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 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. How to Stream Without Cable, Why Sports Matter to Cable Subscribers: One-Third May Cancel If NFL is Postponed. Los Angeles Clippers - 52 years. 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. 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. The team moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after 56 years in San Diego. To say Buffalo never won a championship is debatable. We recommend (And use!) Theyve made it twice total since last winning in 1984. 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. 1. Since then they have had only 7 winning seasons and 4 playoff appearances, never getting past the second round (most recently in 2017-18 when they lost 34-14 to the defending champion New England Patriots). 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. Whether curses are to blame or just bad management and worse luck, fans put up with a lot. Longest NFL / AFL / Super Bowl championship appearance droughts through history. 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. Since then, the franchise has endured six decades of losing seasons and the longest championship drought among active NFL franchises. Phoenix Suns - 53 years. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts 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. Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts Thanks to the Capitals, Detroit has now moved up the list of cities with the longest-running title droughts. 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. The team was an original WNBA team as the Utah Starzz starting in 1997 before turning into the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2003 and the Aces in 2018. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. 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. 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. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. 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. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts. 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). Cardinals have longest title drought in sports - KNXV Here are the longest championship droughts in the four major American professional sports. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. Following the 2021-22 NBA season, Sacramento has missed the playoff in 16 consecutive seasons. Which NHL team has the longest Stanley Cup drought? 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. After consecutive first-round losses in 2005 and 2006, the Kings fired Adelman despite a .633 win percentage over 8 years. Your email address will not be published. The Bobcats, however, do have the distinction of having the worst record in NBA history in the strike-shortened 2012 season when they went a horrid 7-59 (.106). Though no other American sports franchise has reached the century mark for years without a title, there . Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald came within a minute of ending that streak in 2007, but a six-yard Santonio . 1. 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. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. The Twins havent advanced past the LDS round since 02. Since then, the Os have fallen in the ALCS in 1996, 97 and 2014. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. 7 seed in the NFC with a Seattle Seahawks loss in Week 18 and a Lions victory over the Green Bay Packers. (See Unfilled Dynasties: The Bucks Stop Here.). We have seen one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts end in recent years. The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in Chicago. While it was a finalist in MLBs 1993 and 1998 expansion, it got overlooked in favor of Miami and Tampa Bay. 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? semi-final defeat to a Manchester City side headed . Last championship in the city: New York Giants (2012), or for Brooklyn specifically, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. 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. The NFL's longest current drought is held by the Oakland Raiders, who have not won a championship since 1972. 8 Philadelphia 76ers: 38 . The Brewers have made it to the playoffs only three times since then. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. Here are some of sports' longest-standing droughts for things other than championships. The club they defeated, the Indians, still maintains the record for the longest World Series drought in baseball history. 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 organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in. 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. 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 Hornets/Bobcats have made only 10 playoff appearances and have never advanced beyond the second round. 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. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 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. 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. The franchise was originally based in Los Angeles, but moved to Oakland prior to the 1982 season. The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in the NFL, with their last title coming in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. For these teams, its practically impossible. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. 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. Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the Texas Rangers (61), Milwaukee Brewers (53) and San Diego Padres (53). 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. 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. Required fields are marked *. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. 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. Columbus has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Memphis history. Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. 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. It is the second largest city on this list. Sacramento Kings - 71 years. Buffalo, who has From 1917-67, Toronto won the Stanley Cup finals 13 times, they still have the second-most Stanley Cup wins in NHL history. Note that for continuity purposes, the Cleveland Browns are officially considered to have suspended operations for the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons. Prior to the 1972 season, the AFL's Oakland Raiders defeated the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. The Rangers have since experienced their fair share of October agony, including back-to-back World Series losses in 2010-11 -- the latter featuring multiple instances in which Texas was one strike away from beating St. Louis and hoisting the trophy. 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. Sacramento is the 27th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,324,884. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. The sport was also just two years removed from Wayne Gretzky retiring. It is also possible that the NHL championship drought will extend to Los Angeles. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. Medvedev too hot to handle as he beats Rublev to win in Dubai | Arab News All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. It also has struggled with its back against the wall. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans. However, their drought pales in comparison to ones endured by other franchises. Cleveland has not won a title since 1948, but it has come close to winning one several times. Minnesota United has yet to make the playoffs in two seasons of play in the MLS. (All-time and active). Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. Charlotte has 2 active teams, the, There have been no championships in Vancouver history. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. Orlando has not won a title since becoming a pro-city in 1989 when the Orlando Magic joined the NBA. 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. Padres: 54 seasons (No titles)An expansion team in 1969, San Diego has yet to bring home a title. Tennessee Titans. After the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks share the second-longest Cup drought at 51 years. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? 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. Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports. Longest championship drought, by sport. And here are the 10 longest World Series title droughts in MLB history that are no longer active (going back to the inaugural World Series in 1903): Cubs: 107 years (1909-2016)White Sox: 87 years (1918-2005)Red Sox: 85 years (1919-2004)Phillies: 77 years (1903-80)Orioles/Browns: 63 years (1903-66)Twins/Senators: 62 years (1925-87)Astros: 55 years (1962-2017)Giants: 55 years (1955-2010)Dodgers: 52 years (1903-55)Nationals/Expos: 50 years (1969-2019), MLB-record streak of elimination-game losses. Sacramento Kings 16 seasons (last playoff . This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. Longest active championship droughts in sports after Cubs snap skid 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 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. 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 . The team left town in 1934. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? Which teams have the longest championship droughts? What is the longest championship drought ever? Did you encounter any technical issues? Sadly for hockey fans in Philly, the Philadelphia Flyers arent far behind. Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the. Then Hulu started and he was hooked. 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. 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. This is a list of current National Football League (NFL) franchise post-season and Super Bowl droughts (multiple consecutive seasons of not winning). When the Mariners host the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the American League Division series, it will be Seattles first MLB playoff game since Oct. 18, 2001. Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. Brewers/Pilots: 54 seasons (No titles)After one season in Seattle, the franchise moved to Milwaukee in 1970. Led by quarterback Stan Humphries, the Chargers came back from a 13-3 deficit to win 17-13. The NFL then gave the title to the Cardinals. In 1991, the Minnesota Twins went from finishing in last place the year before to winning the World Series in a dramatic Game 7. They have not made the playoffs since then. Some believe a curse is a reason for this title drought. Seattle then went 20 years without making it back to the postseason, but that streak is now over. The Bucks have not won a series since then, although this year certainly looks promising. This drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 57 years. The organizations last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. . Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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 . Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nations 16th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,600,618. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. Longest Championship Droughts: Cardinals Move To Top Of List 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 team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals, losing both. Where Detroit ranks among longest championship droughts 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. Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring They have not won a playoff series since then. 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 club's 12 postseason appearances since beating the Boston Braves in the 1948 Fall . . The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. In the world of major professional sports, some cities are known as consistent winners, while others have a long history of hard luck in the search for a sports championship. The 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. 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. Milwaukee is the 39th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,576,236. Unfortunately, the wheels have fallen off in recent decades. 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 . 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. We also cover VPNs, internet providers & more. For many of these teams, these streaks of decades without a championship extend beyond one generation. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the US for the longest championship drought. The Padres have the distinction of holding the longest championship drought that no one gives a shit about. 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. Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. Of course, the Cardinals arent the only franchise with a championship drought beyond 50 years. 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. 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. The Sacramento skyline, as seen fromThe ZigguratinWest Sacramento, California. With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's . Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. New York is in its second-longest championship drought ever: Who will 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. NFL. 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. 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. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for. What are the worst droughts in modern sports history? - Deadspin Giannis and Bucks reign, now here are teams waiting longest for title Shoutout to the city of Winnipeg, where there's never been a division title in the NHL, but the . The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. Advertisement. (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. 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).