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Last Title By Town Fall 2012

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  • Now that the World Series hasbeen played here in Fall of 2012, here is the last year that each major league city won a professional sports championship, or for those markets with no titles, the year they first had a major sports franchise there. In other words, it tells how long each area has been waiting for a title. This includes NHL/WHA, NBA/ABA, NFL/AFL/AAFC, and MLB:

    2012 San Fran/Oak/San Jose (Giants MLB)

    2012 Miami (Heat NBA)

    2012 Los Angeles/Anaheim (Kings NHL)

    2011 New York/New Jersey (Giants NFL)

    2011 St. Louis (Cardinals MLB)

    2011 Boston (Bruins NHL)

    2011 Dallas/Ft. Worth (Mavericks NBA)

    2010 Green Bay (Packers NFL)

    2010 Chicago (Blackhawks NHL)

    2009 New Orleans (Saints NFL)

    2009 Pittsburgh (Penguins NHL)

    2008 Oklahoma City, no titles, year the "Thunder" began play.

    2008 Philadelphia (Phillies MLB)

    2008 Detroit (Redwings NHL)

    2007 San Antonio (Spurs NBA)

    2006 Indianapolis (Colts NFL)

    2006 Raleigh (Hurricane NHL)

    2004 Tampa/St. Pete (Lightning NHL)

    2001 Phoenix (Diamondbacks MLB)

    2001 Denver (Avalanche NHL)

    2001 Memphis, no titles, first year "Grizzlies" played there

    2000 Baltimore (Ravens NFL)

    2000 Columbus, no titles, first year "Bluejackets" began play

    1997 Nashville, no titles, first year "Titans" played there

    1995 Houston (Rockets NBA)

    1995 Jacksonville, no titles, first year "Jaguars" began play

    1995 Atlanta (Braves MLB)

    1993 Toronto (Blue Jays MLB)

    1993 Montreal (Canadiennes NHL)

    1992 Washington D.C. (Redskins NFL)

    1991 Minneapolis/St. Paul (Twins MLB)

    1990 Cincinnati (Reds MLB)

    1990 Edmonton (Oilers NHL)

    1989 Calgary (Flames NHL)

    1989 Orlando, no titles, first year "Magic" played there

    1988 Charlotte, no titles, first year "Hornets" played there

    1985 Kansas City (Royals MLB)

    1985 Sacramento, no titles, first year "Kings" played there

    1979 Winnipeg (Jets, WHA)

    1979 Seattle (Sonics, NBA)

    1977 Portland (Blazers NBA)

    1971 Milwaukee (Bucks NBA)

    1971 Salt Lake City (Stars ABA)

    1965 Buffalo (Bills AFL)

    1964 Cleveland (Browns NFL)

    1963 San Diego (Chargers AFL)

    1927 Ottawa (Senators NHL)

    1915 Vancouver (Millionaires, Stanley Cup)

  • Of cities with three or more active franchises, the closest to Cleveland's 1964 is Minny's 1991. We are far and away the leader of consectutive completed sports seasons without a championship.

    Z

  • No the Minnesota Lynx won it all last year.

  • Of cities with three or more active franchises, the closest to Cleveland's 1964 is Minny's 1991. We are far and away the leader of consectutive completed sports seasons without a championship.

    Z

    Zombo said:

    Of cities with three or more active franchises, the closest to Cleveland's 1964 is Minny's 1991. We are far and away the leader of consectutive completed sports seasons without a championship.

    Z

    Yes, see my post on the other thread.

  • No the Minnesota Lynx won it all last year.

    @wrrebel said:

    No the Minnesota Lynx won it all last year.

    I don't count minor leagues like WNBA or MLS....or indoor soccer. Only the Big Four and leagues that have merged with them. That is why there are some WHA and ABA titles counted.

    The MLS may someday be counted...if it grows a bit and is around longer. The folding of the NASL hurt that sport in its bid to become considered "major". The MLS hasn't even been around for 20 years.

  • @wrrebel said:

    No the Minnesota Lynx won it all last year.

    I don't count minor leagues like WNBA or MLS....or indoor soccer. Only the Big Four and leagues that have merged with them. That is why there are some WHA and ABA titles counted.

