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. , 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. Here are the longest active playoff droughts in the NFL entering the 2022 season. During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). However, their drought pales in comparison to ones endured by other franchises. 11/4/2016. Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts - Trophy Lives The Colorado Avalanche last won the Stanley Cup in 2001. After snapping one of the longest playoff droughts in MLB, the Phillies made it back to the World Series for the first time since 2009. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. The last time the Lions won a championship came in 1957, when they defeated the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game. 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). With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's . 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. Led by Dwight Howard, the Magic stunned LeBron James and the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. 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. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of The city of Los Angeles has the longest championship drought of any NBA city. Boston went 21 years without winning the NBA Finals from 1986-2007. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. 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. While it certainly isnt one of the longest championship droughts in sports, the 14-year stretch is one of the longest in franchise 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. Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts - HotDog.com 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. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. Why Minneapolis is the Saddest North American Sports City The Wild has reached the Conference Finals only once getting swept by the Anaheim Ducks in 2003. 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. 2. 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. The Magic faced the defending champion Houston Rockets who had struggled during the season, leading some to predict a Magic sweep. Orlando has not won a title since becoming a pro-city in 1989 when the Orlando Magic joined the NBA. 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. 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 . For many of these teams, these streaks of decades without a championship extend beyond one generation. 12 longest active playoff droughts in NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts. Of those 12, they have the longest championship victory or appearance drought. The franchise was originally based in Los Angeles, but moved to Oakland prior to the 1982 season. So Which Pro Sports Teams Have The Longest Title Droughts Now? - Forbes The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. This is a list of current National Football League (NFL) franchise post-season and Super Bowl droughts (multiple consecutive seasons of not winning). But the team has had its stars -- including Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Johan Santana -- who led Minnesota to six AL Central titles from 2002-10 before the club suffered early postseason exits. Tennessee Titans. Ten teams have multiple losing streaks where they lost an equal number of post season games before breaking the drought. Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring. 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. Ranking Lists - Champs or Chumps Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. 1. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. Pottsville won the game 21-7, a win that should have secured the championship. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports. While it was a finalist in MLBs 1993 and 1998 expansion, it got overlooked in favor of Miami and Tampa Bay. Neither team has been crowned the NHLs champions since entering the league in 1970. He started streaming early, back in 2007 when Netflix introduced what seemed revolutionary even then, "instant watch," or what would eventually become the totality of the company. The Bucks lost in seven games to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in a series that some believe was rigged in Philadelphias favor. 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. 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. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts. Throughout the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), franchises have had various postseason and World Series droughts.. All 16 of the original Major League franchises (i.e., those in place when the first World Series was played in 1903) have won the World Series, with the longest wait for a franchise's first championship being for the Phillies (77 seasons, ending in 1980). 12. Your email address will not be published. Then Hulu started and he was hooked. Some believe a curse is a reason for this title drought. Which NHL team has the longest Stanley Cup drought? Instead, it was the Rockets who swept the Magic as Hakeem Olajuwon outplayed the younger Shaq. 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. 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. The City of Minneapolis (1991-Present): No Minneapolis franchise has claimed a championship in 25 years, excluding three, maybe four WNBA titles . 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. Current NFL cities/regions only. 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. drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for Active droughts are listed in bold type And here are the 10 longest World Series title droughts in MLB history that are no longer active (going back to the inaugural World Series in 1903): Cubs: 107 years (1909-2016)White Sox: 87 years (1918-2005)Red Sox: 85 years (1919-2004)Phillies: 77 years (1903-80)Orioles/Browns: 63 years (1903-66)Twins/Senators: 62 years (1925-87)Astros: 55 years (1962-2017)Giants: 55 years (1955-2010)Dodgers: 52 years (1903-55)Nationals/Expos: 50 years (1969-2019), MLB-record streak of elimination-game losses. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. Longest Championship Droughts By City - Champs or Chumps They have not made the playoffs since then. This The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in the NFL, with their last title coming in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. Buffalo Last Title: Never NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . The club they defeated, the Indians, still maintains the record for the longest World Series drought in baseball history. New York then lost in the Finals three times from 1999 to 2002. We have seen one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts end in recent years. The T-Wolves fell 4-2 to the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers. 10 of those cities have seen at least 2 teams total (in 2 different sports) win a championship ; 10 have seen at least 1 championship since 2010; 11 have seen at least 1 team win a championship since 2000 However, they lost to the Houston Astros. Back in 1925, the Cardinals faced the Pottsville Maroons in the 1925 NFL Championship game.