# If Cubs win, who has the longest championshipless streak? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 27, 2016, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888 "2016-10-27T22:34:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/21 "2016-11-02T15:49:28Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > From 1903 to 1960 there were sixteen major-league baseball franchises. Their latest World Series wins are: > AMERICAN LEAGUE > Boston: 2013 > Cleveland: 1948 > Chicago: 2005 > Detroit: 1984 > New York: 2009 > Philadelphia-Kansas City-Oakland: 1989 > St. Louis-Baltimore: 1983 > Washington-Minnesota: 1991 > > NATIONAL LEAGUE > Boston-Milwaukee-Atlanta: 1995 > Brooklyn-Los Angeles: 1988 > Chicago: 1908 > Cincinnati: 1990 > New York-San Francisco: 2014 > Philadelphia: 2008 > Pittsburgh: 1979 > St. Louis: 2011 Interesting to note: in the 56 editions of the WS since the introduction of the expansion teams in '61, only 10 have been won by expansion teams (2 each by Mets, Royals, Jays, and Marlins; 1 each by the Diamondbacks and the Angels), and only 13 have been lost by expansion teams (3 by the Mets, 2 each by the Royals, Padres and Rangers, 1 each by Brewers, 'Stros, Rockies and Rays). The Mets have been in 5 WS, winning 2; all 16 “original” franchises have appeared at least that many times, and the Sox (5 appearances) won 3. Last year’s Series was the first with two “expansion” teams in it (Royals, Mets). So being an expansion team hasn’t been an easy slog to the top. The Nats and the Mariners STILL haven’t made it. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/22 "2016-11-02T16:15:47Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Interesting to note: in the 56 editions of the WS since the introduction of the expansion teams in '61, only 10 have been won by expansion teams (2 each by Mets, Royals, Jays, and Marlins; 1 each by the Diamondbacks and the Angels), and only 13 have been lost by expansion teams (3 by the Mets, 2 each by the Royals, Padres and Rangers, 1 each by Brewers, 'Stros, Rockies and Rays). The Mets have been in 5 WS, winning 2; all 16 “original” franchises have appeared at least that many times, and the Sox (5 appearances) won 3. Last year’s Series was the first with two “expansion” teams in it (Royals, Mets). So being an expansion team hasn’t been an easy slog to the top. The Nats and the Mariners STILL haven’t made it. :smack: You may be interested to know that the last “regular” World Series between two teams, neither of which had previously played in a Series, was in 1906, between the Cubs and the White Sox. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/23 "2016-11-02T16:45:31Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Another thing is, how do you define ‘who’? You can get different answers in American sports depending on whether you’re talking about a team as a corporate entity (e.g. Athletics/A’s) or the fan base in a given city (e.g. Washington, D.C.). > > In MLB, the Nats haven’t won a championship since their origin as the Montreal Expos in 1969, but D.C. area baseball fans have no connection with that. Last time a D.C. area MLB team won the World Series was in 1924. The Seattle Pilots - Milwaukee Brewers were also founded in 1969. Milwaukee hasn’t won a world series since 1957 (Braves) and a championship of any kind since the Bucks in 1970. (Most Milwaukee fans would call recent Packer championship their own as well.) ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/24 "2016-11-02T19:11:22Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Another thing is, how do you define ‘who’? You can get different answers in American sports depending on whether you’re talking about a team as a corporate entity (e.g. Athletics/A’s) or the fan base in a given city (e.g. Washington, D.C.). > > In MLB, the Nats haven’t won a championship since their origin as the Montreal Expos in 1969, but D.C. area baseball fans have no connection with that. Last time a D.C. area MLB team won the World Series was in 1924. Well, in 1980, when the Phillies finally won a World Series (after 97 seasons without one), a sportswriter commented that Phillies fans could not get excited over the crosstown A’s winning a World Series (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930). And they sure didn’t care about that team winning after they started winning titles in Oakland. