Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. 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. This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. Los Angeles Clippers - 52 years. The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. The NFL then gave the title to the Cardinals. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the US for the longest championship drought. Last Title: 1948 (74-year drought) The Guardians have been the kings of the MLB twice in their 122 seasons of play. Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. 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. 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The team lost the World Series four times over the last 73 seasons, most recently in 2016 when the Cubs snapped their unprecedented 108-year skid. 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. Buffalos future is bright, but it is currently riding the longest playoff drought in NHL history with 11 consecutive seasons without an appearance in the NHL playoffs. The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in Chicago. have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. 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. In 1990, the Cincinnati Reds swept the favored Oakland As for their 5th World Series Championship. Listed here are both appearance droughts and winning droughts in almost every level of the NFL playoff system. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. The Bucks have not won a series since then, although this year certainly looks promising. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 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. Your email address will not be published. Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates leading the Bucks to the NBA championship Tuesday night. 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. Of those 12, they have the longest championship victory or appearance drought. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN. Your email address will not be published. The team left town in 1934. One of the NHLs Original Six organizations has gone over five decades without lifting the Cup. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald came within a minute of ending that streak in 2007, but a six-yard Santonio . Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. Mariners: 46 seasons (No titles)With the Nationals making it to the Fall Classic in 2019, that left the Mariners as the only franchise without an appearance in baseballs championship event. The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. As a one-sport city, Sacramento lives and dies by its Kings. In their second season in Nashville, the Titans reached the Super Bowl for the only time in an amazing season that included surviving a near upset in the Wild Card game thanks to the infamous Music City Miracle 75-yard kick off return. They also won the pennant in 2006, when they lost in five games to the 83-win Cardinals. The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in the NFL, with their last title coming in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. In the 67 years since their last title, the . The team came close to winning the inaugural WNBA championship in 1997 but fell to the Houston Comets. It also has struggled with its back against the wall. For everything you need to know about Hulu, be sure to browse our Hulu + Live TV review. The Cardinals' 70-year championship drought is one year longer than the team the Cubs beat Wednesday. 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). 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. (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. Rockies: 30 seasons (No titles)Colorado had all the momentum in 2007, when "Rocktober" swept Denver and the team won eight straight postseason games and the NL pennant after prevailing over the Padres in a Game 163. Cleveland last won a championship 69 years ago, in 1948. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . The Rochester Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings, won the NBA Finals in 1951. 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. 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 Bengals have been 1-8 in eight post-season appearances and have not played in a title game since losing Super Bowl XXIII in 1988-89. The Detroit Red Wings brought the last major championship home to the Motor City ten . 1. 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. They have not made the playoffs since then. Unfortunately for the Padres, they faced the New York Yankees, who at 114-48 had posted the second-best record in Major League history. Longest championship drought, by sport. 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. 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. Milwaukee is the 39th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,576,236. . Counted from the first Super Bowl season, 1966, to present. Which WNBA team has the longest championship drought? The Sabres made it to the Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007, but 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 clubs 12 postseason appearances since beating the Boston Braves in the 1948 Fall Classic. 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 the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 active longest postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason for the first time in two decades. Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 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. Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring. 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. Of course, the Cardinals arent the only franchise with a championship drought beyond 50 years. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. 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. Longest championship drought, by city (with multiple teams in current pro leagues) City: Most recent title: Buffalo, who has 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. (61), Milwaukee Brewers (53) and San Diego Padres (53). However, they lost to the Houston Astros. Only locations . There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). 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. The Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the postseason thanks to the added No. The organizations last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. 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. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. Orlando is the 23rd largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,509,831. 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. 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). 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. After being eliminated from postseason contention in Week 18, the New York Jets have the longest active NFL playoff drought at 12 seasons. 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. Today, he streams pretty much everything while his library of thousands of Blu-rays and DVDs collects dust. 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. Last championship in the city: New York Giants (2012), or for Brooklyn specifically, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Since then the Wild has only had eight playoff appearance and won only two playoff series. The Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. The Longest NFL Championship Droughts The wait can be miserable. 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 last championship in San Diego was the 1963 AFL Championship where the Chargers beat the Boston Patriots 51-10. It is also possible that the NHL championship drought will extend to Los Angeles. 4:20 PM EDT, Sun October 23, 2016. 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. Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. Here's a look at the longest championship droughts for teams still in their original cities. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. 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. 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. 2023 Cable News Network. 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). 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. Sacramento has quite a playoff drought going, as it last reached . Of course, we saw two of the longest MLB playoff droughts end this year. 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. The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are the other NHL teams to go 50-plus years without winning the Stanley Cup. Manchester United are middle of the pack when it comes to the longest trophy droughts ever suffered by the 20 current Premier League clubs. 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. The NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats who reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. 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. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. Of course, some have it worse than others. For many of these teams, these streaks of decades without a championship extend beyond one generation. Back in 1925, the Cardinals faced the Pottsville Maroons in the 1925 NFL Championship game. Instead, it was the Rockets who swept the Magic as Hakeem Olajuwon outplayed the younger Shaq. 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. 11/4/2016. semi-final defeat to a Manchester City side headed . In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. In fact, the last time Toronto hosted an Eastern Conference finals game came in 2002. HotDog.com Blog Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. We've also included the last time each city was able to celebrate a title across a major team sport. Sacramento Kings 16 seasons (last playoff . 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.