Lists are so dumb. 99% of the time they're created simply to foster debate, argument, etc. And that's annoying, because there's no way to win. Opinions are opinions and they're fun, but creating a defined 1-10 list is just so... official-sounding.
Anyway, Forbes loves to do the top ten [blank] cities in America (or the world, etc.). Fattest, fittest, hungriest, horniest, dumbest, smartest, handsomest, etc., it goes on and on. And while I've seen this one done many times before (who hasn't?), today I came across their 10 Most Miserable Sports Cities. And while I acknowledge I shouldn't even pay attention, some of it is just ludicrous to me.
Here's the list:
1. Seattle
Okay, I guess I won't argue. They lost a team and they've never really won anything.
2. Atlanta
This is more of a lame sports town. Nobody cares enough about Atlanta sports to feel tortured. Of course, the list is "miserable" sports cities, so I guess Atlanta qualifies. Though the Braves got to, what, four World Series and won one of them? I think most fans would take that.
3. Buffalo
Okay, again, hard to argue. But I might point out that they only have NFL and NHL -- no baseball or basketball, so if those two franchises aren't toeing the line, then you qualify as miserable? I would think you kind of need at least three major teams in order to suffer enough to make the list.
4. Phoenix
I get this one, but I just never got the feeling their sports fans cared much. It's like Southern California, always hot, there's other things to do, etc. Plus the Suns have been competitive and exciting for most of my life AND the Diamondbacks have been a contending franchise basically since their second season... and they won a World Series in 2001. I don't know, hard to be miserable, I would think. Oh, and how about the fact that many championships are held there? Super Bowls, Final Fours, etc. Doesn't that make it a decent sports town at least?
5. Houston
I live here now and so I have experience and can say it's not exactly "miserable." The fans are actually pretty good, very loyal and reasonably optimistic. The Rockets win 50+ games every year -- and won two titles in the '90s -- and the Texans are followed rabidly and appear to be improving. I don't know, I just can't see this in the top five of most miserable sports cities. People enjoy their sports here.
6. San Diego
Again, SoCal? Seriously? How bad is it? The Padres may not win World Series titles, but they contend seriously every 10-15 years. The Chargers have been consistently good for a while now, too. Oh, and they are another one (like Buffalo) with only two pro teams. And when the Chargers move to L.A. it'll only be one. Heh.
7. Denver
Come on. Seriously, this is where it goes off the rails. Denver is a pretty good sports town, with loyal fans and a good tradition. If you're a four-sport fan, you think of the Avalanche's dominance for a long run there, you think of John Elway, you think of the Rockies making the playoffs in their second or third season and then two years ago going all the way to the World Series. A lot of cities would take that. Oh, and the Broncos and Avalanche won four titles since 1996. Stupid to be on this list.
8. Cleveland
Okay, agreed. It's been painful for Clevelanders. We've all heard it many times and it's become a backlash creator -- when someone whines about Cleveland's lot in life, people are tired of it. But it's very legit. Do you think they'd take Atlanta's one title in 1995? Or Denver's history? In a heartbeat they would. They should truly be #1. Not only do they have a sordid history, but the fans are truly pained and are always -- always -- expecting the worst to happen. Optimism is nonexistent in C-town.
9. Minneapolis
Again, meh. The Twins won two World Series in the last 22 years and compete almost every year, which is a lot better than watching a sucky, losing, pathetic franchise. The Vikes have also competed and should have been in at least one or two Super Bowls over the last 5-10 years. And the hockey history is decent in Minnesota, despite losing a team.
10. Kansas City
I guess so. The Royals have been an abomination for years (though they have a title from 1985, which Indians fans would feel like was yesterday) and the Chiefs haven't done much in a while. But again, those are the only two pro teams -- so how painful can it be? Losing with three or four franchises would seem to be worse, but that's just my opinion.
So? What say you, dear readers?
14 comments:
Philly probably would have been on the list until the Phillies won the WS last year, although they could still be on ahead of Denver.
Why isn't Washington DC on here? The Nationals are abysmal, the Redskins have no signs of getting better, and the Wizards suck. I guess the Caps are ok, but 3/4 teams are horrible there.
Also being in Houston, no way it deserves to be on there. I don't think Chicago can either. The bears and white sox each have had runs lately, and even the cubs, despite the lack of world series, have a loyal and optimistic following (with a few runs that fall short).
I don't think its a problem to throw a city with only two sports to be considered miserable. Those fans have no other sports locally, which is miserable in itself.
Despite recent suckiness, DC sports fans aren't miserable. Everyone here seems to get excited about Redskins football. They could be starting Ryan at QB and Tim at RB and fans would still talk themselves into predicting a 9-7 season. Did you see the Caps fans during last nights games? They were super amped. Gilbert Arenas gave the hoops fans some excitement....and baseball....well, they have a nice new stadium. But I don't think this will ever be a baseball town. This town is unique in that so many people are from other parts of the country. So it is hard to build a reliable fanbase. I think the Caps and Skins have done it, and so it isn't that miserable of a sports town.
I agree with Minnesota because of the tortured history of the Vikings. Just look it up. Fans take football success more personally then baseball it seems.
Cincinnati should be on there - the Bengals and Reds? Only bright spot is Xavier.
Nobody, by which I mean the vast majority, of sports fans from Phoenix are from other cities. There's a big Midwestern component, which probably explains some of the misery, but if I had to categorize the sports psyche it would fractured and mostly indifferent.
I know the local radio hosts used to always bemoan the Cards, but that's not the vibe I get any more. Relative to the Suns, there's more dislike for Dallas (effin Mav's) than overall malaise.
The Sun Devils have reasonably good teams in hoops and football, so there's not that much pain expressed by that group. My neighbor who's an ASU alum doesn't seem like he's in the top ten of self flagellation for sports. ;-) My other neihbor is always flying their USC flag on gameday, and I think we can all agree that there's not too much crying going on there.
That's just my sample set. Maybe someone else from PHX would see it differently.
"Jordan...a shot on Ehlo....its good....the Bulls win it!"
/Bulls fan pouring salt on the wound
I meant to say Nobody, by which I mean the vast majority, of sports fans are from Phoenix, they are from other cities.
Bad sentence. Bad.
The Sonics won a title in 1979> It's not much, but its more NBA titles than the Pacers
I'm disappointed in the lack of Paulus bashing here.
Miami? No - the Marlins have done well.
Salt Lake City? No - only the NBA here.
San Francisco? - No - 49ers used to be very good.
Oakland? - Maybe.
St. Louis - No. World Series and Superbowl wins in the last decade.
Nashville? - Maybe, but the Titans have been good.
Detroit? - Pistons have been pretty good, Tigers are better than 4 years ago, but the Lions are soooo bad.
Okay, I'm done.
Miami is like Atlanta only with the occasional good team. If the teams are doing well everyone shows up. If not, good luck getting 10,000 to a game.
Nobody in Atlanta cares enough to be miserable... plus, there are about 8 people that live in the city that actually grew up here. The best part about sports in Atlanta is that is easy & cheap to get tickets when my teams come to play here (Cardinals & Colts).
Isn't the south more of a college sports region than pro? I would think people in Georgia would be much more into SEC football than anything having to do with MLB, NBA, or NFL.
I have to agree that Cleveland should be higher on the list. I won the online lottery two years ago and had 4 tickets to the World Series in Cleveland. When my tickets arrived in the mail, the Tribe needed to win beat Boston one more time. Instead, they lost 3 straight. Tortured doesn't even begin to describe it.
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