On June 13th, the New York Knicks sent shockwaves through the sports universe after winning their first NBA Championship after a 53-year drought. It was arguably the sports moment of the year, and it was immediately followed by the Carolina Hurricanes winning their first Stanley Cup in 20 years.
All this championship streak-snapping, especially in the case of the Knicks, has put an even bigger spotlight on the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought; in case you’ve missed it, the count is now up to 30 years.
Is it the longest championship drought in sports? No, and it isn’t even close there.
My question is, considering the importance of the franchise, the spotlight, the organization’s history, and the brand as a whole, could it be the most significant championship drought in all sports? Let’s talk about it.
(In the four major sports: MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL).
1: Toronto Maple Leafs — Last Championship: 1967 Stanley Cup
This is easily the biggest competition to the Dallas drought in North American sports. The Leafs are too historic, too massive, and too central to hockey for almost 60 years without a Cup to be anywhere but number one on this list.
2: Detroit Lions — Last Championship: 1957 NFL Championship
The Lions’ drought is this high because they have never even reached a Super Bowl. For decades, this has been one of the NFL’s defining hopeless stories, despite some of the best talent in the league’s history residing in Detroit.
3: Cleveland Browns — Last Championship: 1964 NFL Championship
The Browns have history, a great fanbase, tremendous heartbreak, and zero Super Bowl appearances. Add in the relocation wound and the expansion return, and this becomes one of the most brutal droughts in sports.
4: Cleveland Guardians — Last Championship: 1948 World Series
This one misses being the longest in the four major sports by a year, and Cleveland has had real chances to end it. The 1997 and 2016 World Series losses increase the hurt here, and the city’s overall failures raise it even more.
5: San Francisco 49ers — Last Championship: 1994 season / Super Bowl XXIX
Much like Dallas, the 49ers are not here because their drought is one of the longest: they are here because of their franchise’s significance, and because of how close they keep getting. I mean, they just became the only team to lose the SB in overtime. That’s pretty damn painful.
6: New York Jets — Last Championship: Super Bowl III, 1968 season
The Jets won one of the most famous Super Bowls ever and have failed to get another one ever since. Being in New York makes the drought louder, and the Knicks’ winning certainly adds to the spotlight of the Jets’ disastrous history since Joe Namath’s guarantee.
7: Buffalo Bills — Last Championship: 1965 AFL Championship
The Bills are here because of heartbreak more than anything else. Four straight Super Bowl losses, followed by the...
