Cursed Sports Cities

Some sports cities just cannot get anything right and it can become a part of the city for years and years. In some cases, the city becomes cursed. Let’s take a look at the most cursed sports cities over the years.

Teams from Canada: 

Sorry, Canadians, excluding the NHL (although the Maple Leafs have been absolutely horrible since 1967), your sports teams have been cursed. The Toronto Raptors have been completely irrelevant since joining the NBA in 1997 while compiling an all-time record of 452-646 or a .412 winning percentage. Not to mention the best players in their history have all either demanded trades (Vince Carter) or left via free agency (Tracy McGrady, Chris Bosh).

The Blue Jays haven’t been much better, as they have amassed an all-time record of 2589-2632; a below .500 mark. If their history isn’t bad enough, they play in the same division as two of the most storied franchises in baseball; The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Blue Jays recently created some excitement they had been missing by adding all stars such as Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey, and Melky Cabrera. They quelled that excitement by going a disappointing 69-82 this year. The Blue Jays have not made the playoffs since winning the World Series in 1993, when they won back-to-back championships. Since then, the Blue Jays have been among the worst teams in baseball.

Buffalo is technically in New York, but they are Canada’s NFL team. The Bills have had some unbelievably bad luck. Even when they are good the curse seems to get them. The Bills lost four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990-1993. Bills fans still cannot believe Scott Norwood’s kick went wide right to lose the 1991 Super Bowl. The Bills, of course, have been cursed with losing a lot of games as well. They have not made the playoffs since 1999. Another rebuilding year is in the cards for the Bills, who almost started an undrafted rookie free agent week one against the Patriots.

San Diego

San Diego sports fans have never been able to claim a major sports championship. Even with prominent players such as LaDanian Tomlinson, Phillip Rivers, Antonio Gates, and Shawne Merriman on the same team the Chargers couldn’t even get to the Super Bowl. For years, that core was among the best in the league. Their failures against the Patriots were well documented during the Tomlinson era in San Diego. The Chargers appear to be rebuilding after firing their long -time coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith last year.

The Padres have been mired in mediocre since they became a franchise in 1967. Their all-time record is 3312-3837. The Padres only have five playoff appearances in their history, and that includes only two division titles. They have not made the playoffs since 2006 when they were defeated 3-1, by the St. Louis Cardinals. Their manger that year, Bruce Bochy, took the Giants job a couple weeks after that. While the Padres haven’t made the playoffs since, Bochy has managed the Giants to two World Series Championships in three years

Chicago

Forget the Bulls, and the Black Hawks for a moment. Chicago is a baseball town, and there is no doubt about that. Chicago makes the list simply because of the Cubs. There are many fans that would sacrifice the rest of their lives just to see the Cubs win the World Series. Chicago fans would trade all the championships the Black Hawks, the Bulls, and Bears have won just to get the Cubs that illusive title they have so desperately coveted.  Unfortunately they might never win the World Series.

The curse of the goat began in 1946. A die hard Cubs’ fan tried to bring a goat into the stadium during game four of the World Series, but was told he could not bring it in. The man cursed the Cubs for not allowing the goat into the stadium, and the rest is history. It’s been 101 years and counting since the Cubbies last World Series Title.

The Cubs misery does not end there, though. In 2003, Steve Bartman interfered with a foul ball that Moises Alou surely would have caught. If Alou makes that catch, the Cubs have two outs in the eighth inning with all of the momentum. Instead, the Cubs surrendered a 3-0 lead that would have put them into the World Series. They would go on to lose that game 8-3, and lose the series in seven games.

Cleveland

The city of Cleveland is the most cursed sports city in the entire world. They haven’t won a championship in major sports since 1964. Cleveland has been through more heartbreak and misery in a week than any of these other sports cities. The Browns, The Indians, and the Cavaliers have been suffering since they became professional teams. The city of Cleveland can be summed up in four phrases; The Move, The Drive, The Shot, and The Decision.

“The Drive” is famously known for when John Elway and the Denver Broncos drove 98 yards against the Browns in the 1987 AFC Championship game with 5 minutes left to tie it. The Broncos kicked a field goal in overtime to go to the Super Bowl. The Browns still have not even been to the Super Bowl.

“The Move” happened in 1999.The NFL told Browns owner Art Modell that he could relocate out of Cleveland. Not only could he relocate to Baltimore, but he got to keep all of the Browns players. The Browns fans did nothing to deserve this. They always showed to be a valid football town. To make it even worse, the Ravens first two draft picks of the new franchise were Jonathon Ogden, and Ray Lewis. Ogden is already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Ray Lewis will be inducted the day he is eligible. Oh, what could have been in Cleveland. Three years later, Cleveland got another NFL team.

“The Shot” refers to when Michael Jordan hit the game winning shot as time expired to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 5 of the Eastern Conference first round. Back then, the first round had a maximum of five games, so this was the 1989 version of a game 7. The Cavaliers were heavily favored in the game. They were the number 3 seed and the Bulls were the number 6 seed. The Cavs were 4-0 against the Bulls in the regular season that year. Craig Ehlo is still having nightmares over that shot.

Then comes “The Decision”. The Decision refers to when LeBron James shockingly left Cleveland after seven years. LeBron was the most beloved Cav of all time, and he was from Akron. Cleveland fans claimed LeBron as their own. When he left, Cleveland fans went crazy. They burned his jerseys booed him every time he got the ball in his return, and took down all his billboards. LeBron won two MVP’s in Cleveland and guided them to the 2007 NBA finals. The Cavs have since gotten the number one overall pick two out of the three years since he left.

So, when your sports teams are struggling always remember this; at least you aren’t a Cleveland fan.