5 Sports Markets More Tortured Than Minnesota
As Minnesotans well know, there's nothing worse than being a sports fan in a tortured market. It's perpetually "our year," until that one key player gets sidelined ... sometimes in a not-so-pleasant way.
But while it���s true that Minnesota sports fans have suffered through quite a bit of pain over the years, at least we can pat ourselves on the back and be glad we don't live in one of these cities.
5. Washington, D.C.
For all the power, influence and money floating around this city, they sure seem to struggle to get a decent sports team together. Sure, the Capitals have been skating well for some time – even making it to the finals in 1998 – but they've never managed to clinch a Stanley Cup.
Plus, they've switched up their team names several times over the years, making it tough for a solid fan base to rise up. Their beloved NFL team will undoubtedly be forced to change its name very soon, too.
All this for a city that hasn't seen a national championship in decades – with few great sports colleges in the near vicinity – make our nation's capital a pretty trouble place for a sports fan.
4. Kansas City
Speaking of teams that like to switch names, poor Kansas City has had three of their five teams move to greener pastures (something with which Minnesota fans are all too familiar). The city has struggled to pull a hockey team together, too, despite some serious interest from fans.
Kansas City hasn't seen a championship since 1985, which made last year's World Series loss for the Royals that much worse. In fact, out of 127 seasons, KC only took home 3 titles.
3. Atlanta
Atlanta fans have only been able to root for their teams five times out of 162 seasons. Out of those times, they won just one championship: the Braves in 1995.
The Braves have played great baseball for a while. They won an unprecedented 14 consecutive divisional championships from 1991 to 2005, making all those World Series losses
The ATL even had a few NHL teams, too. Both left for our more hockey-friendly neighbors up north -- the Flames to Calgary in 1980 and the Jets to Winnipeg in 2011.
2. Buffalo
Hockey fans will know why Buffalo made the list – the Sabres are 0-for-27 in the Stanley Cup Playoff runs.
Of course this town's real despair is in the NFL. The Bills actually made it to the Super Bowl four consecutive times ... and lost every one.
Their struggle was especially disheartening since sports fans in Buffalo have never had any other teams to root for, though it hasn't always been that way. The Braves represented Buffalo in the NBA ... until 1978 when they moved to San Diego.
1. Cleveland
Any sports fan will know the "Mistake on the Lake" is bound to top this list. Cleveland hasn't seen a title since 1968, when the Browns won the NFL Championship, pre-Super Bowl. Their last big win before that: the Indians in the 1948 World Series.
And it's not like they haven't been close since then. Just read up on "The Cleveland Curse" and you'll see the many painfully agonizing ways a championship has slipped from their clutches: The Fumble, The Drive, The Catch, The Shot, and of course, The Decision.
With LeBron back at the Cavs for what's been an impressive season, the curse could soon be lifted. All it took was Kevin Love abandoning the Timberwolves to do it!