Sports Team Success

Considering all teams from the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada (baseball, football, basketball, and ice hockey) this article is comprised of two lists, each ranking teams from top to bottom. The first list is all present teams with at least one championship in their histories (as of February 2008), coupled with the number of championships they’ve earned. The second list is present teams with no championships at any time in their history, preceded by the number of years they’ve existed in their current location (as of February 2008).

The reigning professional sports team in terms of total championships in its municipality is the New York Yankees, at the top of the first list with 26 titles. At the bottom of the second list is the San Francisco Giants. No other team can compare to the futility when it comes to championship drought. The consideration here: Which team has gone the longest in their current location without having a single title to its name at any time in its history? A team like the Chicago Cubs last won a title in 1908, but at least they can raise a championship banner that says “Chicago Cubs.” The Giants did have championships when the team was in New York, but that was in New York, not San Francisco.

Present teams with at least one championship in their histories (as of February 2008), coupled with the number of championships they’ve earned

26
New York Yankees (last one 2000)

22
Montreal Canadians (1993)

16
Boston Celtics (1986)

11
Toronto Maple Leafs (1967)

10
Detroit Red Wings (2002)
St. Louis Cardinals (2006)

9
Green Bay Packers (1996)
Los Angeles Lakers (2000)

7
Boston Red Sox (2007)
Chicago Bears (1985)

6
Chicago Bulls (1998)
New York Giants (2007)

5
Boston Bruins (1972)
Cincinnati Reds (1990)
Dallas Cowboys (1995)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1988)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1979)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2005)
San Francisco 49ers (1994)
Washington Redskins (1991)

4
Cleveland Browns (1964)
Detroit Lions (1957)
Detroit Tigers (1984)
New York Islanders (1983)
New York Rangers (1994)
Oakland Athletics (1989)
San Antonio Spurs (2007)

3
Baltimore Orioles (1983)
Chicago Blackhawks (1961)
Chicago White Sox (2005)
Detroit Pistons (2004)
Edmonton Oilers (1990)
New England Patriots (2004)
New Jersey Devils (2003)
Philadelphia Eagles (1960)

2
Buffalo Bills (1965)
Chicago Cubs (1908)
Cleveland Indians (1948)
Colorado Avalanche (1996)
Denver Broncos (1998)
Florida Marlins (2003)
Houston Rockets (1995)
Miami Dolphins (1973)
Minnesota Twins (1991)
New York Knicks (1973)
New York Mets (1986)
Oakland Raiders (1980)
Philadelphia 76ers (1983)
Philadelphia Flyers (1975)
Pittsburgh Penguins (1992)
Toronto Blue Jays (1993)

1
Anaheim Ducks (2006)
Arizona Diamondbacks (2001)
Atlanta Braves (1995)
Baltimore Ravens (2000)
Calgary Flames (1989)
Carolina Hurricanes (2006)
Dallas Stars (1999)
Golden State Warriors (1975)
Indianapolis Colts (2006)
Kansas City Chiefs (1969)
Kansas City Royals (1985)
Los Angeles Angels (2002)
Miami Heat (2006)
Milwaukee Bucks (1971)
New York Jets (1968)
Ottawa Senators (1927)
Philadelphia Phillies (1980)
Portland Trail Blazers (1977)
San Diego Chargers (1963)
Seattle SuperSonics (1979)
St. Louis Rams (1999)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002)
Tampa Bay Lightning (2004)
Washington Wizards (1978)

Present teams with no championships at any time in their history, preceded by the number of years they’ve existed in their current location (as of February 2008)

3 Charlotte Bobcats
3 Washington Nationals
5 New Orleans Hornets
6 Houston Texans
6 Memphis Grizzlies
7 Columbus Blue Jackets
7 Minnesota Wild
8 Atlanta Thrashers
9 Nashville Predators
10 Phoenix Coyotes
10 Tampa Bay Devil Rays
11 Tennessee Titans
13 Jacksonville Jaguars
13 Carolina Panthers
13 Florida Panthers
13 Toronto Raptors
15 Colorado Rockies
16 San Jose Sharks
18 Orlando Magic
18 Minnesota Timberwolves
20 Arizona Cardinals
23 Sacramento Kings
23 Los Angeles Clippers
27 Dallas Mavericks
28 Utah Jazz
30 Seattle Seahawks
31 Denver Nuggets
31 Indiana Pacers
31 New Jersey Nets
31 Seattle Mariners
33 Washington Capitals
36 Texas Rangers
37 Buffalo Sabres
37 Cleveland Cavaliers
37 Vancouver Canucks
39 Atlanta Hawks
39 Milwaukee Brewers
39 Phoenix Suns
39 San Diego Padres
40 Cincinnati Bengals
40 St. Louis Blues
40 Los Angeles Kings
41 New Orleans Saints
43 Atlanta Falcons
46 Houston Astros
48 Minnesota Vikings
50 San Francisco Giants

Notes:
• Every present team in major league baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League is on this list. This list is presently applicable February 2008.
• For major league baseball, the titles are counted from 1903.
• For the NFL, titles are counted from 1933, when actual title games began being played. Super Bowl champions are counted as NFL champions from 1966.
• For the NBA, titles are counted from 1947.
• For the NHL, titles are counted from 1927, when the NHL took over the Stanley Cup. Each of these standard measurements of season play are the most widely considered.
• The San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills titles are from the AFL, years 1960 to 1965. The 1968 and 1969 NFL titles were won by the Baltimore Colts and Minnesota Vikings, respectively, but the Super Bowls in those years were won by the AFL’s New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. It is those titles that are counted here. If AFL titles are not counted, the Bills would be at 48 years without an NFL/Super Bowl title, and the Chargers would be at 47 if only those years since being in San Diego are considered (it spent its first year in 1960 in Los Angeles).
• The Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and then back to Oakland in 1995. The team’s Los Angeles title in 1983 is not counted in that team’s total.
• The Washington Bullets title in 1978 is counted even though they are now called the Wizards. Other minor team name changes are likewise not considered for ineligibility in present-team championship totals, such as the change of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to just Ducks or the name-shifting of the California-to-Anaheim-to-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
• Minor location changes within a municipality are also not considered for ineligibility. Several teams have changed regular game venues over their history but have remained in the same general area. An example is the once San Francisco Warriors, now Golden State Warriors who play in Oakland. This team still represents the San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area.
• The Ottawa Senators won their title in 1927, and shortly thereafter left the league for over sixty years. They returned in 1992.
• The Cleveland Browns became the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, but the Cleveland Browns assembled a new team of players and returned in 1999. These two Browns entities are considered one in the same for these purposes.
• This is all through the sports year 2007, with the Super Bowl played February 3rd of 2008 (won by the New York Giants) the last championship of record here.
• The number used for the second list is years, representing years-in-the-league, in that metropolitan area. This is noted presuming that during season-ending strikes (such as 1994 for baseball and 2004-2005 for hockey) there would have otherwise been a season played.
• This list is compiled simply for those who wish to see which teams have won and how many times, which ones have not and for how long, and to do so in comparison to other teams in their league and in the other major professional sports team leagues. It is a mere reference article for a distinctive purpose, and in no way is it intended to discriminate against any other sport or sports league. These four leagues are generally considered to be the longest established and most well-known for professional team athletics in the United States and Canada.

References:
NFL Football: http://www.nfl.com/history
Major League Baseball: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/index.jsp
NBA Basketball: http://www.nba.com/history/
NHL Ice Hockey: http://www.nhl.com/history/index.html

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