And some of these droughts are especially surprising. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports. When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they ended a 108-year drought and broke one of baseball's most famous curses. 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. Seattle then went 20 years without making it back to the postseason, but that streak is now over. The City of Minneapolis (1991-Present): No Minneapolis franchise has claimed a championship in 25 years, excluding three, maybe four WNBA titles . What is the longest championship drought ever? Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. The Cleveland Guardians have the longest active championship drought in MLB, with their last World Series title coming in 1948. Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. In the 67 years since their last title, the . Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. How else could he watch one to two films every day? 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. Since then the Twins have only advanced as far as the ALCS once (2002). Cleveland has not won a title since 1948, but it has come close to winning one several times. The Detroit Red Wings brought the last major championship home to the Motor City ten . 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. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports. Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the. In 1991, the Minnesota Twins went from finishing in last place the year before to winning the World Series in a dramatic Game 7. After the Kings, the Atlanta Hawks hold the next-longest championship drought, which extends back to 1958. Its par for the course from a team that has battled to even reach mediocrity during its best seasons in the last two decades. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. 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. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . Teams that have never made it beyond each successive milestone are listed under the year in which they began NFL play. 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. **Does not include the three seasons (19961998) during which the franchise suspended operations. 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. HotDog.com Blog Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts. During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). 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. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. For example, Canadathe birthplace of hockeyis home to seven cities with NHL franchises, but none of them have brought home a Stanley Cup in the last 30 years. 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. Which teams have the longest championship droughts? Neither team has been crowned the NHLs champions since entering the league in 1970. The Las Vegas Aces organization also has never won an WNBA title in its 25-year history. Listed here are both appearance droughts and winning droughts in almost every level of the NFL playoff system. The Padres have the distinction of holding the longest championship drought that no one gives a shit about. 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. 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. 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. 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. Pittsburgh Pirates - 6 years. San Diego is the nations 17th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,337,685. 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 Original Ottawa Senators last won the Stanley Cup in 1927. In fact, the last time Toronto hosted an Eastern Conference finals game came in 2002. This is also a list of the last time a particular club won a divisional playoff game. , 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. 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 second came in 1948 with manager Lou Boudreau calling the shots and Bob Lemon and Bob Feller manning the mound. We see many teams continuing their hist. Among teams that have never won a title, the Phoenix Suns have the longest drought at 54 seasons. (61), Milwaukee Brewers (53) and San Diego Padres (53). The Wild has reached the Conference Finals only once getting swept by the Anaheim Ducks in 2003. While it was a finalist in MLBs 1993 and 1998 expansion, it got overlooked in favor of Miami and Tampa Bay. 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. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. In their last appearance, the Vikings were playing for a chance to play in the Super Bowl to be held in Minneapolis. 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. The NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats who reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. 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 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. Last Title: 1948 (74-year drought) The Guardians have been the kings of the MLB twice in their 122 seasons of play. 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. Only locations . Kansas City Royals - 6 years. At least the Maple Leafs arent totally alone. 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). are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. It is also possible that the NHL championship drought will extend to Los Angeles. The As most recent ALCS appearance resulted in a sweep by the Tigers in 06. The Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. 7 seed in the NFC with a Seattle Seahawks loss in Week 18 and a Lions victory over the Green Bay Packers. The organizations last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. Orlando is the 23rd largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,509,831. After losing in the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics have now gone 14 years without winning a title. It would take the Sabres 24 years to return to the Stanley Cup Finals where they faced the Dallas Stars in 1999. June 20, 2016 2:16 pm. New York went from 1906-1920 without a championship, and that dry spell was bookended by World . 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. Its also an essential tool for getting the most out of your streaming services. But their quest to give the city of San Diego its first World Series crown ended when the Phillies beat them in five games. 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 that span since the 1984 title, theyve also found themselves on the precipice of the World Series three additional times -- losing the ALCS in 2013, 2011 and 1987. Cincinnati is the 29th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,179,082. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. 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. The Bucs only three postseason appearances since then (2013-15) all fell short of the NLCS. The city of Los Angeles has the longest championship drought of any NBA city. 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. 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. 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. Ten teams have multiple losing streaks where they lost an equal number of post season games before breaking the drought. Time flies by and those same fans are capturing their children and even grandchildren in that same feeling. 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. For more information, check out our comprehensive FuboTV review. 2023 HotDog.com | 1013 Centre Road, Suite 403S Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, 19805. "Hotdog" is a registered trademark of Incognito Mode LLC. The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice. 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. Contact Frank with thoughts, questions, and story ideas at [emailprotected]. The Ravens, as a result of the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, absorbed the Browns' personnel upon their suspension, but not their history. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. Since then the Wild has only had eight playoff appearance and won only two playoff series. Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. The St. Louis Blues, founded in 1967, hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2019, their first championship in franchise history. Cleveland reached the World Series multiple times (1954, 95, 97 and 2016). Your email address will not be published. