(See Unfilled Dynasties: The Bucks Stop Here.). (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). The Browns last appeared in the AFC Championship Game during the 1989 season when they fell . New York went from 1906-1920 without a championship, and that dry spell was bookended by World . The club they defeated, the Indians, still maintains the record for the longest World Series drought in baseball history. Its par for the course from a team that has battled to even reach mediocrity during its best seasons in the last two decades. The Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the postseason thanks to the added No. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. New Orleans Saints (1967-2010): . 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 . 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. This drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 57 years. Prior to the 1972 season, the AFL's Oakland Raiders defeated the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. 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. After that promising start, they have had only four winning seasons and three playoff appearances since 1999. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. Its one thing to never hoist the championship trophy and witness a parade, but not even experiencing the brief second of joy from a playoff game makes rooting for teams even more painful. 57 years. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. 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. 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 organizations last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. Each season begins with optimism across the 30 MLB fanbases, and each one ends with some level of disappointment for 29 of them. All Rights Reserved. This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. The Bucks were in their third year as a franchise and were led by MVP Kareen Abdul-Jabbar in his second season, Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and the great power forward Bob Dandridge. For these teams, its practically impossible. Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. Buffalo is the nations 50th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,136,856. The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . 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. The Brewers have made it to the playoffs only three times since then. But their quest to give the city of San Diego its first World Series crown ended when the Phillies beat them in five games. To put that 21-year drought into perspective, 28-year-old Jaromir Jagr led the NHL in points (121) during the 2000-01 regular season. The NFL then gave the title to the Cardinals. This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. The Blue Jays' drought continued to grow in 2022 after they lost in the Wild Card Series to the Mariners. 2023 HotDog.com | 1013 Centre Road, Suite 403S Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, 19805. The first time was in 1920 behind the guise and bat of player/manager Tris Speaker. With the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 active longest postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . While championship droughts are the focus, some fan bases have gone more than a decade without even seeing their team in the playoffs. Tennessee Titans. 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). Your email address will not be published. Longest championship drought, by sport. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. The Buffalo Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in only their 5th season in 1974-75, led by Hall of Fame Center Gilbert Perreault They lost to the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers 4-2, who clinched Game 6 in Buffalo with a 2-0 win. After that, the T-Wolves proceeded to miss the playoffs for 13 straight seasons until last year. The franchise will hope to find a new quarterback in 2023, someone who can finally take this team back to the playoffs. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. 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. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? The Twin Cities have been home to MLBs Minnesota Twins, NFLs Minnesota Vikings, the NBAs Minneapolis Lakers (now Los Angeles Lakers), the NHLs Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars) and Minnesota Wild, the NASLs Minnesota Kicks (now defunct) and the MLS Minnesota United FC. The Padres made the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons in 2022 and upset the Mets and Dodgers to reach the NLCS. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. This is also a list of the last time a particular club won a divisional playoff game. 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). 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. 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. 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. Among teams that have never won a title, the Phoenix Suns have the longest drought at 54 seasons. Locations were attributed wins for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time it took place. 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 NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats who reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 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. Milwaukee is the 39th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,576,236. appreciated. 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. 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. 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. Phoenix Suns - 53 years. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals . 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 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. After Kareems Sky Hook gave the Bucks a dramatic overtime win in Boston in Game 6 sending the series back to Milwaukee, a second title seemed assured. Contact Frank with thoughts, questions, and story ideas at [emailprotected]. Updated with completion of NFL season ending in 2023. Theyve made it twice total since last winning in 1984. The Detroit Red Wings brought the last major championship home to the Motor City ten . Of course, we saw two of the longest MLB playoff droughts end this year. Here are the longest championship droughts in the four major American professional sports. 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. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. Neither team has been crowned the NHLs champions since entering the league in 1970. The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl (aka the Playoff Bowl; 19601969) is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list. The Buffalo Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 prior to Super Bowls between the two football leagues. The Bucks have not won a series since then, although this year certainly looks promising. 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. 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. 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. 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. Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's . 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. 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. Toronto Star via Getty Images. The closest the Kings have come to an NBA title, however, was in 2002 when Kings played in their only Conference Finals since moving from Kansas City. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans. Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since . The second came in 1948 with manager Lou Boudreau calling the shots and Bob Lemon and Bob Feller manning the mound. For more information, check out our comprehensive FuboTV review. The sport was also just two years removed from Wayne Gretzky retiring. To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. Active droughts are listed in bold type. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are now at a 27-year championship drought. 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? Charlotte is the 22nd largest metropolitan area and has a 2017 population of 2,525,305. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos playoff drought extended to seven seasons. The Rochester Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings, won the NBA Finals in 1951. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. After consecutive first-round losses in 2005 and 2006, the Kings fired Adelman despite a .633 win percentage over 8 years. A championship is listed as winning an NFL Championship (19201969), AFL Championship (19601969), and Super Bowl Championship (1966present). The Magic faced the defending champion Houston Rockets who had struggled during the season, leading some to predict a Magic sweep. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. Which NHL team has the longest Stanley Cup drought? 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. 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. Sacramento Kings - 71 years. The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are the other NHL teams to go 50-plus years without winning the Stanley Cup. 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. AMAZON -- HotDog.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising revenues by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. They have two teams but took a World Series home in 1990. 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. Which NFL team has the longest Super Bowl drought? 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. Pittsburgh Pirates - 6 years. 11/4/2016. The Royals beat the New York Knicks in seven games to win the 1951 NBA Finals. . Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. Your email address will not be published. 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. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. The franchises most recent Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza, was 18 years old when the Mets won it all in 86. Since then the Wild has only had eight playoff appearance and won only two playoff series. 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. The Padres have the distinction of holding the longest championship drought that no one gives a shit about. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. After their initial season, the Jaguars went 45-19 over the next four seasons, making the playoffs each year and the AFC Championship twice (losing to the Patriots 20-6 in 1996-97 and the Titans 33-14 in 1999-2000). 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. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. The team left town in 1934. New York Knicks - 49 years. Of course, the Cardinals arent the only franchise with a championship drought beyond 50 years. 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. Rocky Widner / NBA. 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. Charlotte has 2 active teams, the, There have been no championships in Vancouver history. Advertisement. New York then lost in the Finals three times from 1999 to 2002. Sacramento has quite a playoff drought going, as it last reached . The Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. 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. We have seen one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts end in recent years. 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. See where the Miami Dolphins rank among the current longest title droughts in American major sports. 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. Orlando has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Calgary was the, The most recent championship for Indianapolis was the, The most recent championship for Edmonton was the, There have been no championships in San Jose history. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. 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. 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. semi-final defeat to a Manchester City side headed . Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nations 16th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,600,618. The Buffalo Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in only their 5th season in 1974-75, led by Hall of Fame Center Gilbert Perreault They lost to the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers 4-2, who clinched Game 6 in Buffalo with a 2-0 win. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the. Listed here are both appearance droughts and winning droughts in almost every level of the NFL playoff system. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. 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. In 1991, the Minnesota Twins went from finishing in last place the year before to winning the World Series in a dramatic Game 7. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for. Once again, it would come down to a decisive Game 6 in Buffalo and a controversial moment between the Stars Hall of Fame winger Brett Hull and the Sabres Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek in triple overtime, as Hull scored the clinching goal with his skate in the crease. Despite owning a dominant team, the Lakers have yet to win an NBA championship since 1988. 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. After being eliminated from postseason contention in Week 18, the New York Jets have the longest active NFL playoff drought at 12 seasons. **Does not include the three seasons (19961998) during which the franchise suspended operations. For some fans, however, hope all is all they have had for too long. 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. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. Ultimately, they were passed over for another city with a similar drought, only this city has four teams rather than two. Teams With Longest Championship and Playoff Droughts 2019 Edition Trophy Lives, Seattle Kraken Set NHL Record With 7-0 Road Trip, Dec-23-79: Bruins-Rangers Donnybrook at MSG, England France Meet in World Cup For Only Third Time, First Elimination Round Match. Related: MLB power rankings 2022 Houston Astros, New York Yankees battle for No.1 spot. Paul) owns the longest championship drought of all American cities that have teams in the four major sports. The Longest NFL Championship Droughts The wait can be miserable. Things looked promising for the Magic when they landed Shaquille ONeal with the #1 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Reds: 32 seasons (Last title in 1990)The 1970s were dominated by the Big Red Machine, but aside from Cincinnatis most recent title in 1990, its been a different story since in the Queen City. After losing to Detroit (4-1) in the 1984 World Series, the Padres won the pennant again in 1998 (in only their second playoff appearance since 1984). Your email address will not be published. "Hotdog" is a registered trademark of Incognito Mode LLC. 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. The Yankees swept the Padres, clinching Game 4 at Qualcomm Stadium. Throughout the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), franchises have had various postseason and World Series droughts.. All 16 of the original Major League franchises (i.e., those in place when the first World Series was played in 1903) have won the World Series, with the longest wait for a franchise's first championship being for the Phillies (77 seasons, ending in 1980).