Seattle, You've Now Won a Title... Who Else Deserves One?

Last Sunday we all witnessed one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history.  I do not pretend to be an expert, but it doesn’t take an expert to see that what the Seahawks did against greatest offense in NFL history was incredible and historical.  But not only were the Seahawks and their defense something special to behold, this win for Seattle was a victory for a city that was starving for a championship. 

Before last Sunday, Seattle had not witnessed a professional sports title since the SuperSonics beat the Washington Bullets in 1979.   Dennis Johnson was the MVP of the ’79 NBA finals, but was traded to Phoenix one year later and the Sonics did not return to the NBA finals until the 1996 when they faced the unbeatable, 72-10, Chicago Bulls.  Somehow, the Sonics won two games and managed not to get swept, but that was their last ever trip to the Finals. 

After a decade of struggle, things were beginning to look up again in Seattle when they received the number two overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft.  And who did the Sonics pick… Kevin Durant.  That’s right, KD, The Slim Reaper, Iceberg Slim, the Durantula, the man who has led the NBA in scoring 3 of the last 4 seasons.  Durant was destined to bring the Sonics back to the top.  Not only was he a great player, but he loved the city of Seattle.  But as we all know, he was only there for one season.  In 2006, the Sonics were sold to an investment group located in Oklahoma City headed by Clayton Bennett and within a couple of seasons, the Sonics were moved to Oklahoma City and became known as the Thunder.  Since the move, the Thunder, led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and other young stars have led the team to one NBA finals and have the talent to remain at the top of the NBA for years to come.

The city of Seattle did not just lose their NBA team, they are now forced to watch what was once their team, dominate the western conference.  Several attempts have been made to get Seattle another team and in the summer of 2013, it appeared that the Kings were on their way to the Emerald City.  But the sale of the team to Seattle based investors Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer fell through and now, for the 6^th straight season, Seattle is without an NBA franchise.

Not only are the Sonics gone, but the Seattle Mariners have not won their division since 2001, which was also the last time they made the playoffs and won a playoff series.  The Mariners have yet to win the American League Pennant and appear in the World Series.  The Seahawks had made one Super Bowl appearance prior to this season in 2006, but lost to the Steelers 21-10.  Not only did they lose, but 4 years after the loss, head referee, Bill Leavy admitted that he had blown twocalls in the 4^th quarter of the game that had a direct impact on the final score. 

If we are to aggregate all that has happened to the city of Seattle and their sports teams, I think it is safe to say that the Seattle deserved a Super Bowl championship.  Sorry Denver, you had a great team, but you didn’t just lose the Super Bowl because you were an inferior team, you lost it to a city that deserved a title more than you did.  Do you ever wonder why Century Link Stadium, the home of the Seahawks, is the loudest stadium in the league? It’s because all those Seattle fans are screaming out years and years of frustration for all their sports teams.

So now that the Seahawks have brought a title back to the Seattle, it got me to thinking, which city is now most deserving of an championship.  I put together my list of the 10 most deserving cities, if you find your city on the list, lucky you, good things may be coming.

10. Philadelphia, PA –

                Yes, the Phillies won the World Series back in 2008, but no other team has won a title in years.  This city is home to arguably the most passionate fans in sports and they desperately want to see a title.

•  Philadelphia Phillies – 2008 World Series
• Philadelphia Eagles – No Super Bowl Titles
•  Philadelphia 76ers – 1983 NBA Title
• Philadelphia Flyers – 1975 Stanley Cup Title

9. Oakland, CA –

                Of all the teams on my list, Oakland has seen the most titles in their city, a total of 6 titles (2 Super Bowls and 4 World Series).  But the city has not seen a title since 1989 and all three of their professional teams are currently threatening to relocate to other cities.  Oakland is often bunched in with the other Bay Area teams, but if you talk to any of their fans, Oakland is its own city and these are Oakland’s teams.

• Oakland A’s – 1972, ’73, ’74, and ’89 World Series
• Oakland Raiders – 1976 and ’80 Super Bowls (the 1983 Super Bowl was the won in LA)
• Golden State Warriors – No title since moving to Oakland

8. Charlotte, NC –

                North Carolina is known for its college sports teams more than it is known for its professional teams.  UNC, Duke, and NC State have all won college basketball titles, but the city of Charlotte is yet to experience their first professional championship.  Not to mention, the cities NBA franchise relocated to New Orleans in 2002 and in 2004, the Bobcats were born.  That team has been so awful that next season they will change their name back to the Hornets to try and forget the Bobcat stink.

• Carolina Panthers – No Super Bowl Titles
• Charlotte Hornets / Bobcats – No NBA Titles

7. Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN –

                This city has experienced three championships, which is more than many other cities, but there are four professional teams in the Twin Cities and all three of those titles belong to the Twins, the last of which came in 23 years ago.  Many young people have been born, grown up and graduated college since the last time Minneapolis won a title. Their NHL franchise relocated to Dallas in 1993 and a new team was not returned to this Hockey crazed city until 2000.

