Good for Bucks, but Fins fans still wait to see title
Sports, the original and greatest reality TV, keeps gifting us stories you’d hardly dare to dream in a script.
The latest: Giannis Antetokounmpo — the Greek Freak, Athens-born of Nigerian immigrant parents — scores 50 points Tuesday night to deliver to Milwaukee fans an NBA championship for the Bucks.
It is one of the most epic individual performances in sports history by a young man maligned for having fallen short on basketball’s biggest stage the previous two postseasons. Afterward an exhausted Antetokounmpo collapses onto a metal chair and covers his head with a towel, hiding tears of joy amid the sonic din of a celebrating home crowd.
The hero’s family surname translates in English to “the crown
has returned from overseas.”
That happened. So did this. The Bucks on Tuesday ended a 50-year championship drought, since winning their only other franchise title in 1971. That team was led by Lew Alcindor, who would legally change his name to Kareem AbdulJabbar a few months later.
With the long burden finally lifted from Milwaukee, it got us wondering about the other longest championship droughts among the “Big Four” American sports leagues. What cities’ fans are longest suffering?
And where do Dolphins fans rank on this Misery Meter as the club prepares to open training camp next week trying to end its own championship entering its 48th year since last winning a Super Bowl in the 1973 season?
Well, if misery truly does love company, Dolfans are surrounded by an empathetic crowd of other fans — plenty of whom have waited much longer than Fins fans have.
The 10 current longestsuffering fandoms based on title droughts among the 123 teams in the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL:
1. Cleveland Indians (MLB) — 73 years: The Indians (maybe the pending nickname change will bring them luck) haven’t won a World Series since 1948, when future Hall of Fame pitchers Bob Feller and Bob Lemon led the way. Team got that far but lost in 1954, ’95, ’97 (to the Marlins) and 2016.
2. Detroit Lions
(NFL) — 64 years: Lions last won a championship in pre-Super Bowl 1957. Future Hall of Famer Bobby Layne was the quarterback. The club has not been in a title game since.
3. Minnesota Vikings (NFL) — 60 years:
Vikes have won zero championships in their existence, since 1961, reaching the
Super Bowl in 1969, ’73, ’74 and ’76 under snakebit coach Bud Grant but losing every time.
4. Cleveland Browns (NFL) — 57 years:
Last won it all in pre-Super Bowl 1964, led by maybe the greatest running back ever, Jim Brown. Club reached title game the very next season, lost, and
hasn’t been that close since.
5. Buffalo Bills
(NFL) — 56 years: City’s fans last celebrated a championship (in the pre-merger AFL) in 1965. (Remember Jack Kemp?) Coach Marv Levy led Bills to four straight Super Bowls in 199-93 but they lost every damned one.
6. Atlanta Falcons (NFL) — 55 years:
Falcons have yet to win a championships since entering the NFL in 1966. Reached the Super Bowl in 1998 and 2016 but lost both — blowing a 28-3 lead over New England in the latter.
7 (tie). Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) — 54 years:
Club last won a Stanley Cup in 1967; the coach was the gloriously named Punch Imlach. Toronto has not reached the Final since.
7 (tie). Denver Nuggets (NBA) — 54 years:
Denver hoops fans have been able to cheer no champion since debuting as the ABA Denver Rockets in 1967. Reached the last-ever ABA finals in ’76, but lost.
9 (tie). Cincinnati Bengals (NFL) — 53 years:
Cincy has zero titles since entering the league in
1968, reaching the Super Bowl in 1981 and ’88, but losing both times.
9 (tie). New York Jets (NFL) — 53 years: Last won the Super Bowl in pre-merger 1968, riding Joe Namath’s famous guarantee to a stunning win over Don Shula’s hugely favored Baltimore Colts. New Yorkhasn’t played for a title since.
9(tie). Atlanta Hawks (NBA) — 53 years:
Franchise won before relocating but has won zero crowns since moving to Atlanta for the 1968-69 season. Hasn’t even reached NBA Finals.
Other title droughts at a half-century plus: Phoenix Suns (NBA) at 52 years, after losing just now in the Finals to the Greek Freak. San Diego Padres (MLB) also at 52. And at 51 years: Milwaukee Brewers (MLB), Buffalo Sabres (NHL) and Vancouver Canucks (NHL).
The Dolphins’ 48-year championship drought, perhaps surprisingly, is tied for only the 18th longest among the Big Four sports.
That must make you feel much better, right Dolfans!?
Yeah, I didn’t think so.