Cleveland lost in the NBA finals last night, and that’s city’s run of futility continues to date back to 1964. The Cavaliers, Browns and Indians have gone a combined 144 seasons without a championship. Add a couple more if you want to count the Cleveland Barons hockey team in the ‘70s.
But at least Cleveland has been to the Big Dance a few times during that run. The Cavs have been to the NBA Finals twice in the last nine years. And Cleveland was in two World Series in the ‘90s.
Other cities have longer runs without even having a team get into a championship game.
Currently five cities have gone at least 60 combined seasons without even getting a team in championship game. Minneapolis and St. Paul lead the way, with 89 straight seasons since the Twins won the World Series in 1991.
Milwaukee is next in line, with 65 straight seasons since the Brewers lost in the World Series in 1982. That one gets tossed if you consider the Packers to be in the Milwaukee market. Green Bay used to play a few games in Milwaukee every year, and certainly darn near everyone in Milwaukee cares about and loves the Packers. But Green Bay is a long way from Milwaukee, so I’m leaving them separate this time around.
Toronto is at 62 seasons, with the Blue Jays, Raptors and Maple Leafs. Atlanta dates back to 1999 with the Falcons in the Super Bowl. Washington is just behind those three teams and is picking up ground every year (since it’s the only one of those four markets playing in all four sports).
| MOST CONSECUTIVE SEASONS WITHOUT A FINALIST | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NFL | NBA | MLB | NHL | Total |
| Twin Cities (Min.) | 24 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 89 |
| Milwaukee | -- | 33 | 32 | -- | 65 |
| Toronto | -- | 21 | 21 | 20 | 62 |
| Atlanta | 16 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 61 |
| Washington | 17 | 17 | 10 | 16 | 60 |
| Cincinnati | 25 | -- | 24 | -- | 49 |
—Ian Allan