• Minnesota Twins – 1924, 1987, and 1991 World Series Titles
• Minnesota Vikings – No Super Bowl Titles
• Minnesota Timberwolves – No NBA Titles
•  Minnesota North Stars / Wild – No Stanley Cup Titles

6. Buffalo, NY –

                I have not done this analysis, but I would think that Buffalo is the smallest of all cities in the United States which have more than one professional sports team.  So there are not quite as many desperate fans in Buffalo hoping and praying to see a title brought to their town as there are in other cities on this list.  But Buffalo has never seen a title.  Not only have they never won a championship, they came close, oh so very close, going to 4 straight Super Bowls.  The closest they ever got was losing to the Giants by one point in 1990.  The Bills have won titles, but that was before the NFL was created and the Super Bowl was put in place.

• Buffalo Bills – No Super Bowl Titles
• Buffalo Sabres – No Stanley Cup Titles

5. San Diego, CA –

                Just like Buffalo, San Diego has only two professional teams, neither of whom has won a title.  Unlike Buffalo, San Diego is not a “small” city.  The population of San Diego is over a million people more than the population of Buffalo.  That’s a lot of people who have never seen a championship.  Not only have the Chargers never won a Super Bowl, but rumors have been hovering over the franchise for years of the possible move up the I-5 to Los Angeles.

• San Diego Chargers – No Super Bowl Titles
• San Diego Padres – No World Series Titles

4. Phoenix, AZ –

                The Valley of the Sun does not have quite as long of a sports history as many other cities on this list.  The first professional sports team to the Phoenix area was the Suns who were created in 1968.  They remained the lone team in the valley for 20 years until the Cardinals (football) moved from St. Louis in 1988.  Eight years later in 1996, the Winnipeg Jets moved down to Arizona and became the Phoenix Coyotes.  Finally, in 1998, the fourth professional franchise, the Arizona Diamondbacks, was created.  This city does not have a very long professional sports history, but they do have four major sports teams and a population of about 4.5 million people in the Phoenix metropolitan area.   The youngest of all the franchises, the Diamondbacks, won the cities lone championship in 2001.  The Cardinals lost in a heartbreaking Super Bowl in 2009 and the Suns have made it to the NBA Finals twice.  But that’s as close as either of those franchises has come to winning another title for their city.

• Arizona Diamondbacks – 2001 World Series
• Arizona Cardinals – No Super Bowl Titles
•  Phoenix Sun – No NBA Titles  
• Phoenix Coyotes – No Stanley Cup Titles

3. Atlanta, GA –

The ATL, home to Coca-Cola, great Soul Food, lots of well-known rappers, and 3 professional sports teams (what was 4 just two years ago) who share a total of 1 championship.  Atlanta sports teams have moved into the category of pretty good, but not great.  They often find themselves competing for league and division titles, but can’t seem to win the big one.  The Braves went to the World Series five times during the ‘90s and only won one championship.  The Hawks won a title, but that was in St. Louis before they moved to Atlanta.  The Falcons made it to the Super Bowl in 1999 with the help of the dirty bird, but lost to the Broncos.  As mentioned above, Atlanta was also home to the Thrashers, who moved to Winnipeg in 2011.  But just like the Hawks and Falcons, the Thrashers also failed to bring Atlanta a title.

• Atlanta Braves – 1995 World Series
• Atlanta Falcons – No Super Bowl Titles
• Atlanta Hawks – No NBA Titles
• Atlanta Thrashers – No Stanley Cup titles, team moved to Winnipeg in 2011

2. Kansas City, MO –

I can keep this one brief.  There are two teams in Kansas City, the Chiefs and the Royals.  The Royals won a World Series in 1985 and have not made it back to the playoffs since.  The Chiefs won a Super Bowl in 1970 but have not won a playoff game since 1994.  That’s right, KANSAS CITY HAS NOT WON A PLAYOFF GAME SINCE 1994.  Neither team.  So anyone under the age of 20 was not born the last time this city won a single playoff game.  They would love to win a title, but baby steps first. I believe it’s time this city wins at least a playoff game, and then a title, the fans really need it.

• Kansas City Royals – 1985 World Series
• Kansas City Chiefs – 1970 Super Bowl

1.       Cleveland, OH –

This race is not even close.  Cleveland deserves a championship more than any other city in the United States.  Let’s start with the Indians.  They last won a title in 1948.  Next, the Cavaliers, they have not won a title, since, well, never.  Not only have they never won, but their home town hero, the savior of the franchise, Lebron James, ripped out their hearts in 2010 when he moved to Miami.  He has since won himself two titles.  Then comes the saddest story of all the teams, the Browns.  The Browns have never won a Super Bowl; they have never even been to a Super Bowl.  They were close, oh so very close, when in 1988 they lost to the Broncos in the AFC Championship game.  They were in-route to scoring the game tying touchdown when Earnest Byner fumbles the ball on 2-yard line.  It was recovered by the Broncos and they went on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.  In 1996, the Browns owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore.  Three seasons later, that Baltimore Ravens team won the Super Bowl.  The Browns would once again be given a team in 1999, but since then, they have only made one playoff appearance in 2002, losing to their biggest rivals the Steelers.  The Browns have consistently been one of the worst teams in the NFL and have had no luck with any of their offensive draft picks.   Maybe this year, they can finally get itright.  As Bill Simmons described it, being a fan of the Cleveland teams is kinda like this.

• Cleveland Indians – 1948 World Series
• Cleveland Browns – No Super Bowl Titles
• Cleveland Cavaliers – No NBA Titles

Honorable Mentions –

• Washington DC
• Milwaukee
• Indianapolis