the most underachieving franchises in sports history

[bigboydan]

heres are my top 5:

1. AZ. cardinals

here you have a team that hasn't ever won anything at all. then you add the worst owner in every major sport out there, along with a front office that has no clue what there doing.


2. the chicago cubs

they say this team is cursed. well, i'm starting to believe it. they just have not done anything right with a checkbook that is about as loaded as the yankees.

3. detroit lions

what has this team ever won. there bet QB they have had was probly eric hipple


4. NY Knicks

NY is a hoops town, and they haven't did anything since the patrick ewing days. they haven't won a championship since the willis reed days.


5. chicago blackhawks

this team has had a few good years, but nothing worth anything since the stan makita days.

[Stumpage]

I've got to add the Philadelphia Phillies....130 years in existence, and a single, solitary championship. These guys seem to fly under everyone's radar in terms of futility, but I think one would be hard pressed to find any team with a record of hopelessness that matches this.

[Bulldog]

Well it also depends what definition of underachieving you want to go by.
As a Braves fan I would say Atlanta underachieved greatly throughout the 90's and first half of this decade.
Division titles are one thing, but the Braves simply had the best team in baseball (and the best record) many years and never cashed in.
I know the question asks for the worst in history, not last 20 years, still think the Braves are right there.

[Willie Bee]

The Braves certainly could have won another World Series or two pretty easily the last 15 years or so. But I don't think that necessarily makes them underachievers. I'm not so sure that they lost some of the playoff series on their own as much as I think the other teams just were better at the moment and beat them.

Like right now, my Astros are a perfect example of an underachieving bunch. But how much of it is really them underachieving and how much is it due to the Twins, White Sox and Tigers just playing good ball?

As far as all-time in baseball, I've got to agree with stumpage and say the Phillies. You look at their all-time record entering 2006 (8679-9879), and it would take 90-win seasons from now until August 2072 for that franchise to get back to .500 even! Now that is some losing, underachieving baseball with some of the talent they've had.

The Cubs have had an underachieving front office, like Dan said. Some of the teams have simply reflected that same losing attitude on the field.

I would add the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans to the list. The old Oilers were unfortunate to have to go up against some great Steelers teams in the 70s. But otherwise, they've managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory far too often. Again, a reflection on the franchise's management, in my opinion.

[Mudcat]

A generation of broken-hearted Toronto Maple Leafs fans would like their name mentioned. Not even a trip to the final in 40 years, despite selling out every game and having lots of cash to work with.

However since we're talking about all of history, they have still won the second most Stanley Cups so it can't really apply.

All the primary candidates that come to mind for me have been mentioned.