There are some teams in professional sports that consistently underperform, year after year. Whether the cause is players, coaches, front office, or ownership, there are some teams that just seem destined to fail. So here are the 10 absolute worst sports franchises of all time:

Colorado Rockies:

In 33 seasons as an MLB team, the Rockies have posted the worst all-time winning percentage in the MLB, made the playoffs just five times, and never won their division. The Rockies and Marlins are the only MLB teams to have never won their division, but at least the Marlins have multiple World Series wins, while the Rockies have nothing to show for their limited playoff appearances.

The Rockies play in a stadium that has the worst home-field disadvantage in professional sports, as Coors Field is where pitchers go to die. The 5,280-foot altitude decreases spin rates, increases the distance of batted balls, and causes fatigue. The Rockies can’t utilize their ballpark to their advantage, as the altitude takes two weeks to fully acclimate to, and MLB teams play no more than nine consecutive games at home or away; thus, the team is constantly readjusting to drastically different altitudes all season.

The Rockies put the icing on the cake by making numerous front office blunders, including their refusal to utilize modern analytics. The Rockies have the league’s smallest analytics department that features one person, and don’t be surprised if that total reaches zero, considering the Rockies fire members of that department every offseason.

Arizona Cardinals:

The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in professional sports, having last won an NFL championship in 1947, and it doesn’t look like that drought will end anytime soon. Since that championship win in 1947, the Cardinals have made the playoffs just eleven times in 77 years,  posting the league’s third-worst .422 all-time winning percentage.

The Cardinals endure the same cycle: long stretches of losing seasons, then having a couple of playoff seasons, get eliminated in the first round, and returning to long stretches of losing seasons. Massive drafting mistakes, head coaching disasters, and playoff chokes, the Cardinals have done it all throughout their unsuccessful franchise history. In 2008, the Cards had an opportunity to amend their abysmal reputation, ahead of the Steelers by three points in Super Bowl XLIII. However, the Cardinals allowed a 6-yard touchdown to Santonio Holmes, which continued the longstanding championship drought.

Seattle Mariners:

The Mariners were established as an MLB expansion team in 1977. They didn’t make the playoffs for the first time until 1995. After their loss to the Yankees in the 2001 ALCS, Seattle didn’t make the playoffs again until 2022. The extreme park factor of Coors Field is well known, but the Mariners also play in a ballpark that has a major effect on the game, with T-Mobile Park being the MLB’s most pitcher-friendly field. T-Mobile Park has the league’s lowest amount of hits, lowest on-base percentage, and highest amount of strikeouts. The park includes a low altitude, a cold, damp air that deadens the ball, and a slanted centerfield batter’s eye which contributes to its negative impact on offense.

The Mariners have proven many times that they can build a strong, young foundation and develop talent, but the ownership has proven many times that they aren’t willing to invest much money to build a championship caliber team. 2001 was the Mariners’ best chance to finally win a World Series, having won an MLB-record 116 wins in the regular season. However, the Mariners weren’t even competitive against the Yankees in the ALCS, and Seattle quickly fell back down to earth in the following years, only making the postseason one time since.

Charlotte Hornets:

The Charlotte Hornets have the NBA’s fourth-worst all-time winning percentage, and an even worse .365 playoff winning percentage. Their horrendous postseason performance is why they are one of two NBA teams to never appear in a finals or conference finals. And the Hornets rarely even field competitive teams, having never won their division and only having ten playoff berths in the team’s 37 years as a franchise.

The Hornets have failed to generate any success recently, recording three consecutive losing seasons, being 25 games under .500, and no playoff berths since 2015. And despite the Hornets’ slough of losing seasons, they still haven’t gotten a first overall pick since 1991, continuously missing out on some franchise-changing talent.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

The Columbus Blue Jackets are the only NHL team to never win a Stanley Cup or Conference finals, and they hold the worst NHL all-time winning percentage, only behind the Kraken, who have only existed as a team for four seasons. After joining the NHL in 2000, it took the Blue Jackets eight years to make the playoffs for the first time, twelve years to win their first playoff game, and eighteen years to win their first playoff series.

The Blue Jackets managed to have four consecutive playoff seasons in the late 2010s, but they failed to come close to a conference finals, and Columbus balanced it out with four straight losing seasons subsequently after. The Blue Jackets have seemed to claw their way back into relevancy in 2024, narrowly missing the playoffs with a 40-33-9 season, but only time will tell if it actually amounts to any playoff success.

Detroit Lions:

They wasted the Hall of Fame careers of Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Barry Sanders, all of whom left Detroit as soon as possible. Detroit was among the least popular destinations for NFL players until recently, when the team improved with back-to-back double-digit wins and division titles. However, no amount of recent success can erase their legacy of being the first NFL team to go 0-16 in 2008.

Cleveland Browns:

In the past 25 years, the Cleveland Browns have had 13 head coaches, 40 starting quarterbacks, and just three winning seasons. The Browns continuously make questionable draft picks, trades, and hires, and unlike the Lions, have no immediate signs of potential success. In the 1980s, they were more successful yet still routinely lost in the playoffs, followed by a 17-year drought.

The Browns became the second NFL team to go 0-16. A brief playoff win in 2020 raised hopes, but the $250 million Deshaun Watson signing derailed any momentum. Heading into 2025 with 4.5 expected wins, the Browns are back to square one. That $250 million might have been better spent on their loyal, long-suffering fans.

Los Angeles Clippers:

In 2000, Sports Illustrated declared the Los Angeles Clippers the worst sports franchise of all time. While the Clippers have had fifteen winning seasons since then, they still remain one of two NBA teams to never even appear in a conference finals, as the Clippers’ have recorded a .444 postseason winning percentage. After decades of missing out on the postseason, the Clippers have been unable to capitalize on their twelve playoff berths since 2011.

The Clippers are currently not good enough to win an NBA championship, but not bad enough to land a franchise-changing draft pick, so the Clippers’ legacy as one of the least successful sports franchises won’t end in the near future.

Milwaukee Brewers:

This might not age well, and the Brewers could win a World Series this year. However, we need to see it to believe it, and the Brewers, despite their recent regular-season success, have lost six consecutive playoff series since 2018. After Milwaukee was given an MLB team in 1969, that team played nine seasons before recording a winning season.

After narrowly losing a World Series to the Cardinals in 1982, the Brewers didn’t make it back to the postseason until 2008. The Brewers lost two NLCS’s in the following decade, and got bounced in the first round of the playoffs five times. Through the entirety of the franchise, the Brewers have lived and died by the model of small spending, and their elite player development has led them to the postseason in recent years, but their young core has consistently failed to win when the lights are brightest.

In 2025, the Brewers currently hold the best record and point differential in the MLB, as this aggressive, well-rounded, and well-coached Brewers’ team could be the team’s best opportunity to win their World Series. However, the Brewers still need to beat their greatest enemy: the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres:

The Buffalo Sabres actually have a slight winning record over the course of their 55-season franchise history. That winning percentage, however, does not nearly cover the full story of the Sabres’ longtime struggles as one of the worst franchises in North American professional sports. After decades of routinely losing in the playoffs, the Sabres now routinely miss the playoffs, enduring the longest playoff drought of 14 years across the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.

The Sabres had the opportunity to win even multiple Stanley Cups during their 24 playoff appearances in 36 seasons, but they recorded an absymal .441 playoff winning percentage. During the Sabres’ 14-year playoff drought, they have had 19 first-round draft picks, eight of which are no longer with the team, with players often breaking out after leaving Buffalo. The Sabres are one of those pro sports organizations that just need to clean house and get new people in charge of the team.