9. semi-final defeat to a Manchester City side headed . . This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. But their quest to give the city of San Diego its first World Series crown ended when the Phillies beat them in five games. Your email address will not be published. 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. 1. Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports. **Does not include the three seasons (19961998) during which the franchise suspended operations. City. (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). The Toronto Maple Leafs have played 54 seasons since winning their last championship in the 1966-67 season. The Sabres made it to the Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007, but have not won a playoff series since then. 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. In the 67 years since their last title, the . Longest NFL / AFL / Super Bowl championship appearance droughts through history. Milwaukees only championships in the modern era are from the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. 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. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. New York then lost in the Finals three times from 1999 to 2002. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. 2. 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. NFL. The Buffalo Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 prior to Super Bowls between the two football leagues. . Orlando has not won a title since becoming a pro-city in 1989 when the Orlando Magic joined the NBA. If you value privacy, security, and access, you need a quality VPN. 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 Rays pushed the Dodgers one game further in '20, but still came up short in six games. The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. Here are the longest title droughts among the remaining NBA playoff teams, starting with the longest. The Bucs only three postseason appearances since then (2013-15) all fell short of the NLCS. The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl (aka the Playoff Bowl; 19601969) is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list. 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. Though no other American sports franchise has reached the century mark for years without a title, there . Following the 2021-22 NBA season, Sacramento has missed the playoff in 16 consecutive seasons. 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. This is also a list of the last time a particular club won a divisional playoff game. Buffalo Last Title: Never That 10-year drought is twice as long as anyone else in the NFL, as the Cardinals, Bengals and Broncos have all most . 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. However, they were stripped of the title and the Maroons were suspended by the NFL for playing an exhibition game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They returned to the AFC Championship in 2002-03, losing to the Oakland Raiders 41-24. The Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees. Very little work got done in 2008. The Cardinals' 70-year championship drought is one year longer than the team the Cubs beat Wednesday. 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. Current NFL cities/regions only. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. 1. The Padres have the distinction of holding the longest championship drought that no one gives a shit about. The Cleveland Browns are tied for the second-longest conference championship game drought at 29 years. The next season, the Predators won the NHLs Presidents Trophy for the best record but were upset by the Winnipeg Jets 4-3. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. Sacramento Kings - 1951. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals . 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. Buffalo is the nations 50th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,136,856. Shoutout to the city of Winnipeg, where there's never been a division title in the NHL, but the . Far more importantly, New York is in the playoffs for the first time since Ben McAdoo was the head coach, bringing an end to the Giants five-year playoff drought. Only locations . Tom Brady, however, drove the Patriots 37 yards to set up the game-winning Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal. We see many teams continuing their hist. Some believe a curse is a reason for this title drought. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. We've also included the last time each city was able to celebrate a title across a major team sport. Boston went 21 years without winning the NBA Finals from 1986-2007. 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. The Original Ottawa Senators last won the Stanley Cup in 1927. Colorado has yet to capture an NL West division title. Of those 12, they have the longest championship victory or appearance drought. 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. The Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the postseason thanks to the added No. The Braves swept the Reds in the 95 NLCS, and the franchise has not advanced past the LDS since then. Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). Here is how they compare to those 12. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); HotDog is the internet's oldest guide to cordcutting, replacing expensive cable or satellite TV with cheaper or free live stream and OTA options. Related: MLB power rankings 2022 Houston Astros, New York Yankees battle for No.1 spot. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Counted from the first Super Bowl season, 1966, to present. The NFL's longest current drought is held by the Oakland Raiders, who have not won a championship since 1972. They also won the pennant in 2006, when they lost in five games to the 83-win Cardinals. An early exit extended Torontos futility with one of the longest championship droughts in sports. While it was a finalist in MLBs 1993 and 1998 expansion, it got overlooked in favor of Miami and Tampa Bay. Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. 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 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. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald came within a minute of ending that streak in 2007, but a six-yard Santonio . 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. Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. 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 Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. 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. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. Since then, the franchise has endured six decades of losing seasons and the longest championship drought among active NFL franchises. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. 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). Charlotte is the 22nd largest metropolitan area and has a 2017 population of 2,525,305. The team left town in 1934. have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. 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 Padres made the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons in 2022 and upset the Mets and Dodgers to reach the NLCS. 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. For many of these teams, these streaks of decades without a championship extend beyond one generation. The Sacramento Kings have the longest championship drought in the NBA and one of the longest playoff droughts in American sports. Nashville is the nations 36th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,903,045. 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. 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. The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . Whether curses are to blame or just bad management and worse luck, fans put up with a lot. Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. Updated It snaps a decade-long absence from October baseball, a step in the right direction for the franchise. Here are the US and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. 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 NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats who reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. They have not won a playoff series since then. . Orlando is the 23rd largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,509,831. What is the longest championship drought ever? Padres fans can take comfort in the fact that the Yankees were simply that good, as they began a 10-game World Series winning streak as the Yankees also swept the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and beat the New York Mets (4-1) in 2000. With spring training having begun in baseball and basketball and hockey seasons ramping up towards the playoffs towards, hope springs eternal for dedicated fans. Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring. 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. A Warner Bros. The longest drought since a championship of any kind is that of the Cardinals, at 75 seasons. 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. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . 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). To say Buffalo never won a championship is debatable. drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for Today, he streams pretty much everything while his library of thousands of Blu-rays and DVDs collects dust. Its been just as long since the team even reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in five conference finals over that stretch. The Maple Leafs have now gone 55 years without being crowned NHL champions. 2023 HotDog.com | 1013 Centre Road, Suite 403S Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, 19805. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. 12. By: Jill R. Dorson -. The Kansas City Royals have a chance to end a 29-year wait for a second world title. Listed according to seasons waited. The Blue Jays' drought continued to grow in 2022 after they lost in the Wild Card Series to the Mariners. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. 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. If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. Sadly for hockey fans in Philly, the Philadelphia Flyers arent far behind. This drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 57 years. 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. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for 16 consecutive seasons. 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. Mike Bibbys game-winning shot in Game 5 put them up 3-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers went on to win Game 7 at Sacramento in overtime 112-106. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. 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. After that promising start, they have had only four winning seasons and three playoff appearances since 1999. After being eliminated from postseason contention in Week 18, the New York Jets have the longest active NFL playoff drought at 12 seasons.