A guide to rooting for the underdog

[SWC75]

From time to time I like to check and see what teams have waited the longest for a title in their sport. If any team I normally pull for is out of it, I tend to root for whoever is highest on these lists to have their ship come in. If you are similarly inclined, you will find these lists useful. It’s all the teams in MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL ranked by how long they’ve been waiting to win or win again. The year given is when their franchise last won the championship or, if they haven’t, when they were founded. Note: the NFL considered the current Cleveland Browns as a continuation of the original Cleveland Browns franchise and the Baltimore Ravens as a ‘new’ franchise, even though they had been the original Browns. The Ravens thus last won in 2012 and the Browns in 1964. The Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and the New Orleans Pelicans, (who had been the Charlotte Hornets), have the same consideration.
I have noted when the franchise represented more than one city in their drought. If a franchise has never won the date is the date of their founding, which I have put in parenthesis.

MLB
Indians/Guardians 1948
Senators(2)/Rangers (1961) - the second Washington Senators through 1971
Padres (1969)
Pilots/Brewers (1969) – the Seattle Pilots in 1969
Mariners (1976)
Pirates 1979
Orioles 1983
Tigers 1984
Mets 1986
Athletics 1989
Reds 1990
Twins 1991
Blue Jays 1993
Rockies (1993)
Rays (1998)
Diamondbacks 2001
Angels 2002
Marlins 2003
White Sox 2005
Phillies 2008
Yankees 2009
Cardinals 2011
Giants 2014
Royals 2015
Cubs 2016
Red Sox 2018
Expos/Nationals 2019 – formerly Montreal Expos through 2004
Dodgers 2020
Braves 2021
Astros 2022

NFL
Cardinals 1947 – In Chicago through 1959 then St. Louis through 1987
Lions 1957
Vikings (1961) (They were 1969 NFL champions but lost the Super Bowl)
Oilers/Titans 1961 – the Houston Oilers through 1996
(This was an AFL championship before the Super Bowl)
Chargers 1963 – The Los Angeles in 1960 and 2017 onward. San Diego in between.
(Also an AFL title with no Super Bowl)
Browns 1964 (see above)
Bills 1965 (another AFL title with no Super Bowl)
Falcons (1966)
Bengals (1968)
Jets 1968
Dolphins 1973
Raiders 1983
Bears 1985
Redskins/Commanders 1991
Forty-niners 1994
Cowboys 1995
Colts 2006
Saints 2009
Packers 2010
Giants 2011
Ravens 2012
Seahawks 2013
Broncos 2015
Eagles 2017
Patriots 2018
Buccaneers 2020
Rams 2021
Chiefs 2022

NBA
Royals/Kings 1951 – Rochester Royals to 1956-57, Cincinnati Royals to 1971-72, Kansas City-Omaha Kings to 1974-75, Kansas City Kings to 1984-85, then Sacramento Kings
Hawks 1958 - St. Louis to 1967-68, then Atlanta
Suns (1969)
Braves/Clippers 1971 – Buffalo Braves to 1977-78, then San Diego Clippers to 1983-84
Knicks 1973
Pacers 1973 (an ABA title)
Jazz 1975 – New Orleans to 1978-79, then Utah
Nets 1976 (an ABA title)
Trail Blazers 1977
Bullets/Wizards 1978
Thunder 1979 (Seattle Supersonics to 2007-08)
76ers 1983
Hornets (1989)
Magic (1990)
Timberwolves (1990)
Rockets 1995
Grizzlies (1996)
Bulls 1998
Pelicans (2003)
Pistons 2004
Celtics 2008
Mavericks 2011
Heat 2013
Spurs 2014
Cavaliers 2016
Raptors 2019
Lakers 2020
Bucks 2021
Warriors 2022
Nuggets 2023

NHL
Maple Leafs 1967
Sabres 1971
Canucks 1971
Coyotes 1972 – Winnipeg Jets through 1995-96
Flyers 1975
Islanders 1983
Flames 1989
Oilers 1990
Sharks 1991
Canadiens 1993
Panthers 1993
Senators 1993
Rangers 1994
Jets 1999 – Atlanta Thrashers through 2010-11, then the new Winnipeg Jets. (The NHL didn’t do what the NFL did with the Browns or the NBA with the Hornets.
Predators 1999
Stars 1999
Blue Jackets 2001
Wild 2001
Devils 2003
Hurricanes 2006
Ducks 2007
Red Wings 2008
Bruins 2011
Kings 2014
Blackhawks 2015
Penquins 2017
Capitols 2018
Blues 2019
Lightning 2021
Avalanche 2022
Golden Knights 2023

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Blues 2019. I love looking through these lists. Amazing how long some of these passionate fan bases have waited.