Five teams with the most tortured fans

2010-01-04T16:10:21-05:00

2008-09-29T14:18:17-04:00

2008-10-02T12:16:17-04:00

Williemo22

Austin 478290

98 Houston Oilers. The Mike Renfro no touchdown call that kept them out of the Super Bowl and brought about instant replay. That was brutal. The meltdown in Buffalo....beyond cringe-worthy. The move to Tennessee. They abandoned the fans they tortured for so long. Maybe that was the silver lining. Oh, and the ugliest baby blue uniforms in NFL history. Wait...why did I root for these guys? 2960208

2008-10-02T11:54:43-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/468/838/thumb/g47161jl30e.jpg 16 MI

hymenspector

Kalamazoo 469278

97 the detroit lions. hands down the worst. took the best running back ever and thru the incompetence of the team, made him hate football so much he just walked away. 2959796

2008-10-02T10:48:33-04:00

CHartman

Montreal 517996

96 What about the Leafs? They haven't won a cup since '67. 2958538

2008-10-02T06:03:27-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/295/81/thumb/mozart.jpg 344 CO

Mozart

Denver 29641

95 For consideration -- the Denver No-Guts (nee Rockets...). This sad outfit couldn't even win a title in the ABA. Haven't sniffed the NBA finals. Made the conference finals ONCE, despite talent like Dan Issel, David Thompson, Alex English, etc., etc. It's amazing that these clowns draw as well as they do -- for the first 10 home games or so... 2956605

2008-10-01T12:46:17-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/571/494/thumb/scarface.jpg 17 XX

Jack Arns

No City 571974

94 Toronto Maple Leafs...no cup since 1967!! At least the Bruins made the finals a couple of time in the 80's and early 90's. 2950753

2008-10-01T10:33:10-04:00

TurboFIB

Chicago 571892

93 The Blackhawks belong on the list. No Cup since 1961. Also, before his death "Dollar Bill" Wirtz was a stingy owner. Thankfully things are turning around. 2948843

2008-09-29T14:40:13-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/624/7/thumb/DC_Shirt.jpg 82 DC

Was Buf., Now Was.

Washington 6267

3 Completely agree with Cubs, Clippers, and Pirates. Bruins fans get no sympathy, though, because 1972's not far enough away, and because most of them have got to be either Red Sox or Pats fans too. Cards? Whatever. Scoot the Pirates up a notch, put the Bills in 3rd (because we still like to remind people that we did win the AFL in the two seasons before Super Bowls started... which is pretty lame if you ask me) and throw in the Cleveland Browns at 5-- sure, they won a whole bunch of titles about 60 years ago, but since then? 2934040

2008-09-30T19:17:35-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/143/612/thumb/lamavatar.jpg 612 NY

The Duke of Awesome

East Aurora 143912

Bruins fans get no sympathy, though, because 1972's not far enough away

92 It's about the same time span as the Pirates buddy. Plus you should put the Bills on here because when Wilson kicks it they want Jeremy Jacobs to buy the team. Seriously? Do you know why the Bruins haven't won since 72? It's because Jacobs bought the team in '74. 2945694

2008-09-30T16:53:42-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/812/4/thumb/plaid.jpg 7 NY

gobillsgo

Buffalo 8144

91 How can you possibly exclude either Buffalo franchise? Bills - 4 straight Super Bowl losses, countless other epic failures, Wide Right, Homerun Throwback... Sabres - No titles, Foot in the Crease, ugly logos I can't understand your logic. 2945035

2008-09-30T13:25:53-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/497/330/thumb/tony-romo-demotivational-poster-1228960456.jpg 163 NC

RomoTheChokeArtist

Greenville 497770

90 How about a fan for every team in Philly? 2942105

2008-09-29T14:54:22-04:00

mijoll

portage 169625

6 What about the Lions? They haven't won anything since the mid 50s (before the Bills won their titles). And William Clay Ford is still the owner (Millen wasn't the only problem & his dismissal was not a solution, just a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, Ford's next step will probably be the wrong direction. 2934313

2008-09-30T13:13:39-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/912/10/thumb/ist2_7355600-man-playing-electric-guitar-and-jumping.jpg 194 NY

realityrecall

New York 91510

What about the Lions? They haven't won anything since the mid 50s (before the Bills won their titles). And William Clay Ford is still the owner (Millen wasn't the only problem & his dismissal was not a solution, just a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, Ford's next step will probably be the wrong direction.

