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Losingest Sports Franchises in History

Losingest Sports Franchises in History

11 of 11

Loyalist sports fans will stand by their teams through thick and thin, and defend their honor against all haters. But for some franchises, the bad times seem to be nearly perpetual, and the golden years are either long-gone or never were. Despite this, some of the following franchises still enjoy a devoted following, while others have been abandoned for greener and more fruitful pastures.

SportsLogos.net
SportsLogos.net

Charlotte Bobcats (Hornets)

Charlotte’s previous team relocated to New Orleans in 2002 (just wait, they’re next), so the Charlotte Bobcats were created in 2004 to give North Carolinans somebody to cheer for in the NBA. But since their creation, they’ve been a disappointment every year despite good lottery draft numbers, with a dismal franchise record of 250-476. Not even former great and current owner Michael Jordan (who bought the team in 2010) could turn things around, but perhaps the tides will turn when they reclaim their former name – the Hornets – for the 2014 season.

NBA.SI.com
NBA.SI.com

New Orleans Hornets (Pelicans)

The former Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans, but didn’t do much better there – and are changing their name to the Pelicans for the 2013 season, freeing Charlotte up to reclaim its name. Even Chris Paul couldn’t get things done for them, and the franchise still has a losing record. A brief move to Oklahoma City following Hurricane Sandy perhaps earns this team the title of Best Traveled, which is the only title it has won, with no NBA championships to it’s name. Ba-zing!

Sports-Logos-Screensavers.com
Sports-Logos-Screensavers.com

Cincinnati Bengals
With no Super Bowls to claim, and only 12 winning seasons in more than 40 years, the Cincinnati Bengals don’t give their hometown much to cheer about. It’s a big year if they even make it into the playoffs (a rare occurrence), but they have yet to deliver a big postseason performance anyway. There’s an old joke that if the world ends, you want to be in Cincinnati, as everything happens there 10 years late. Perhaps the same holds true for a Super Bowl win.

SportsLogos.net
SportsLogos.net

Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs don’t necessarily look like the most disappointing team on paper, as they’ve won some division and conference championships and have had some truly spectacular seasons. However, they are also tied for the longest losing streak in NBA history (26 games in 2010-2011), and suffered the soul-destroying moment when LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami – where he has already won two championships to date. When LeBron breaks up with you for the Heat, you get to make the list.

RedCrossCup.org
RedCrossCup.org

Cleveland Browns
Speaking of Cleveland, its football team hasn’t had much luck either, and is widely known as one of the most losing teams in NFL history. Notorious for blowing early leads in the fourth quarter, the Browns have never won a Super Bowl despite two incarnations (the original Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996 and became the Ravens, where they would win a Super Bowl shortly after). The second round of the Browns rarely have a winning season, let alone a shot in the playoffs.

SportsLogos.net
SportsLogos.net

New York Mets
In keeping with the theme of doubly-disappointing cities, the New York Mets and another team to be named shortly (it rhymes with the Mets as well, can you guess who?) are infamous for their ability to blow their chances with bad trades and poorly managed fortunes. And with another NYC team that is much easier to be a fan of (admittedly, they are also much easier to hate as well), the Mets are seen as the ugly stepbrother of New York Major League Baseball teams.

RankLogos.com
RankLogos.com

New York Jets
Like the Mets, the Jets are the much less-successful New York football team, and make losing a creative art form. Whether it be Mark Sanchez’s “butt fumble” or the notion that it was a good idea to get Tim Tebow, the Jets have yet to have a shining moment since their upset Super Bowl win in 1968 over the Baltimore Colts (they have yet to win another since, or even to play in one).

Sports-Logos-Screensavers.com
Sports-Logos-Screensavers.com

Los Angeles Clippers
Like its unfortunate brothers above, the Clippers fall prey to the classic problem of being located in the same city as a much better team. But beyond living in the Lakers’ shadow, the Clippers can’t seem to win enough games to make the playoffs with any kind of consistency. They seemed to have a bright future with Blake Griffin, but as he is continually injured, he’s not much help.

FindThatLogo.com
FindThatLogo.com

Detroit Lions
The Lions have long been viewed as one of the doormats of the NFL, and with no Super Bowls to speak of and a seriously losing reputation and record, it’s not without reason. Furthermore, they happen to have the lowest home game attendance rate of any team in the NFL, which isn’t surprising given that they’ve had seasons where they’ve gone 0-16 (the only one of two in history who have ever managed this feat). Anybody who remembers the glory days of the Lions is well into their 80s by now.

ChicagoHomePartner.com
ChicagoHomePartner.com

Chicago Cubs
And last but not least, it is the Chicago Cubs that take losing to an art form. They haven’t won a World Series since 1908 (and haven’t even made an appearance in the World Series since 1945), making it unlikely that anybody alive today remembers that. Even when it seems as though they have a shot, something always seems to go wrong – underperforming veterans, a lack of rookie talent, overzealous fans that rob outfielders of making a catch…Without a World Series in more than a century, the Cubs have become the MLBs – and maybe even sports’ most lovable losers.