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/25 "2016-11-02T20:28:44Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Interesting to note: in the 56 editions of the WS since the introduction of the expansion teams in '61, only 10 have been won by expansion teams (2 each by Mets, Royals, Jays, and Marlins; 1 each by the Diamondbacks and the Angels), and only 13 have been lost by expansion teams (3 by the Mets, 2 each by the Royals, Padres and Rangers, 1 each by Brewers, 'Stros, Rockies and Rays). The Mets have been in 5 WS, winning 2; all 16 “original” franchises have appeared at least that many times, and the Sox (5 appearances) won 3. Last year’s Series was the first with two “expansion” teams in it (Royals, Mets). So being an expansion team hasn’t been an easy slog to the top. The Nats and the Mariners STILL haven’t made it. :smack: Many of these teams haven’t been around during the entire time since 1961, so it’s a bit misleading to compare them to the pre-expansion teams, all of which have obviously been around all that time. That said, there’s probably some disadvantage in being an expansion team. Most of these teams probably lack as strong a committed fan base as the older teams have, and this would impact their revenues and ability to sign and retain quality players. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/26 "2016-11-02T20:46:09Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Many of these teams haven’t been around during the entire time since 1961, so it’s a bit misleading to compare them to the pre-expansion teams, all of which have obviously been around all that time. > > That said, there’s probably some disadvantage in being an expansion team. Most of these teams probably lack as strong a committed fan base as the older teams have, and this would impact their revenues and ability to sign and retain quality players. And the fan base is somewhat different for the Dodgers, the Giants, and other franchises that moved and won pennants afterward; obviously they could not have the same support they had when they won pennants in their old cities… (Case in point: The Dodgers, who had won a pennant in 1956 and a World Series in 1955, in Brooklyn; in the second season after moving to Los Angeles they won the pennant and World Series there.) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/27 "2016-11-03T01:52:55Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > In English football, because of promotion and relegation, there is several different ways you can look at it. > > However Preston North End who were champions in the first two years of the Football League in 1888-89 and 1889-90 have not won a championship since, meaning they’ve been waiting 126+ years to repeat their feat. Currently they play in the 2nd tier of English football and have not played in the top tier of English football since the start of the 60s, though have come close a few times to being promoted to the top flight in recent years. > > Alternatively Stoke City were founding members of the Football League in 1888 and currently play in the top tier of English football and have never been champions (of the top tier). If we’re including cities with teams not currently competing at the top level, Providence, Rhode Island’s major league team won the 1884 “World’s Series”, folded after the 1885 season, and the city hasn’t had a major league team since. Making it 132 years and counting. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/28 "2016-11-03T05:16:29Z")
If, _hell!_😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/29 "2016-11-03T06:40:55Z")
How about the Sacramento Kings? Their last championship was in 1951 (when they were the Rochester Royals). ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/30 "2016-11-03T20:21:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > How about the Sacramento Kings? Their last championship was in 1951 (when they were the Rochester Royals). Yah, that was on our news here this morning in Sacramento. With the Cubs off the list now, the Kings moved up a notch. They presented the top three U.S. major sports team championshiplessness (is that a word?): 1. Arizona Carinals 2. Cleveland Indians 3. Sacramento Kings [This article](http://wavy.com/2016/11/03/the-10-longest-championship-droughts-in-professional-sports/) outlines the rest of the top 10: 1. Detroit Lions 2. Atlanta Hawks 3. Philadelphia Eagles 4. Texas Rangers 5. Houston Astros 6. Tennessee Titans 7. San Diego Chargers ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888/31 "2016-11-03T22:10:59Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Yah, that was on our news here this morning in Sacramento. With the Cubs off the list now, the Kings moved up a notch. They presented the top three U.S. major sports team championshiplessness (is that a word?): > > 1. Arizona Carinals > 2. Cleveland Indians > 3. Sacramento Kings > > [This article](http://wavy.com/2016/11/03/the-10-longest-championship-droughts-in-professional-sports/) outlines the rest of the top 10: > > 1. Detroit Lions > 2. Atlanta Hawks > 3. Philadelphia Eagles > 4. Texas Rangers > 5. Houston Astros > 6. Tennessee Titans > 7. San Diego Chargers Do you mean teams that have _never_ won a championship, or teams that are suffering from a long drought? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cubs-win-who-has-the-longest-championshipless-streak/769888.md?page=1)