In the NBA Finals, the Magic faced Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers who beat them 4-1. Each season begins with optimism across the 30 MLB fanbases, and each one ends with some level of disappointment for 29 of them. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Buffalo, who has The Cubs last win came in 1945 against the . 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. 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. 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. 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. 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). The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. Advertisement. New Orleans Saints (1967-2010): . (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. 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. The Wild has reached the Conference Finals only once getting swept by the Anaheim Ducks in 2003. 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. 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. Once part of the NFL, the Chargers made it to the AFC Championship Game four times: (i) losing to the Oakland Raiders 34-27 in 1980-81; (ii) losing 27-7 to Cincinnati in the famous Freezer Bowl in 1981-82; (iii)losing to the undefeated Patriots 21-12 in 2007-08; and (iv) then there was the 1994-95 season. The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice. Last Title: 1948 (74-year drought) The Guardians have been the kings of the MLB twice in their 122 seasons of play. 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. The team came close to winning the inaugural WNBA championship in 1997 but fell to the Houston Comets. Its been just as long since the team even reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in five conference finals over that stretch. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. 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. 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 . For everything you need to know about Hulu, be sure to browse our Hulu + Live TV review. 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. 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. have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. As a one-sport city, Sacramento lives and dies by its Kings. Tom Brady, however, drove the Patriots 37 yards to set up the game-winning Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal. 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. 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. Note that the NFL did not institute a permanent playoff tournament until 1967 and that the NFL Championship Game and any impromptu one-game playoffs (played only in the event of a tie atop the division standings) were the only postseason matchups in this era. Cleveland has not won a title since 1948, but it has come close to winning one several times. A Warner Bros. Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. 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. Updated with completion of NFL season ending in 2023. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports. 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. The Hornets/Bobcats have made only 10 playoff appearances and have never advanced beyond the second round. Cincinnati is the 29th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,179,082. How to Stream Without Cable, Why Sports Matter to Cable Subscribers: One-Third May Cancel If NFL is Postponed. We see many teams continuing their hist. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. Orlando has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Calgary was the, The most recent championship for Indianapolis was the, The most recent championship for Edmonton was the, There have been no championships in San Jose history. The last championship in San Diego was the 1963 AFL Championship where the Chargers beat the Boston Patriots 51-10. The NFL's longest current drought is held by the Oakland Raiders, who have not won a championship since 1972. 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. Rays: 25 years (No titles)Tampa Bay debuted as the Devil Rays and began with some lean times, averaging 97 losses over its first 10 seasons. In 1990, the Cincinnati Reds swept the favored Oakland As for their 5th World Series Championship. 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. Among teams that have never won a title, the Phoenix Suns have the longest drought at 54 seasons. From 1917-67, Toronto won the Stanley Cup finals 13 times, they still have the second-most Stanley Cup wins in NHL history. Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. . 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. That 10-year drought is twice as long as anyone else in the NFL, as the Cardinals, Bengals and Broncos have all most . 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Mike Bibbys game-winning shot in Game 5 put them up 3-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers. 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. But the Red Sox swept the Rockies that year in the franchises closest title attempt. The Hornets would move to New Orleans after the 2002 season. Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. The Yankees swept the Padres, clinching Game 4 at Qualcomm Stadium. If you value privacy, security, and access, you need a quality VPN. appreciated. . San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA. The Rays pushed the Dodgers one game further in '20, but still came up short in six games. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. Here are the longest active playoff droughts in the NFL entering the 2022 season. 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 . 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. 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. (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). Here are the longest title droughts among the remaining NBA playoff teams, starting with the longest. 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. 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. A good VPN provides extra security and unequalled privacy for everything you do online. 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. Total professional sports championships: 18. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked US and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts. Ottawa. The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason for the first time in two decades. 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. 8 Philadelphia 76ers: 38 . 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. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. 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. Brewers/Pilots: 54 seasons (No titles)After one season in Seattle, the franchise moved to Milwaukee in 1970. 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 . 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. Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. Contact Frank with thoughts, questions, and story ideas at [emailprotected]. One of the NHLs Original Six organizations has gone over five decades without lifting the Cup. 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. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. Seattle then went 20 years without making it back to the postseason, but that streak is now over. 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. 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. The second came in 1948 with manager Lou Boudreau calling the shots and Bob Lemon and Bob Feller manning the mound. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. Thanks to the Capitals, Detroit has now moved up the list of cities with the longest-running title droughts. 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. Of course, the NHL playoffs werent as kind to others. 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. The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. 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. Theyve made it twice total since last winning in 1984. 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. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN. Colorado has yet to capture an NL West division title. For example, Canadathe birthplace of hockeyis home to seven cities with NHL franchises, but none of them have brought home a Stanley Cup in the last 30 years. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. The Detroit Lions, are one of seven teams without a Super Bowl win. ExpressVPN. Columbus has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Memphis history. Phoenix Suns - 53 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. Cleveland Guardians (MLB) - 73 years. 9. Tennessee Titans. Which WNBA team has the longest championship drought? Padres: 54 seasons (No titles)An expansion team in 1969, San Diego has yet to bring home a title. The sport was also just two years removed from Wayne Gretzky retiring. Basketball fans must go all the way back to the 1051 NBA to find the last Kings championship. breaking their respective curses this century, the longest World Series drought now belongs to the Cleveland Guardians. 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. It also has struggled with its back against the wall. Then Hulu started and he was hooked. 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. The Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees.