As the Cubs and Indians battled it out during Game 7 of the World Series last week, each fan base were at a stand still biting their nails with every pitch. The Cubs streak was at 108 years and Indians hadn't won since 1948.
At any angle you look at it, each streak was ridiculously long. Before a few weeks ago, the Cubs last appearance in the World Series was 1945. It is safe to say that a lot has happened since 1945 from a baseball standpoint and life standpoint.
That being said, we all know the Cubs fans waited forever for their team to win the World Series, However, if you look at it from a region's point of view, which fans are the most hard done by right now?
This is something I have always thought of as a sports fan. Sports are not just a numbers game. As I kid, I learned ample cities and state locations because of sport. In addition, as a sport enthusiast I have always been obsessed with having four favorite teams and seeing how many Championships those teams would have when I died.
As a kid, I tried to cheer for the teams that were closest to me. Unfortunately, due to teams departing such as the Vancouver Grizzlies, cheering for the local teams became harder to do. To continue, the invention of internet streams, radio apps and sports packages such as NHL Centre Ice, NBA League Pass and MLB TV, following any team has gotten easier by the year and therefore cheering for the closest teams to where you live has gotten less and less important.
I calculated the stats starting in 1990 for many reasons but most importantly because since 1990, a title has been increasingly more difficult because a lot more teams existed in the four main sports leagues and consequently has made winning a championship that much more difficult.
Also, 26 years is a very long time and if there's a goose egg beside your favorite teams name, that indicates that your team is in a long drought.
Pacific Northwest 1/7 Titles Conference Titles
Vancouver Canucks 0 2
Seattle Seahawks 1 3
Seattle Mariners 0 0
Portland Trail Blazers 0 2
Bay Area - Oakland 1/5
Oakland Raiders 0 1
Oakland A's 0 1
Golden State Warriors 1 2
San Jose Sharks 0 1
Bay Area - San Fran 6/9
San Fransisco Giants 3 4
San Fransisco 49ers 1 2
Golden State Warriors 1 2
San Jose Sharks 0 1
So Cal 1 7/11
LA Kings 2 3
LA Dodgers 0 0
LA Lakers 5 8
LA Rams 0* 0*
So. Cal 2 2/2
Anaheim Ducks 1 1
Anaheim Angels 1 1
LA Clippers 0 0
San Diego Chargers 0 0
Southwest 1/3
Arizona Cardinals 0 1
Arizona Dimondbacks 1 1
Arizona Coyotes 0 0
Phoenix Suns 0 1
Rockies 5/7
Denver Nuggets 0 0
Colorado Avalanche 2 2
Colorado Rockies 0 1
Denver Broncos 3 4
North 1/1
Minnesota Wild 0 0
Minnesota Timberwolves 0 0
Minnesota Twins 1 1
Minnesota Vikings 0 0
Great Lakes 6/11
Detroit Tigers 0 2
Detroit Lions 0 0
Detroit Redwings 4 6
Detroit Pistons 2 3
Chicago 10/12
Chicago Cubs/Sox 1 each 1 each
Chicago Bears 0 1
Chicago Blackhwaks 3 4
Chicago Bulls 6 6
Midwest 2/3
Green Bay Packers 2 3
Millwakeee Bucks 0 0
Millwakee Brewers 0 0
Minnesota Wild 0 0
Indiana 2/4
Indiana Pacers 0 1
Indianapolis Colts 1 2
St. Louis Blues 0 0
Cincinnati Reds 1 1
Ohio 1/6
Cleveland Browns 0 0
Cleveland Cavs 1 3
Cleveland Indians 0 3
Columbus Blue Jackets 0 0
Missouri 1/3
St. Louis Blues 0 0
Kansas City Royals 1 2
Kansas City Chiefs 0 0
Oklahoma City Thunder 0* 1*
North Texas 5/9
Dallas Stars 1 3
Dallas Cowboys 3 3
Texas Rangers 0 1
Dallas Mavericks 1 2
South Texas 3/6
Houston Astros 0 1
Houston Texans 0 0
Houston Rockets 2 2
Dallas Stars 1 3
South 2/6
New Orleans Pelicans 0 0
New Orleans Saints 1 1
Atlanta Braves 1 5
Nashville Predators 0 0
Southwest 1/6
Memphis Grizzlies 0 0
Nashville Predators 0 0
Tennessee Titans 0 1
Atlanta Braves 1 5
Toronto 2/6
Toronto Raptors 0 0
Toronto Bluejays 2 2
Toronto Maple Leafs 0 0
Buffalo Bills 0 4
New York 8/14
New York Yankees 5 7
New York Giants 2 4
New York Rangers 1 1
New York Knicks 0 2
Queens 0/4
New York Mets 0 2
New York Jets 0 0
New York Islanders 0 0
Brooklyn Nets 0 2
New Jersey 3/7
New Jersey Devils 3 5
Brooklyn Nets 0 2
New York Jets 0 0
New York Mets 0 2
Western New York 0/9
Buffalo Bills 0 4
Buffalo Sabers 0 1
New York Mets 0 2
New York Knicks 0 2
Boston 10/15
Boston Red Sox 3 3
Boston Bruins 1 2
Boston Celtics 2 3
New England Patriots 4 7
D.C. 1/2
Washington Wizards 0 0
Washington Redskins 1 1
Washington Capitals 0 1
Washington Nationals 0 0
Philadelphia 1/7
Philadelphia Phillies 1 3
Philadelphia 76ers 0 1
Philadelphia Eagles 0 1
Philadelphia Flyers 0 2
Pittsburgh 4/10
Pittsburgh Pirates 0 0
Pittsburgh Steelers 2 4
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 5
Philadelphia 76ers 0 1
Carolina 2/9
Charlotte Hornets 0 0
Carolina Hurricanes 1 2
Carolina Panthers 0 2
Atlanta Braves 1 5
Georgia 1/6
Atlanta Braves 1 5
Atlanta Hawks 0 0
Atlanta Falcons 0 1
Nashville Predators 0 0
North Florida 1/5
Jacksonville Jaguars 0 0
Orlando Magic 0 2
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 0 1
Tampa Bay Lightning 1 2
South Florida 5/8
Miami Heat 3 5
Miami Marlins 2 2
Miami Dolphins 0 0
Florida Panthers 0 1
Please realize, that not all 122 major pro sports teams were used in the charts. Some teams didn't fit into a region or haven't been a team for that long to move everything around.
It is also important to note that their our many other combinations that sports fans have that are not included. Not everyone has four teams in a close distance. Everyone has their own story. For instance, not many people in Seattle cheer for the Trail Blazers because the Sonics and Trail Blazers used to be big rivals, but as I stated above I did it this way because it is the closest team and it fits my formula.
As the charts illustrated, a lot of regions have a lack of Championships or for some regions, a lack of conference championships.
The worst hit regions are D.C., Georgia, Southwest and Toronto who all have been waiting for a conference Championship for at-least a decade and a half. If your a fan of the three Toronto teams plus the Bills (who a few years ago were almost semi adopted to Toronto) your teams haven't reached a Title appearance since the Bluejays won the World Series in 1993.
The worst region from a Title appearance standpoint is likely the state of Minnesota. No title appearances in 25 years. Fortunately for the people of Minneapolis, all four teams are pretty competitive and who knows, the Vikings might win the Super Bowl this year.
One common theme I noticed between the majority of regions is that there was usually one team in every region that has won a Championship in the last decade that has saved some regions from being in a serious drought.
Please comment below if any of you see other ways to shape the regions. I am so interested in these graphs I could stare at the charts for a long time.
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