Here are the longest championship droughts in the four major American professional sports. The Detroit Red Wings brought the last major championship home to the Motor City ten . For some fans, however, hope all is all they have had for too long. When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they ended a 108-year drought and broke one of baseball's most famous curses. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Sacramento Kings 16 seasons (last playoff . The sport was also just two years removed from Wayne Gretzky retiring. The Wild has reached the Conference Finals only once getting swept by the Anaheim Ducks in 2003. Tigers: 38 seasons (Last title in 1984)Detroits last trip to the World Series came in 2012, when the Tigers were swept at the hands of the Giants. Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals, losing both. The 2007-08 Celtics rolled to a stop-the-insanity 131-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 17, 2008, after which no Boston team would win a championship until . During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). 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. A season-ending Game 5 loss at Yankee Stadium in the 2022 AL Division Series extended the Guardians' MLB-record streak of elimination-game losses to 11. Kansas City Royals - 6 years. 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 Royals beat the New York Knicks in seven games to win the 1951 NBA Finals. The Hornets/Bobcats have made only 10 playoff appearances and have never advanced beyond the second round. 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. Nashville became a major league city in 1998 when the NFLs Tennessee Oilers moved from Memphis (they became the Titans the following season) and the Nashville Predators debuted as an NHL expansion team. A championship is listed as winning an NFL Championship (19201969), AFL Championship (19601969), and Super Bowl Championship (1966present). The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in Chicago. 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. 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. Under Coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were a remarkably successful expansion franchise. The Padres were the last San Diego team with a shot at a title. 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. San Diego is the nations 17th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,337,685. Counted from the first Super Bowl season, 1966, to present. Cardinals have longest title drought in sports - KNXV The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. The Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. 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. 7 seed in the NFC with a Seattle Seahawks loss in Week 18 and a Lions victory over the Green Bay Packers. The Brewers had a 3-2 series lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, as the series moved back to St. Louis. Of active NFL teams 20 have won the Super Bowl, Of active NFL teams 7 have won AFL or NFL championship pre-merger Of active NFL teams 5 have not won any championship or Super Bowl. 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 . The Colorado Avalanche last won the Stanley Cup in 2001. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts. List of NFL franchise post-season droughts, AFC/NFC Championship Game appearance droughts, Super Bowl or NFL championship appearance droughts, Super Bowl or NFL championship win droughts, Cities/regions awaiting first Super Bowl crown, Closest approaches without winning the Super Bowl, Longest NFL / AFL / Super Bowl championship droughts through history, Longest NFL / AFL / Super Bowl championship appearance droughts through history, Playoff droughts of at least five seasons, Most consecutive post-season losses in team history, Longest post-season droughts in team history, Last edited on 13 February 2023, at 03:43, claimed an unrecognized 1921 championship, Chicago/St. ExpressVPN. (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. 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. 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. Since then, the Os have fallen in the ALCS in 1996, 97 and 2014. 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. 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 . Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. The Sabres made it to the Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007, but have not won a playoff series since then. What Sports Team Has the Longest Drought? - Sportsmanist 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. Unfortunately for the Padres, they faced the New York Yankees, who at 114-48 had posted the second-best record in Major League history. New Orleans Saints (1967-2010): . Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. New York then lost in the Finals three times from 1999 to 2002. General manager Billy Beanes innovative roster strategies have kept the As competitive on small-market budgets, particularly during the clubs Moneyball period in the early 2000s, but the franchise has reached just two ALCS since last winning the World Series in 1989. Current NFL cities/regions only. Minnesota United has yet to make the playoffs in two seasons of play in the MLS. 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. 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. 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. The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are the other NHL teams to go 50-plus years without winning the Stanley Cup. Longest championship drought, by city (with multiple teams in current pro leagues) City: Most recent title: 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). Listed according to seasons waited. Who are the teams with the longest championship drought? Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring 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. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. While the Cardinals appeared in Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, their lone Super Bowl appearance, this organization has never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. The modern Ottawa Senators did not begin. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. Salt Lake City has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Montreal was the, There have been no championships in Sacramento history. The Reds have been 2-11 in its four post-season appearances since then and has finished in last or next to last 11 times including the last five seasons. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. Tennessee Titans. How to Stream Without Cable, Why Sports Matter to Cable Subscribers: One-Third May Cancel If NFL is Postponed. 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. 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. 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. 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. Franchises with the longest championship droughts | Yardbarker 1. 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. The St. Louis Blues, founded in 1967, hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2019, their first championship in franchise history. Columbus has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Memphis history. It is the longest playoff drought in NBA history, surpassing the Los Angeles Clippers (15, 1977-19992) and Minnesota Timberwolves (13, 2005-18). The NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats who reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. 