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN. A good VPN provides extra security and unequalled privacy for everything you do online. Ottawa. Shoutout to the city of Winnipeg, where there's never been a division title in the NHL, but the . Milwaukees only championships in the modern era are from the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. 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. 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. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. 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. In 2015, the MLS added Orlando FC, which has yet to qualify for the playoffs. Keep in mind, that this happened when this franchise played in Rochester, New York as the Rochester Royals. 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. Since then the Bills have won only one playoff game - the 1995 Wild Card game. 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. Detroit Tigers - 7 years. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are now at a 27-year championship drought. . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts. . The Maple Leafs have now gone 55 years without being crowned NHL champions. 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 Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. Its been just as long since the team even reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in five conference finals over that stretch. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. 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. 8 Philadelphia 76ers: 38 . For some fans, however, hope all is all they have had for too long. Note that for continuity purposes, the Cleveland Browns are officially considered to have suspended operations for the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons. Boston went 21 years without winning the NBA Finals from 1986-2007. 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). Phoenix Suns - 53 years. It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. 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. Paul) owns the longest championship drought of all American cities that have teams in the four major sports. 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. 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. The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason . The Detroit Lions, are one of seven teams without a Super Bowl win. 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). A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. 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). 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. The Sacramento Kings have the longest championship drought in the NBA and one of the longest playoff droughts in American sports. It is the longest playoff drought in NBA history, surpassing the Los Angeles Clippers (15, 1977-19992) and Minnesota Timberwolves (13, 2005-18). Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. Here are some of sports' longest-standing droughts for things other than championships. We've also included the last time each city was able to celebrate a title across a major team sport. Here is how they compare to those 12. 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. The Bucks lost in seven games to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in a series that some believe was rigged in Philadelphias favor. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Updated with completion of NFL season ending in 2023. All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. From 1917-67, Toronto won the Stanley Cup finals 13 times, they still have the second-most Stanley Cup wins in NHL history. Of those 12, they have the longest championship victory or appearance drought. Today, he streams pretty much everything while his library of thousands of Blu-rays and DVDs collects dust. Which WNBA team has the longest championship drought? Active droughts are listed in bold type. The . 12. The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. It has been an essential part of our streaming toolkit for years. 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. This Here's a look at the longest championship droughts for teams still in their original cities. Last championship: 1994 Getty Images The Rangers are one of the NHL's "Original Six" teams and last hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1994 to end a 54-year title drought. The Twins win came months after the Minnesota North Stars lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. The team has two WNBA Finals appearances in its history: 2008 and 2020. If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . Despite owning a dominant team, the Lakers have yet to win an NBA championship since 1988. . 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. Led by quarterback Stan Humphries, the Chargers came back from a 13-3 deficit to win 17-13. 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. 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. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. Buffalo Last Title: Never If you value privacy, security, and access, you need a quality VPN. Locations were attributed wins for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time it took place. 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. 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. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. . 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. While it certainly isnt one of the longest championship droughts in sports, the 14-year stretch is one of the longest in franchise history. 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. With the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 active longest postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . Mike Bibbys game-winning shot in Game 5 put them up 3-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers. We recommend (And use!) Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since . Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). 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. The Magic faced the defending champion Houston Rockets who had struggled during the season, leading some to predict a Magic sweep. 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). Here are the longest championship droughts in the four major American professional sports. The Brewers have made it to the playoffs only three times since then. While the 2022 Stanley Cup finals wont wipe out one of the longest championship droughts, a streak of 20 consecutive years without hoisting of Lord Stanleys Cup, aka The Holy Grail of Hockey, came to an end. The Blue Jays fell in back-to-back ALCS in 2015-16, representing their closest recent attempts. Things looked promising for the Magic when they landed Shaquille ONeal with the #1 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. 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? Jacksonville has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Newark was the, The most recent championship for New Orleans was the, There have been no championships in Columbus history. Here are the US and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. 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. 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. appreciated. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. But the Red Sox swept the Rockies that year in the franchises closest title attempt. The longest drought since a championship of any kind is that of the Cardinals, at 75 seasons. The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. With spring training having begun in baseball and basketball and hockey seasons ramping up towards the playoffs towards, hope springs eternal for dedicated fans. Seattle tied the record for the most wins in an MLB season (116), but lost in the American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. Columbus has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Memphis history. Its made just one Fall Classic, in '82, when the Brew Crew was unable to finish off a 3-2 lead against the Cardinals. Required fields are marked *. To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. 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. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. 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.