The Biggest Losers of Professional Sport in North America

Every sports fan knows which teams have dominated league championships through history. The Yankees in baseball. The Steelers in football. The Celtics and Lakers in basketball. The Canadiens in hockey. But, does anyone know which teams are the greatest losers? Does anyone know which teams have been the bridesmaids in their respective league championships the most often? Does anyone really care? Well, if you do care read on. After all, this is the kind of useless trivia that can start a conversation at boring get-togethers.

In Major League Baseball, the team that has won the most championships is also the team that has lost the most since the first World Series was played in 1903. This is not overly hard to believe since they seem to be in the finals almost every year. The New York Yankees have lost the championship 13 times in their long, illustrious lifetime. However, unlike their dominance in the number of World Series wins, they are closely followed in losses by the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York / San Francisco Giants, both with 12.

The Super Bowl was first competed for in the National Football League in 1967. The Steelers, 49ers and Cowboys are the three teams that have won the most times. The Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills are all the biggest losers with 4 Super Bowl losses each.

Although professional basketball has been in existence for longer, the National Basketball Association has existed since 1950. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have dominated since the league’s inception. Although the Celtics have had no interest in losing in the final, having only lost 3 times, the Lakers are the leaders by far with 15 losses. This, of course, includes one loss as the Minneapolis Lakers back in 1959. The New York Knicks are a distant second with 6 losses. The Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers are tied for third with 4 losses each.

The Stanley Cup has been competed for since the late 1800’s. However, it was first awarded to the champion of the National Hockey League in the league’s first season, 1926-27. The Montreal Canadiens have ruled the trophy since but, unlike the Lakers and Yankees in their own disciplines, the Habs have only lost in the final 7 times. Other than the New York Rangers, that number is the lowest of any of the original six teams. The Detroit Red Wings are the biggest losers with 13 followed closely by the Boston Bruins with 12. The Toronto Maple Leafs round out the top three with 8 losses. It should be noted that the Philadelphia Flyers have lost in the finals 5 times, making them the biggest loser of the post original six era that began in 1967-68.