This
is another post with lists. Lists of the ten all-time longest
droughts. Droughts between championships and droughts between
appearances in the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals and
the Stanley Cup. The observant enthusiast will draw several
conclusions.
Number-one,
the Chicago Cubs were champions long before 2016. Their 107 seasons
between championships is unlikely ever to be surpassed. It is
untouched in the annals of professional sports.
But
their second record is looking like low-hanging fruit.
The
Cubs' 70 seasons between visits to the World Series is threatened by
the NBA's Sacramento Kings, who haven't paid a visit to the NBA
Finals since 1951, when they played 2,290 miles to the east and
sported the words 'Rochester Royals' on their jerseys.
Moving
on, as a Chicago-based baseball fan I'm trying to calculate the odds
of my hometown's two baseball teams owning the two worst cases of
World Series avoidance in MLB history. I mean, how do things like
that happen?
And
what does it say when the parity-obsessed NFL has more teams on the
appearances list than any other sport? I guess inept management can
happen anywhere—even in luxury suites. Maybe Chronic Traumatic
Encephalopathy flows upstream?
Finally,
if you ever wondered how dominant the Toronto Maple Leafs once were,
know that despite not appearing in the Stanley Cup since the Summer
of Love was in its planning stages, the Leafs still rank third in
Stanley Cup appearances and second in Cups won.
As
promised, here are the lists. Two of them, to be exact.
The
first contains the ten all-time longest droughts without a franchise
appearing in their sport's championship series or game. The second
enumerates the ten all-time longest stretches without a championship.
Figures
are current through each sport's most-recently completed season.
Chicago
Cubs MLB 70 1946-2015
Sacramento
Kings NBA 65* 1952-present
Arizona
Cardinals NFL 59 1949-2007
Detroit
Lions NFL 58* 1958-present
Atlanta
Hawks NBA 55* 1962-present
Toronto
Maple Leafs NHL 49* 1968-present
New
York Jets NFL 47* 1969-present
Kansas
City Chiefs NFL 46* 1970-present
St.
Louis Blues NHL 46* 1971-present
Chicago
White Sox MLB 45 1960-2004
Milwaukee
Bucks NBA 42* 1975-present
Honorable
mentions:
Oakland
Athletics MLB 40 1932-1971
Cleveland
Indians MLB 40 1955-1994
Golden
State Warriors NBA 39 1976-2014
Minnesota
Vikings NFL 39* 1977-present
Here
is where the Cubs appear eternal. As hapless as franchises like the
Cleveland Indians, Arizona Cardinals and Sacramento Kings may appear,
they would have to remain title-free for roughly another forty
years—over a generation—to have a shot at the Cubs' record.
That
puts it into perspective for me.
Chicago
Cubs MLB 107 1909-2015
Chicago
White Sox MLB 87 1918-2004
Boston
Red Sox MLB 85 1919-2003
Cleveland
Indians MLB 68* 1949-present
Arizona
Cardinals NFL 68* 1948-present
Sacramento
Kings NBA 65* 1952-present
Minnesota
Twins MLB 62 1925-1986
Detroit
Lions NFL 58* 1958-present
Atlanta
Hawks NBA 58* 1959-present
San
Francisco Giants MLB 55 1955-2009
Philadelphia
Eagles NFL 55* 1961-present
Tennessee
Titans NFL 54* 1962-present
New
York Rangers NHL 53 1941-1993
Honorable
mentions:
San
Diego Chargers NFL 52* 1964-present
Buffalo
Bills NFL 50* 1966-present
Toronto
Maple Leafs NHL 49* 1968-present
*
= active