89 Imagine being a real die hard Lions fan and having had your team ruin the best holiday of the year for years and years. Imagine NOT looking forward to Thanksgiving. That's a tough pill to swallow. That's a tortured fan. A team that can ruin a holiday..The Detroit Lions 2941877

<div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img title="Clippers fan" src="http://i.cnn.net/si/fannation/clippers-fan.jpg" alt="Clippers fan" width="298" height="407" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: right;">A Clips fan's life: Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'.<br /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: right;">Getty Images<br /></div> </div> <p><strong>By Lang Whitaker, SI.com</strong></p> <p>My favorite basketball team is the Atlanta Hawks. I realize this puts me in the minority for basketball fans but I understand why: The last time the Hawks won an NBA championship was 1958 -- 50 years ago. Still, I persevere. But yes, being a fan of the Hawks is torture, much like it must be for Mets fan today. Even though the Mets won the World Series in 1986, they've missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons by losing to the Marlins at home in the final game of the regular season. That's gotta be tough for a Mets fan to swallow (though as a Braves fan, I absolutely love it). Here are my top five teams with the most tortured fans.</p> <p><strong>1. Chicago Cubs:</strong> It's impressive enough that the franchise has been around since 1902, but at this point it's just laughable that the Cubs haven't won a World Series in 99 years. And yet, they still believe.</p> <p><strong>2. Los Angeles Clippers:</strong> Founded in Buffalo in 1970, the Clips are approaching their 40th anniversary and have still yet to win even a division title. Hang in there, <a href="http://clipperdarrell.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Clipper Darrell</strong></a>.</p> <p><strong>3. Arizona Cardinals: </strong>Whenever a franchise is really struggling, many owners thing moving to a new city is a good idea, perhaps to shake the players from their malaise or, more likely, to find more cash from fans who aren't yet disenfranchised. Since winning an NFL title in 1947, the Cardinals have played in Chicago, St. Louis and, now, Phoenix. They still haven't won another title, though.</p> <p><strong>4. Boston Bruins: </strong>Even though they're one of the NHL's Original Six and they have a great arena and fanbase, the Bruins haven't celebrated with the Stanley Cup since 1972. Hey, at least every other team in Boston is a winner.</p> <p><strong>5. Pittsburgh Pirates: </strong>The Pirates used to be good ... in the '70s. But since losing a heartbreaker to my Braves in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, the Pirates have yet to have even a winning season.</p> <p>Which team has the most tortured fanbase? Let us know below ...</p> <p><em>Lang Whitaker is the executive editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at SLAMonline.com.</em></p>

The SI Staff

New York City 21244 9402 <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img title="Clippers fan" src="http://i.cnn.net/si/fannation/clippers-fan.jpg" alt="Clippers fan" width="298" height="407" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: right;">A Clips fan's life: Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'.<br /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: right;">Getty Images<br /></div> </div> <p><strong>By Lang Whitaker, SI.com</strong></p> <p>My favorite basketball team is the Atlanta Hawks. I realize this puts me in the minority for basketball fans but I understand why: The last time the Hawks won an NBA championship was 1958 -- 50 years ago. Still, I persevere. But yes, being a fan of the Hawks is torture, much like it must be for Mets fan today. Even though the Mets won the World Series in 1986, they've missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons by losing to the Marlins at home in the final game of the regular season. That's gotta be tough for a Mets fan to swallow (though as a Braves fan, I absolutely love it). Here are my top five teams with the most tortured fans.</p> <p><strong>1. Chicago Cubs:</strong> It's impressive enough that the franchise has been around since 1902, but at this point it's just laughable that the Cubs haven't won a World Series in 99 years. And yet, they still believe.</p> <p><strong>2. Los Angeles Clippers:</strong> Founded in Buffalo in 1970, the Clips are approaching their 40th anniversary and have still yet to win even a division title. Hang in there, <a href="http://clipperdarrell.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Clipper Darrell</strong></a>.</p> <p><strong>3. Arizona Cardinals: </strong>Whenever a franchise is really struggling, many owners thing moving to a new city is a good idea, perhaps to shake the players from their malaise or, more likely, to find more cash from fans who aren't yet disenfranchised. Since winning an NFL title in 1947, the Cardinals have played in Chicago, St. Louis and, now, Phoenix. They still haven't won another title, though.</p>