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. 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. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos playoff drought extended to seven seasons. Then Hulu started and he was hooked. 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. Unfortunately, the wheels have fallen off in recent decades. By: Jill R. Dorson -. Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. 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. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. 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. 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. 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. Jacksonville is the nations 40th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of1,504,980. 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. 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). This is also a list of the last time a particular club won a divisional playoff game. A championship is listed as winning an NFL Championship (19201969), AFL Championship (19601969), and Super Bowl Championship (1966present). For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the US for the longest championship drought. Finally, the city of Cincinnati had be flummoxed. 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. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. The Lakers went on to win Game 7 at Sacramento in overtime 112-106. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. How to Stream Without Cable, Why Sports Matter to Cable Subscribers: One-Third May Cancel If NFL is Postponed. Cleveland Guardians (MLB) - 73 years. Toronto Star via Getty Images. 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 . During this championship season Chuck Bednarik hit Frank Gifford so hard he didn't wake up until he was in the "Monday Night Football" booth. 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). 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? The Magic faced the defending champion Houston Rockets who had struggled during the season, leading some to predict a Magic sweep. 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. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. The Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. 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. Only locations . Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since . Unfortunately for the Padres, they faced the New York Yankees, who at 114-48 had posted the second-best record in Major League history. Sacramento has quite a playoff drought going, as it last reached . 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. 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. Full List Of Super Bowl Champions Longest Super Bowl Droughts Longest NFL Playoff Droughts Longest NFL Playoff Win Droughts All Time Best NFL Regular Seasons All Time Worst NFL Regular Seasons Most Consecutive NFL Seasons With Winning Records Most Consecutive NFL Seasons With Losing Records Most Consecutive NFL Seasons Making The Playoffs . 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 Buffalo Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 prior to Super Bowls between the two football leagues. 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. 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. 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 Bert Bell Benefit Bowl (aka the Playoff Bowl; 19601969) is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked US and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports 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. Shoutout to the city of Winnipeg, where there's never been a division title in the NHL, but the . 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 longest drought overall now belongs to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals at 69 years. The Royals beat the New York Knicks in seven games to win the 1951 NBA Finals. Your email address will not be published. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. Charlotte is the 22nd largest metropolitan area and has a 2017 population of 2,525,305. . Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. The Bucks lost in seven games to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in a series that some believe was rigged in Philadelphias favor. Cleveland last won a championship 69 years ago, in 1948. Longest championship drought, by city (with multiple teams in current pro leagues) City: Most recent title: Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. The Original Ottawa Senators last won the Stanley Cup in 1927. It is also possible that the NHL championship drought will extend to Los Angeles. 7 seed in the NFC with a Seattle Seahawks loss in Week 18 and a Lions victory over the Green Bay Packers. . It is the largest city on the list and the only one with teams in all major leagues. Milwaukee is the 39th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,576,236. 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). Related: MLB power rankings 2022 Houston Astros, New York Yankees battle for No.1 spot. After the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks share the second-longest Cup drought at 51 years. 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. You can see his writing on low-budget and weird film at, Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts, Metros With the Longest Active Championship Droughts, Cities With the Most Professional Sports Championships, Cities With the Longest NBA Championship Droughts of All Time. Note that for continuity purposes, the Cleveland Browns are officially considered to have suspended operations for the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons. Locations were attributed championships for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time that they won the championship. 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. Entering Week 18, the Giants have only their second winning season in 10 yers. Active droughts are listed in bold type 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. The Blue Jays' drought continued to grow in 2022 after they lost in the Wild Card Series to the Mariners. Milwaukees only championships in the modern era are from the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. Under Coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were a remarkably successful expansion franchise. 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 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. 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. With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's . Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. The Twins win came months after the Minnesota North Stars lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. In the NBA Finals, the Magic faced Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers who beat them 4-1. 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. Led by quarterback Stan Humphries, the Chargers came back from a 13-3 deficit to win 17-13. 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 . Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. Here's a look at the longest championship droughts for teams still in their original cities. (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. Here is how they compare to those 12. The last time the Lions won a championship came in 1957, when they defeated the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game. Thanks to the Capitals, Detroit has now moved up the list of cities with the longest-running title droughts. To say Buffalo never won a championship is debatable. In 2015, the MLS added Orlando FC, which has yet to qualify for the playoffs. 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. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. From 1917-67, Toronto won the Stanley Cup finals 13 times, they still have the second-most Stanley Cup wins in NHL history. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are now at a 27-year championship drought. Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. 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. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. The Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees. This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. Orlando is the 23rd largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,509,831. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. While there are great dynasties throughout sports history, plenty of NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB teams have gone decades without being on top of the world. They have not made the playoffs since then. While it certainly isnt one of the longest championship droughts in sports, the 14-year stretch is one of the longest in franchise history. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. In the Super Bowl, however, the Denver Broncos defense shut down Newton, as the Broncos won 24-10 in Peyton Mannings final game. Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 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. However, they lost to the Houston Astros. The NFL's longest current drought is held by the Oakland Raiders, who have not won a championship since 1972. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. . It snaps a decade-long absence from October baseball, a step in the right direction for the franchise. It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. The Kings haven't won a Stanley Cup . Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks back to the NBA Finals in 1974 against the Boston Celtics. The Cardinals' 70-year championship drought is one year longer than the team the Cubs beat Wednesday. . . At least the Maple Leafs arent totally alone. However, their drought pales in comparison to ones endured by other franchises. For example, Canada the birthplace of hockey is home to seven cities with NHL franchises, but none of them have brought home a Stanley Cup in the last 30 years. 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.