The Texas Rangers’ capture of the 2023 World Series on Wednesday allowed sports historians to cross a team off their list of unsuccessful franchises waiting for a first championship, but some remain impatient.
With a 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the Major League Baseball Finals, the Rangers broke the ice and won the title for the first time in their 63-year history. The former Washington Senators moved to Texas before the 1972 campaign and lost in the World Series in 2010 and 2011.
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At the same time, the club has abandoned the unflattering label of a major league team that has the longest streak without a single championship to its name. Elsewhere in sports, organizations are still going through the motions. Here are some teams that have never won since their inception.
-San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers, MLB (first season 1969)
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Within the Manfred Circuit, the two oldest uncrowned concessions date back to 1969, the year the Montreal Expos premiered. In the National League, the San Diego Padres have repeatedly had problems on the field despite the presence of big names like Tony Gwynn. They have only appeared in the World Series twice, losing to the Detroit Tigers in 1984 and the New York Yankees in 1998. That year they suffered defeat at the hands of the Bronx Bombers, who went on to win a series of three conquests.
The Brewers, formerly the Seattle Pilots, moved to Milwaukee after just one season in Washington State. Their appearances in the qualifying matches were rare: they reached the finals once in three qualifying matches. It was in 1982 when they played in American football. The St. Louis Cardinals shattered their dream by winning in seven games.
-Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabers, NHL (1970-1971)
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In the National Hockey League, 11 teams have never won the Stanley Cup. The oldest of this group are the Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres, who began their careers in the league between 1970 and 1971. In British Columbia, the home favorites have missed the playoffs 23 times, including seven of the last eight seasons. The Canucks were in the final three times: After a win against Mike Bossy and the strong New York Islanders in the spring of 1982, they missed out against the New York Rangers in 1994 and 2011 and narrowly missed out on a win each to the Boston Bruins. In the latter case, the failure was so bitter that rioters took to the streets of Vancouver after the decisive game.
In Buffalo, the Sabers lost the Finals twice, in 1975 to the intimidating Philadelphia Flyers and in 1999 to the Dallas Stars. That year, Brett Hull’s game-winning goal raised eyebrows among fans, journalists and, above all, the underdogs’ then head coach, Lindy Ruff. Even today, many question the validity of the goal scored in the third overtime period. Remember, the club is trying to slow a streak of 12 streakless seasons.
-Arizona Cardinals, NFL (1920)
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Founded in Chicago in 1920, the Cardinals are one of twelve NFL teams that have never won the Super Bowl. The franchise, which also played in St. Louis before coming to Arizona before the 1988 season, reports only one appearance in the major event. On February 1, 2009, the club led by quarterback Kurt Warner lost a lead with 35 seconds to play and lost 27 to 23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This year, his supporters can already forget about the title, as he has missed seven of his first eight games.
Elsewhere in the NFL, some teams didn’t even have the privilege of playing in the Super Bowl once, including the Detroit Lions. The Buffalo Bills and their then linchpin Jim Kelly, for their part, distinguished themselves sadly in the early 1990s by losing the Finals four times in a row.
-Phoenix Suns, NBA (1968-1969)
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On the NBA side, the Phoenix Suns began operations in 1968 and remain the oldest franchise to never hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Canadian Steve Nash’s former club took part in the final three times (1976, 1993 and 2021) and lost in six matches. The second time around, he fell to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, while the Suns faced the Milwaukee Bucks two years ago before Giannis Antetokounmpo, named Most Outstanding Player in the Finals, staged a comeback.
The Los Angeles Clippers, who began their career in the league in 1970, also couldn’t pass up the top honor. In 2021 they reached the association final for the first time.