    The MLS may someday be counted...if it grows a bit and is around longer. The folding of the NASL hurt that sport in its bid to become considered "major". The MLS hasn't even been around for 20 years.

    @the-gipper said:

    I don't count minor leagues like WNBA or MLS....or indoor soccer. Only the Big Four and leagues that have merged with them. That is why there are some WHA and ABA titles counted.

    The MLS may someday be counted...if it grows a bit and is around longer. The folding of the NASL hurt that sport in its bid to become considered "major". The MLS hasn't even been around for 20 years.

    so sexist!

  • @the-gipper said:

    I don't count minor leagues like WNBA or MLS....or indoor soccer. Only the Big Four and leagues that have merged with them. That is why there are some WHA and ABA titles counted.

    The MLS may someday be counted...if it grows a bit and is around longer. The folding of the NASL hurt that sport in its bid to become considered "major". The MLS hasn't even been around for 20 years.

    so sexist!

    @wrrebel said:

    so sexist!

    No, I don't think so. I didn't make up the criteria of what "the Big Four" are. I just go by them:

    The major professional sports leagues, or simply major leagues, in the United States (US) and Canada are the highest professional competitions of team sports in the two countries. Although individual sports such as golf, tennis, and auto racing are also very popular, the term is usually limited to team sports.

    The term "major league" was first used in 1921 in reference to Major League Baseball (MLB), the top level of professional American baseball. Today, the major northern North America professional team sports leagues are Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] Other notable leagues include the Canadian Football League (CFL), Major League Soccer (MLS), the Arena Football League, the Women's National Basketball Association, Major League Lacrosse, and the National Lacrosse League.

    The first four leagues are also commonly referred to as the Big Four. Each of these is the richest professional club competition in its sport worldwide. The best players can become cultural icons in both countries and elsewhere in the world, because the leagues enjoy a significant place in popular culture in the US and Canada. The NFL has 32 teams, and the others have 30 each. The vast majority of major league teams are concentrated in the most populous metropolitan areas of the United States.

    From Wikipedia

  • Just to clarify an issue: it should seem obvious that the more teams a town has the better the chance it has to have won recently. Has NYC/NJ gone even 5 years without winning a title? Don't know.

    The following are the cities, however that have at least 1 team in each of the Big Four leagues:

    SF/Oak/SJ, Miami, LA/Anaheim, NYC/NJ, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Philly, Detroit, Phoenix, Wash. DC, Minn/St. Paul

    Denver

    These have teams on 3 of the 4:

    St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Tampa/St. Pete, Houston, Atlanta, Cleveland (Atlanta had all 4 until recently when the NHL Thrashers moved)

    These are the cities with 2 teams in the Big Four Leagues:

    New Orleans, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Nashville, Toronto, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Kansas City, Seattle, Milwaukee, Buffalo, San Diego

    And these are the "One Horse towns". Cities with only 1 team in a league. Some leagues, especially the NBA and NHL love one horse towns...because they don't have to compete for the dollars with other sports:

    Green Bay, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Raleigh, Memphis, Columbus, Jacksonville, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, Orlando, Sacramento, Winnipeg, Portland, Vancouver, Ottawa, Salt Lake City

    Notice that NO MLB team is located in a one horse town, and the only NFL one horse towns are the tradition rich Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Every other one horse town is either an NBA or NHL town. You can understand it with the Canadian Cities and hockey. Not sure you can understand it with the US cities.

  • To answer my own question about the New York teams going a number of years without a title, the longest stretch the NYC/NJ area has gone without one of their teams winning a title since the advent of the third league (NFL) in 1920 was the 6 year period from 1963 to 1967.

    The Yankees won the 1962 World Series, and NYC/NJ didn't win another title until The Jets won SBIII after the 1968 season. Since then the longest NYC has gone without a title was 3 years (twice: 88/89/90 and 2004/05/06).

    Prior to that you have to go back before the NFL was created in 1920 to get a NYC title drought. NYC did not win a title from 1905 til 1921 where the New York Baseball Giants won the WS those years

    But figure this: there were only 2 leagues. The NHL was nearly all Canadian teams. There was no NFL, and the Yankees were nothing until the trade that brought The Bambino there.