By the Decade

From Studyofsports.com:

 With the Boston Celtics winning the NBA championship last month, I began to wonder if I should place some money on the Bruins next year to win the Stanley Cup. The dominance in this decade by teams from Boston begs the question: what city has been the most dominant in the four major sports in any given decade?

Of course the Steelers were good in the 70’s, but how did the Penguins do during the decade? And how much did it hurt Pittsburgh to not have a basketball team contributing?

The Cowboys have been very successful over the years, but the other three franchises there (including the Rangers in Arlington) have helped very little. So let’s take a look at the top 15 “city-decades”

I’ve given two points per championship win and one point for each championship loss.

 15. First off are the sad, sad fans of Buffalo in the 90’s. The Bills four consecutive Superbowl losses and the Sabres 1999 defeat in the Stanley Cup allow this city an appearance on our list. After losing to the Stars in ‘99 and the Cowboys twice, I don’t think the Buffalo fans take too kindly to us Texans.

90’s Buffalo: 5 points 

14. Over in Philadelphia, the 70’s were rocking just as they were across the state in Pittsburgh. The Flyers won two Stanley Cups and lost one and the 76ers lost the NBA title in ‘77.

If only the Phillies win in 1980 and the Eagles loss the same year could count…

70’s Philly: 6 points

13.The Cowboys in the 90’s won 3 Superbowls and the Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999. The Rangers and the Mavericks made no appearances.

90’s Dallas: 8 points

12.The 80’s 49ers won 4 Superbowls and the Giants lost the ‘89 WS so:

80’s San Francisco gets 9 points

11. The 60’s packers had no help from their Milwaukee teams. 0 Braves, 0 Bucks.

The Packers won 5 championships

60’s Milwaukee teams get 10 points

10. Football in the 70’s was ruled by the Steel City, but while the Steelers were running off 4 titles in 6 years, the Pirates were winning the series in ‘71 and again in ‘79. Also to consider, although the season was played in 1979, the final Steelers Superbowl was technically in January 1980.

70’s Pittsburgh: 10 points

9.Also in the 90’s was a pretty good baseball team in New York. The Yankees won 3 WS, the Knicks lost 2 championships, and the NY Rangers won in ‘94. The Giants won the SB in 1990.

90’s New York: 12 Points

8. Boston in the 70’s had its fair share of good teams. The Bruins went 2-3, The Red Sox 0-1, and the Celtics 2-0

70’s Boston: 12 points

7. Boston in this decade has dominated, but can they compete?

Red Sox 2 WS, Patriots 3 SB wins and 1 loss and the Celtics win this year.

2000’s Boston: 13 points

6.Michael Jordan almost single handedly gets the 90’s Chicago team on this list with 6 NBA titles in the 90’s. Despite having two baseball teams, the national pastime can’t help Mike in his decade. However the Blackhawks did lose the Stanley Cup in ‘92.

90’s Chicago: 13 points

5. New York in the 80’s is a contender with the Yankees losing in ‘81 and the Mets winning in ‘86. The Giants won the SB in ‘86, but it’s the New York Islanders with 4 wins and a loss that gets them on the board.

80’s NY: 14 points

4. Detroit in the 50’s gave us 3 championships by the Lions and 4 wins and 1 loss by the Red Wings. There was no NFL championship game until 1960. In the 50’s, the league champion was the team with the best record at season’s end.

50’s Detroit: 15 points

3. Los Angeles in the 80’s gave us Magic Johnson, Bo Jackson and Fernando Valenzuela. It also gave us 5 wins and 3 losses by the Lakers, one SB win by the Raiders (remember, it was the Oakland Raiders who won in 1980), and two WS wins by the Dodgers.

80’s Los Angeles: 19 points

2. The 1960’s Boston Celtics were a dominant force winning 9 NBA championships while the Red Sox lost in ‘67

60’s Boston: 19 points

And the Winner is:

      1.In the 50’s, the Yankees won six WS and lost two. The Knicks lost 3 championships in a row in the early 50’s. The Giants won one and lost one. Keep in mind that Brooklyn is a borough of NYC, so adding in the Dodgers 1-3 record in the decade, we easily have our winner. Being a sports fan in New York City in the 50’s must have been quite a ride. Too bad the Giants, Yankees, and Dodgers fans couldn’t stand each other.

50’s NY: 25 Points

Thoughts?

Benjamin Edwards is lead writer for Studyofsports.com