The least successful sports teams
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It's easy to quantify sporting success, look at the number of trophies in the cabinet. But how do you identify the least successful team? Loads have never won a single championship, but is it possible to make a comparison between sports leagues?
Crunching through a few stats here is my take on the least successful sports teams ever ... starting with the American Major Leagues.
Major League Baseball
No World Series appearances despite being around since 1977
Although there are currently 5 teams that have never won a World Series there is only one team that has never even been to a World Series championship ... and that is the Seattle Mariners.
The Seattle Mariners are, however, 8 years younger than the Milwaukee Brewers, so they do have a window of time to relinquish the 'worst ever' crown at the expense of the Wisconsin franchise.
| Team Name | World Series | World Series apperances | Birth of franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies | 0 | 1 | 1993 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 0 | 1 | 1969 |
| San Diego Padres | 0 | 2 | 1969 |
| Seattle Mariners | 0 | 0 | 1977 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 0 | 1 | 1998 |
National Hockey League
Not even a conference finals to their name
10 teams have never won the Stanley Cup with five of those 10 having never even made the finals. Of those five just three teams haven't made it as far as the conference finals; the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Seattle Kracken and the newly formed Utah Hockey Club
We can discount the Seattle Kraken for now, as it is just their 3rd season as an NHL franchise, and the Utah Hockey Club were only officially formed in 2024 (albeit the players, coaches and draft picks were transferred from the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes but not the 'history').
So, that leaves one clear candidate; the Columbus Blue Jackets for the title of least successful NHL Franchise as it's been over 20 years with literally nothing to celebrate.
The Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres are the join oldest teams in the NHL with no Stanley Cup, both formed in 1970. However, the Canadian team have made it to the finals 3 times while the American team have only made it twice.
| Team Name | Stanley Cup Finals | Conference Finals | Birth of franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Sabres | 2 | Yes | 1970 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 0 | No | 2000 |
| Minnesota Wild | 0 | Yes | 2000 |
| Nashville Predators | 1 | Yes | 1998 |
| Ottawa Senators | 1 | Yes | 1992 |
| San Jose Sharks | 1 | Yes | 1991 |
| Seattle Kracken | 0 | No | 2021 |
| Utah Hockey Club | 0 | No | 2024 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 3 | Yes | 1970 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 0 | Yes | 1999 |
National Football League
Over 2 decades without a Conference Championship
There are nine teams to have never won an NFL championship (since its inception in 1920), but only two of those franchises have never even made it to a Super Bowl final (1970-present). They are the Houston Texans (the NFL's newest franchise established in 2002) and the Jacksonville Jaguars established just 6 years earlier in 1996.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, however, have appeared in a conference championship game whereas the Houston Texans have not, so statistically, the Lone Star State outfit is the least successful NFL franchise in terms of getting closest to the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers and the Tennessee Titans all had AFL League Championship wins before the 1970 AFL/NFL merger so arguably they shouldn't even be on this list.
Of the remaining three remaining teams the one that stands out for its lack of success is the Cincinnati Bengals with 0 championships in their almost 60-year history (including 2 seasons in the AFL) it is a very poor return.
* Former AFL teams that were established between 1960 and 1968 but didn't play in the NFL until 1970.
| Team Name | Super Bowl Finals | Conference Championships | Birth of franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 2 | Yes | 1996 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | Yes | 1970* |
| Carolina Panthers | 2 | Yes | 1995 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | Yes | 1970* |
| Houstan Texans | 0 | No | 2002 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | Yes | 1996 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 1 | Yes | 1970* |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | Yes | 1970* |
| Tennessee Titans | 1 | Yes | 1970* |
National Basketball Association
The sun has never shone
There are 10 NBA teams to have never won a championship, and of that group five, have never even made it to the Championship game.
The Phoenix Suns (est. 1968) are the oldest basketball franchise to have never won an NBA Championship, but the LA Clippers who were established just 2 years later (1970) have the unwanted record of over 50 years without a championship game.
* The Indiana Pacers and the Brooklyn Nets were both established in 1967 as ABA teams but didn't compete in the NBA until 1976.
| Team Name | NBA Finals Appearance | Conference Finals Appearance | Birth of NBA franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nets | Yes | Yes | 1976* |
| Charlotte Hornets | No | No | 1988 |
| Indiana Pacers | Yes | Yes | 1976* |
| LA Clippers | No | Yes | 1970 |
| Memphis Grizlies | No | Yes | 1995 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | No | Yes | 1989 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | No | No | 2002 |
| Orlando Magic | Yes | Yes | 1989 |
| Phoenix Suns | Yes | Yes | 1968 |
| Utah Jazz | Yes | Yes | 1974 |
Across the Major Leagues
The oldest franchise without a championship is the Phoenix Suns (est. 1968) closely followed by the Milwaukee Brewers (est. 1969) and the San Diego Padres (est. 1969).
The oldest franchise to have never been to a championship series is the LA Clippers (est. 1970) followed by the Seattle Mariners (est. 1977).
The oldest franchise to have never proceeded beyond the second round in the postseason, even accounting for their two suspended years (2002-2004) is the Charlotte Hornets (est. 1988) followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets (est. 2000), the New Orleans Pelicans (est. 2002), and the Houston Texans (est. 2002).
So, to sum it all up and answer the question who is the least successful sports franchise? even without a definitive way to slice the data I'm going to go for the LA Clippers. The franchise desperately needs an NBA finals appearance which they've only come close to once in 2021.