In part #1, we took a look at some of the greatest sports cities that have won multiple championships or titles amongst their teams in MLB, NBA,NFL and the NHL. In this article, we take a look at some of the more mediocre clubs that have had an equal amount of success as well as failure. These are cities who’s sports teams have made it to the finals but just haven’t reached the success that they could have achieved to make them great sport cities.
Mediocre Cities
Dallas, Texas.
Dallas has a decent overall record of 4-2. Out of the 4 titles, 3 have come from the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys who won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years thanks to the help of quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and wide receivers Dion Sanders and Micheal Irvin. Other than the cowboys, not much has happened for a state who’s motto is supposedly that ‘Everything Is Bigger In Texas’. Owner Mark Cuban bought the struggling Dallas Mavericks of the NBA and helped turn that franchise around with the team reaching the NBA Finals in 2006 only to lose to Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat. After moving from Minnesota, the Dallas Stars of the NHL have won 1 Stanley Cup and lost 1 as well. The team has been a strong contender for many years but hasn’t seemed to find the right mix to make it back to the Cup Finals Yet. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers, who at one point were owned by President of The United States, George Bush, have yet to make it to the World Series once since 1980. This is a city on the verge of some great things in the near future but isn’t quite up there with the big boys just yet.
Denver, Colorado.
Denver has an overall record of 4-3. Quarterback John Elway was long considered to be a guy that couldn’t win the big game losing in 3 appearances at the Super Bowl. However, his luck changed and along with running back Terrell Davis and tight end Shanon Sharpe, the NFL’s Denver Broncos went on to win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1996 and 1997. After relocating to Colorado from Quebec City, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in their very first year of being a franchise. They have since won once more making them 2-0 overall in the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the luck isn’t as great for MLB’s Colorado Rockies who have yet to make it to the World Series yet. The same can be said of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets who have yet to make it to the NBA Finals since 1980.
Miami, Florida.
Miami has been a kind place to sports teams in this region. The Florida Marlins, despite having one of the lowest attendance records in MLB the past couple of seasons, has managed to win 2 World Series Titles against clubs like the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians. The Miami Heat led by Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade helped lead the NBA Franchise to their first ever championship and look to be a major contender for years to come. Unfortunately, the NHL’s Florida Panthers have been struggling to make the playoffs ever since their Stanley Cup Finals appearance back in 1996. Also, not even Hall Of Fame Quarterback Dan Marino could help to save the Miami Dolphins of the NFL who have made it to 2 Super Bowls since 1980 and lost both. With the departure of Dan Marino, the Dolphins have had successful seasons but have yet to take that extra step back to the Super Bowl. Miami needs to have their football and basketball teams step it up in the next few years and perhaps they can be included into the list of great sports cities.
Oakland, California.
The NFL’s Oakland Raiders have made various pit stops between the city of Los Angeles and Oakland, California but since 1980 have gone 1-1 in the Super Bowl. MLB’s Oakland Athletics have been to 3 World Series Championships but only managed to capture 1 World Series Title. The NBA’s Golden State Warriors are one of the only franchises in all of sports not to have their city’s name mentioned with the team. Perhaps this is a good thing because since 1980, the Warriors have yet to make it to the Finals once. This city holds an overall rating of 2-3 and desperately needs to see its basketball team get better soon.
Houston, Texas.
Another city in Texas where good things are expected to happen but have yet to materialize for the team just yet. With the help of Hakeem Olajuwon, the NBA’s Houston Rockets won back-to-back NBA Titles in 1994 and 1995. Since Hakeem left the club, the Rockets have yet to see any return to glory but hope that it comes soon thanks to superstars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. The Houston Astros managed to make it to the World Series in 2005 but lost to the Chicago White Sox who ended a long World Series drought of their own. The NFL’s Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee to become the Titans but since then, the city has managed to get back into the NFL with the expansion Houston Texans. The Texans have yet to make it to the Super Bowl but are still an expansion team that has potential for the future. Houston is 2-2 overall but has some untapped potential with their expansion football club.
St-Louis, Missouri.
St-Louis holds a 2-4 record overall which isn’t fantastic but isn’t horrible by any means either. MLB’s St-Louis Cardinals have had the opportunity to make it to 4 World Series Championships but have only managed to snag 1 title since 1980. The St-Louis Rams have performed decently in the Super Bowl with a .500 record going 1-1 and winning their most recent Super Bowl in 1999. The St-Louis blues have yet to make it to 1 Stanley Cup Final since 1980. This is despite countless winning seasons with major stars like Keith Tkachuck, Brendan Shanahan and Brett Hull. In 2005 they missed the playoffs for the first time in over 10 seasons and finished with the worst record overall. The city of St-Louis desperately needs to have their NHL Franchise return to its winning roots.
San Francisco, Califronia.
San Francisco may only hold 2 sports franchises, but the city holds an overall record of 5-2 which is far better than other cities with a greater number of teams to takes care of. 100% of these victories belong to the NFL’s 49ers who with great players like Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice managed to capture 5 Super Bowl Titles since 1980. The only other franchise, the San Francisco Giants, have gone 0-2 but have been able to watch history unfold with Larry Bonds breaking the home run record with that team.
Honorable Mention:
Minnesota (Overall 2-2)
Twins 2-0
Vikings 0-0
Wild 0-0
Timberwolves 0-0
New Jersey (Overall 3-3)
Devils 3-1
Nets 0-2
Jets 0-0 (technically New York although games are played at The Meadowlands in New Jersey).
Washington, D.C. (Overall 3-2)
Nationals 0-0
Redskins 3-2
Capitals 0-1
Wizards 0-0
[ratings]
Entries (RSS)