Cavaliers), Houston (Astros), Kansas City (Royals), Portland (Timbers) and Washington (Capitals). While championship droughts are the focus, some fan bases have gone more than a decade without even seeing their team in the playoffs. The team left town in 1934. Here are the longest championship droughts in the four major American professional sports. The longest drought overall now belongs to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals at 69 years. The Bucs only three postseason appearances since then (2013-15) all fell short of the NLCS. 57 years. A good VPN provides extra security and unequalled privacy for everything you do online. Here's a look at the longest championship droughts for teams still in their original cities. For these teams, its practically impossible. 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. The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. (All-time and active). LEARN MORESports fans will be glad to know that Hulu + Live TV streamers can also select their favorite teams to watch live from six different sports leagues across five different sports. 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. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . Its par for the course from a team that has battled to even reach mediocrity during its best seasons in the last two decades. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. In their second season in Nashville, the Titans reached the Super Bowl for the only time in an amazing season that included surviving a near upset in the Wild Card game thanks to the infamous Music City Miracle 75-yard kick off return. The As most recent ALCS appearance resulted in a sweep by the Tigers in 06. 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. 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. Longest championship drought, by city (with multiple teams in current pro leagues) City: Most recent title: Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. The City of Minneapolis (1991-Present): No Minneapolis franchise has claimed a championship in 25 years, excluding three, maybe four WNBA titles . Ultimately, they were passed over for another city with a similar drought, only this city has four teams rather than two. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. . . The . Milwaukees only championships in the modern era are from the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks.