LeBron James just cemented himself as one of the premier basketball talents in the history of the game. He should have been already, but the last three games of the 2016 Finals are definitive proof that no player has ever mixed athleticism, basketball IQ, and a variety of skills in the same way that LeBron has. Even if his team accomplishments haven’t yet garnered comparison to Michael Jordan (which shouldn’t matter, but so it goes), the King is clearly on par with Bird and Magic at this point in his career. He’s also probably got another five to ten years in the league to surpass them. Watching LeBron is incredible.
More importantly, LeBron James and the Cavaliers just delivered the city of Cleveland, Ohio its first professional sports championship since the 1964 Browns won the NFL Championship (note: the Super Bowl didn’t come around until 1966). The Cavaliers snapped a 52-year title drought in Northern Ohio, officially relieving the malaise that has plagued Cleveland sports.
With the championship drought in Cleveland at an end, a new city must now assume the responsibility that comes with bearing the major professional sports title drought. Bags on heads, constant bemoaning of front offices, expecting every new addition to be a bust, we’re talking about the whole nine yards here. Cleveland set the bar pretty high when it comes to wallowing in futility.
However, an obvious city doesn’t truly come to mind. Milwaukee is currently owners of the longest drought, but the majority of the city is dominated by Green Bay Packers fans, thus alleviating the pain of watching the Brewers and Bucks. There’s certainly a case to be made for Charlotte, but the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006 and bear close enough proximity to the city to disqualify their contention. Despite being owners of three helpless professional sports teams and the most dissatisfied fanbase in North America, Philadelphia can still hang it’s hat on the 2008 Phillies World Series.
While finding a city to assume Cleveland’s mantle as “saddest sports city” is difficult, there are a select few that make compelling cases.
First, let’s start in Canada, where Toronto is currently suffering at the hands of a major sports league title drought that stretches all the way back to 1993. The Raptors get somewhat of a pass; they’ve only been in existence since 1995, after all. Sure, they’ve been mostly listless in their existence, but 21 years isn’t an excruciatingly long wait for a team’s first NBA championship. The Blue Jays, despite being the last franchise to win a professional title in the city, have been hopeless for most of their 23-year drought, with last year’s playoff appearance representing the first since the ’93 World Series. Most importantly, in a hockey-dominated city, Toronto fans have had to go without so much as a Stanley Cup appearance in 48 years. The Maple Leafs, alongside the St. Louis Blues, are currently owners of the longest Stanley Cup drought of any NHL team and just started another rebuild. Toronto fans have every right to be anxious for their next professional championship.
Yet, Toronto does not have what it takes to assume Cleveland’s old mantle. Houston and Atlanta both pose compelling arguments, with neither city celebrating a professional sports title since 1995. While a shorter drought than Toronto, they have both dealt with closer brushes to success than their northern counterpart.
Houston has marched out a mostly competitive Rockets team since their last championship, while Atlanta has watched the Braves flirt with periodic playoff appearances in recent years. Still, both cities are home to a few incredibly long droughts. The Atlanta Hawks haven’t won a NBA championship since moving to the city in 1968, while the Falcons likewise haven’t won a Super Bowl in their existence, stretching back to 1966. Meanwhile, the Houston Astros currently sit just behind the Indians and Cubs for the third longest World Series drought in major league baseball, having failed to win it all for the entirety of their 54-year existence. Houston and Atlanta both have compelling cases for assuming the title of the “most troubled professional sports city in North America.”
However, both cities don’t hold a candle to San Diego when it comes to current droughts. San Diego may technically only have two major professional sports teams (and the Chargers may be on their way out), but for these purposes I’m going to count the Los Angeles Clippers towards San Diego as well, because I’m sure there are many older Clippers fans still hanging tight in San Diego after the 1984 move. Either way, the city has been without a professional sports title since 1963, when the Chargers won the NFL Championship. The Padres have existed since 1969 without a World Series to their name. And the Clippers moved to San Diego in 1978 and since then have been without a title, adding to the pain of San Diego-ites(?).
If the public is ready to apply the Cleveland’s curse to San Diego, that’s perfectly acceptable. I’d like to make the case for two other cities, though.
Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis/St. Paul are two of just thirteen North American cities that play host to a team for all four major professional sports leagues on the continent. Of those thirteen cities, the Twin Cities and the U.S. Capital are tied for the longest drought without a title from any of their four respective franchises. 1991 was the last time either city celebrated a professional championship, when the Redskins won the Super Bowl and the Twins triumphed in the World Series.
To be fair, both cities are relatively new hosts to one of the professional sports leagues. The Nationals have only existed in Washington since 2005, while the Wild came into the NHL in 2001. Neither of those droughts are particularly painful. It’s the other three teams that are the source of ire for Washington and Minnesota sports fans.
Let’s break down Minnesota first. Sports in the Twin Cities have been extremely lackluster. The Minnesota Timberwolves, an NBA expansion team in 1989, have advanced to the Conference Finals just once and have never made an appearance in the NBA Finals. In that time, they’ve witnessed their two biggest stars, Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love, both be traded away to win championships with other organizations. Despite an eight year playoff run behind Garnett, the Timberwolves have spent the other 20 years of their existence in a perpetual rebuild. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins currently offer the promise of better days in Minnesota, but T-Wolves fans have already played witness to incredible talents failing to win before and probably shouldn’t get overly anxious, despite their talented core.
Beyond the Timberwolves, Minneapolis and St. Paul have long supported the Twins, proprietors of the last title parade in Minnesota. Since relocating to the Land of Lakes in 1961, the Twins have won two World Series titles for the state of Minnesota. Sadly, since their last World Series, the Twins have made the playoffs just six times, with their last appearance occurring in 2010. While flirting with relevancy, the Twins have struggled to find a franchise cornerstone over much of the last 20+ years and have spent much of the 21st century wondering what might have been if management had kept David Ortiz.
Lastly, the Minnesota Vikings are yet another football franchise that hasn’t won in the Super Bowl era. However, in that time the Vikings have made 28 playoff appearances and played in four different Super Bowls. They’re simply a team that hasn’t been able to take the next step in the postseason, despite a variety of stars gracing the team, including Adrian Peterson and a retired Brett Favre. By all accounts, Minnesota sports have been rather listless for the better part of two and a half decades, while rarely carrying teams that even mustered legitimate title hope.
And yet, by the narrowest of margins, Washington, D.C. takes Cleveland’s mantle for the saddest sports city in North America. Sure, D.C. United has dominated the MLS in recent years, but soccer is still not considered a major North American sport in the eyes of the vast majority (though United actually drew slightly better crowds than the Wizards over the last year). Even with the recent rise of the MLS, the major four sports leagues still dominate bar conversations. And in these major sports, it’s been awhile since a Washington team has given our Congressmen reason to celebrate.
To start, the Washington Capitals, since their founding in 1974, have appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals once, while making the playoffs sporadically. Even in recent years, fronted by the premier goal scorer of the 21st century, the Caps have struggled in the postseason, including a letdown this year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the second time in franchise history. Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals figure to be in the thick of the Stanley Cup chase again next year, but until they actually make a postseason run, Washington fans will be stuck waiting for their first hockey championship.
The second longest championship drought in Washington, stretching back to 1978, belongs to the Washington Bullets/Wizards. Since the days of Wes Unseld, the Wizards have been a mighty random mess. Throughout the eighties they were unable to field consistent teams and never challenged the Celtics and Lakers for NBA supremacy. After shipping out Moses Malone and rebuilding, the Wizards struggled to find a new franchise cornerstone throughout the ’90s and consistently missed the playoffs for the better part of a decade (through that Chris Webber run was alright). Through Michael Jordan’s post-retirement victory lap, Gilbert Arenas’s rise and, um, decline, to a new era with John Wall at the helm, the Wizards have consistently flirted with mediocrity and seem ill-equipped at present to change the status quo in the short-term.
The coup de gras in Washington, however, is their football team. Winning three Super Bowls in franchise history, the last coming 25 years ago, the Washington football team has been mired in the cellar of the NFC for most of the 21st century. Making the playoffs just six times in the last 25 years, while winning the NFC East three times and dealing with constant controversy, Washington has been on par with their division rivals, the Eagles, in terms of futility. Washington football, over their entire history, has actually been one of the more storied franchises in the NFL, but they have struggled recently and do not seem poised to alleviate the title drought in D.C.
In actuality, no city is currently suffering in their professional sports aspirations the way Cleveland had before last night. However, as we’re a narrative driven culture that thrives on classifying others, Washington, D.C. seems like a logical heir to the title of “Saddest Sports City.” Nevertheless, the Capitals are still dangerous, the Nationals could very well win a World Series this year, and the Wizards might have a chance to bring Kevin Durant back to his hometown (not saying it’s a good chance, though). The Washington football team is also coming off a playoff berth and Kirk Cousins put it best with his immortal quote:
Championships will come Washington sports fans. You need only have patience and faith.
Unintentional Talk 