12. 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. Buffalo is the nations 50th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,136,856. The team moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after 56 years in San Diego. The Brewers have made it to the playoffs only three times since then. Of course, the NHL playoffs werent as kind to others. 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. Jacksonville is the nations 40th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of1,504,980. The team left town in 1934. The Braves swept the Reds in the 95 NLCS, and the franchise has not advanced past the LDS since then. Now that Cleveland has won a championship, which city has the longest The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl (aka the Playoff Bowl; 19601969) is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list. 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. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. 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 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 Mariners have gone 20 years without reaching the MLB playoffs, it is the longest active postseason drought in the top four American mens sports. (All-time and active). Los Angeles Clippers - 52 years. 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. Locations were attributed wins for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time it took place. Discovery Company. After the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks share the second-longest Cup drought at 51 years. Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. Cities With the Longest NBA Championship Droughts of All Time 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. 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. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked US and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts. If you value privacy, security, and access, you need a quality VPN. 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. By: Jill R. Dorson -. **Does not include the three seasons (19961998) during which the franchise suspended operations. The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. 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. Sacramento Kings - 71 years. The team came close to winning the inaugural WNBA championship in 1997 but fell to the Houston Comets. Longest championship droughts within the four major sports The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. 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. 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. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. 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. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals . Winning a championship, regardless of league, is no easy feat. Longest championship drought, by sport. 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. HotDog.com Blog Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts. Longest NFL title droughts 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). Ranking Premier League clubs based on longest trophy droughts ever To say Buffalo never won a championship is debatable. The club they defeated, the Indians, still maintains the record for the longest World Series drought in baseball history. , 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. 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. 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. The Cubs last win came in 1945 against the . This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. 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. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are now at a 27-year championship drought. To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. Theyve made it twice total since last winning in 1984. Very little work got done in 2008. Cleveland Guardians (MLB) - 73 years. Sacramento Kings - 1951. Nashville is the nations 36th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,903,045. Photo Credit: The Speedy Butterfly / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Natalia Pushchina / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: nikitsin.smugmug.com / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Songquan Deng / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Andriy Blokhin / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Christopher Penler / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock. It is also possible that the NHL championship drought will extend to Los Angeles. Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nations 16th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,600,618. Updated with completion of NFL season ending in 2023. Longest NFL / AFL / Super Bowl championship appearance droughts through history. With the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 active longest postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . Your email address will not be published. Longest Championship Droughts By City - Champs or Chumps The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason for the first time in two decades. The Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the postseason thanks to the added No. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. 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 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. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. Atlanta Hawks - 63 years. This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. 2. Which teams have the longest championship droughts? 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. New York went from 1906-1920 without a championship, and that dry spell was bookended by World . The 7 Cities With the Longest Sports Championship Droughts - Portable Press An early exit extended Torontos futility with one of the longest championship droughts in sports. The Buffalo Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 prior to Super Bowls between the two football leagues. Since then the Bills have won only one playoff game - the 1995 Wild Card game. To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. This list also counts all seasons since a team last won the league championship. Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. Cyber Monday is coming with lots of deals on the things cord-cutters want and need from top providers like Hulu, ExpressVPN and NordVPN. The Sacramento skyline, as seen fromThe ZigguratinWest Sacramento, California. He specializes in technology, business, and film/television. Updated But their quest to give the city of San Diego its first World Series crown ended when the Phillies beat them in five games. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. 12 longest active playoff droughts in NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL The . Here are some of sports' longest-standing droughts for things other than championships. Welcome to SportsHistory!Today we took look at every single NFL team's championship drought and ranked them in order! Contact Frank with thoughts, questions, and story ideas at [emailprotected]. The Bucs only three postseason appearances since then (2013-15) all fell short of the NLCS.