10 Teams We Want to See Win Big Again
Don't you miss seeing teams like the Los Angeles Lakers win and win big? This new changing of the guard has been difficult to comprehend.
While it's amazing to see the Kansas City Royals win a World Series title or the Chicago Blackhawks capture Lord Stanley's Cup again, other teams that we've been accustomed to seeing compete have been reduced to nothing more than rubble.
Flying headfirst into various aspects of sports—collegiate and professional—we decided to focus on 10 teams that should be winning championships again. Whether superstars or heritage leads them, the choices were obvious.
Peep the selections we made by mashing on that button below.
Los Angeles Lakers
1 of 10
Watching the hapless Los Angeles Lakers these days isn't pretty.
Kobe Bryant doesn't look like the "Black Mamba" we've all come to love, rookie guard D'Angelo Russell is flatlining and the young core of talent they've accumulated hasn't melded together.
Diehard basketball fans root for their own teams to win. But deep down, there has to be a place where seeing the Lakers sputter hurts. They've been a franchise built around winning ballgames.
Those gratifying championship days with Magic Johnson and even Bryant himself produced some of the coolest rivalries and best hoops on the planet.
With no rays of hope or sun peaking through in the distant horizon, it could be a long time before the Lakers get back to their winning ways.
Chicago Cubs
2 of 10
This was an easy one. Baseball's deadliest championship drought belongs to the Chicago Cubs. Without a title since 1908, Wrigley Field has become a stadium filled with fans who need to get back into that winning sphere.
Last season, the Cubs were close.
A young, finely tuned roster—courtesy of President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein—transitioned into a legitimate National League contender. Although they fell to the New York Mets in the NLCS, this team proved it's ready to take on the world.
The upcoming 2016 MLB season could bring about fruitful rains, turning this championship drought into a lush farm filled with crops and World Series rings.
Pittsburgh Penguins
3 of 10
The Pittsburgh Penguins' place on this list is because of Sidney Crosby. Dubbed "The Next One," Crosby has only managed to capture one Stanley Cup since his rookie year in 2005—the team won in 2009.
Winning is a team sport and Crosby can't do it alone. His Penguins have been an Eastern Conference contender for years now. We're just all still waiting for this team to break through again and get a few more titles wrapped up.
In order to be the greatest, you have to collect Stanley Cups. Only 28-years-old, Crosby has ample time to achieve that for his city.
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New York Knicks
4 of 10
Remember when Madison Square Garden was the place to be for compelling basketball? John Starks, Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks were lighting Manhattan on fire with hard-fought wins and storied feuds.
These days, it's been nothing but repeated doses of mediocrity for the Knicks. Even with a star in Carmelo Anthony, the team has only had two winning seasons since 2010 and has never really been a championship contender.
Perhaps the development of rookie Kristaps Porzingis and a few other younger players will eventually pay dividends. No matter what happens, it will be nice to see the Knicks get back after it, turning the Garden into a mecca of hoops once again.
Dallas Cowboys
5 of 10
The Dallas Cowboys went from winning 12 regular-season games last season to a 2-6 record so far in 2015.
Injuries have eviscerated the core of this squad. Wide receiver Dez Bryant has only dressed for three games all season, while Tony Romo has missed six in a row.
Seeing the Cowboys fall apart is unfair to a roster that has been gradually building toward something great. Once considered to be a team that took home championships on what felt like a yearly basis, the "Boys" haven't won a Super Bowl ring since 1996.
It's time to stop the madness and bring back "America's Team."
New York Yankees
6 of 10
You'd think 27 World Series wins would be enough to hold the New York Yankees off for a lifetime. Not so fast.
Seeing the Yankees dominate became such a normal occurrence throughout the late '90s and early 2000s that even today, every time they miss out on a championship, there's still this feeling of discomfort lurking in the air.
The last time the Yanks were champs was in '09. That was also the last time their way of doing business—bulking up on salaries without paying attention to their farm system—worked.
In order for the Yankees to climb back on top of that mountain, they're going to have to find a new formula to win ballgames. A 40-year-old Alex Rodriguez and stripped-away pitching staff isn't going to do the trick.
Don't ever count the Yankees out. There's a reason they've procured 27 titles.
Montreal Canadiens
7 of 10
The Montreal Canadiens are the New York Yankees of the hockey world. Dressed in a more traditional red-and-blue sweater, the Canadiens have enjoyed 24 Stanley Cup victories—the last one being in 1993.
Nowadays we're seeing a Canadiens team that is ready to recapture those glory days. Right now it's sitting pretty with a 13-2-2 record. No team has looked nearly as good or complete.
This is a talented roster that bares the likes of P.K. Subban, Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty—guys who have scored 14 or more total points in under 20 games of play. If the injury bug decides to pass by the city of Montreal, there's an extremely good chance the Canadiens will be enjoying their 25th Cup in 2016.
University of Texas
8 of 10
Will head coach Charlie Strong's vision for the Texas Longhorns come to fruition? At 4-5, the Longhorns are attempting to bring a new wave of youth into their lineup, per Wescott Eberts of Burnt Orange Nation.
This "rebuilding" phase has been tough for a fanbase that's used to being at the top of the national polls.
The departure of longtime head coach Mack Brown in 2013 opened the door for sweeping change. His final years at Texas were filled with mediocrity.
Strong's attempt to build this program back to its glory days will have to be accelerated. No one who bleeds Longhorn orange is used to this much suffering. Remember, Texas once won 10 or more games for nine consecutive seasons.
New York Mets
9 of 10
The Kansas City Royals winning the 2015 World Series was a satisfying outcome. Coming back after a tough loss to the San Francisco Giants the year before, it was cool to see that club spin a tale of redemption.
On the other hand, seeing this year's version of the "Miracle" New York Mets lose was heartbreaking. Having last captured a World Series in 1986—shout-out to Bill Buckner—the Mets stormed through the National League side of the bracket and clawed their way into the finals.
Strong pitching and timely hitting should be enough for the Mets to get back to the playoffs in '16. Ultimately, winning the World Series will be the true test. Can they act like the Royals and conquer the rest of the league a year after defeat?
University of North Carolina
10 of 10
We all want to believe in the pageantry and glamour that is the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Led by the suited one, Roy Williams, the Tar Heels have become a decorated collegiate basketball power program. Dating back to the days of Dean Smith and Michael Jordan, UNC has produced countless contenders and NBA stars.
To the chagrin of many, we've seen a tear in that "Tobacco Road" matrix. UNC hasn't made the Final Four since 2009, and last year, Williams' team was bounced in the Sweet 16 at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers.
Another year means another chance for North Carolina to get back at it. A talented, deep roster could prove to be just what the doctor ordered for another deep run into the world we know as March Madness.
All stats and information provided by Sports-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
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