Whatever the reason may be, some cities in the U.S. just can’t seem to win much in any of the four major professional North American sports leagues. So here are the 7 worst sports cities in America:

Buffalo, NY

0 Championships

Charlotte, NC

0 Championships

Phoenix, Arizona

1 Championship

The all-time win-loss record between Phoenix’s three major league sports teams is just one game over .500, which doesn’t sound bad, but championships and playoff success are where the cities’ sports teams are lacking. Phoenix only has one championship, which was won by the Diamondbacks, who have only made the playoffs in five of the 25 seasons following that World Series win in 2001. The NBA’s Suns have generally been a consistent playoff team, but their 160-164 postseason record has left a lot to be desired, including a championship.

And Phoenix’s undoubtedly worst sports team is the Cardinals, who hold the longest championship drought North American sports, with their only championship occuring 76 years ago while the team was in Chicago. The Cards have made the playoffs just six times during their 35 years in Phoenix, and neither the Cards nor the other Phoenix sports teams are close to winning a championship in the next few years.

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota:

2 Championships

From game-losing missed field goals to Hail Marys, to goal-line fails, to being 0-4 in the Super Bowl, the Vikings are one of the NFL’s most snake-bitten franchises, finding a league-most 32 ways to lose in the postseason.

The other sports teams home to the Twin Cities haven’t had much success either, including the Twins, who, despite winning two World Series, haven’t made it to the ALCS since 1991. The Cowboys’ 30+ years without a conference championship appearance are regularly mentioned, but no one talks about the Twins’ even longer streak without an ALCS, as they don’t receive nearly as much media attention. And both the Timberwolves of the NBA and the NHL’s Wild have rarely come close to a championship in the histories of their respective franchises, leaving the Twin Cities with little to cheer about from their sports teams.

Cleveland, Ohio

2 Championships

Cleveland has won two championships among their three sports teams, but two of those championships came in 1920 and 1948 by the Guardians, in a much less competitive MLB and playoff format. The Guardians have spent the following 75 years as one of baseball’s most snake-bitten franchises, losing three World Series among many other playoff exits.

However, the Browns would do anything to reach the Guardians’ middling level of regular-season success. Cleveland’s NFL team has had 13 different head coaches, 40 different starting quarterbacks, and just three winning seasons in the last 25 years, including an 0-16 season in 2017. The Cavaliers are easily the closest Cleveland team to winning a championship, holding the NBA’s second-highest championship odds for the 2025 season, despite being a franchise that has lost many more games than they have won.  

Cincinnati, Ohio

5 Championships

Five championships don’t sound so bad for a city that has two major sports teams, but most of Cincy’s current sports fans weren’t alive to see two of the Reds’ five World Series wins in 1919 and 1940, and few were alive to watch the Reds win the ‘75 and ‘76 World Series. And the Reds have given young fans very little to be excited about, having only made the playoffs just five times and haven’t won a single playoff series since 1995.

The NFL’s Bengals have been further disappointing, being 0-3 in the Super Bowl and 10-16 in the postseason. Mike Brown’s extremely cheap ownership has plagued the Bengals for 35 years, refusing to splurge on talent in free agency, and keeping bad head coaches and losing cultures long past their expiration date.

New York, NY:

36 Championships

New York City is home to eight sports teams, and technically five sports teams, but the Giants, Jets, and Islanders all want to be considered as part of New York City. The Jets tie the Sabres for the longest ongoing playoff drought in North American sports, and the Giants have been 51-98-1 since 2016. The Nets and Knicks have averaged a .462 all-time winning percentage, although the Rangers and Islanders each have a respectable four Stanley Cup victories.

After an abysmal start to their franchise in the 60s, the Mets won two World Series, but still have an all-time record under .400 and just eleven playoff appearances in 64 seasons. The Yankees have been easily the city’s most successful sports franchise, but most of their 27 rings were won a long time ago in a much less competitive playoff format. The Yankees have routinely been a playoff disappointment during the past 15 years, now that the league is much more competitive.