Sports Heartache: The 10 Toughest U.S. Cities to Be a Professional Sports Fan
Forbes has released their list of the most miserable sports cities. Some may take a list such as theirs to heart, but I do not.
It has nothing to do with the fact that it comes from Forbes, but rather the fact that they consider too many factors while coming up with their choices.
Real fans care about two things: Success and progress.
Forbes focuses on a "sports heartbreak index" that identifies the city in which fans had teams good enough to give them hope, only to ultimately let them down.
Here is their overall top 10, and while I may not agree with all of their selections, you may just see a few of these cities on my list as well:
1. Seattle
2. Atlanta
3. Phoenix
4. Buffalo
5. San Diego
6. Houston
7. Kansas City
8. Cleveland
9. Denver
10. Cincinnati
In order to qualify for my list, a city has to have a minimum of three professional franchises in or around their city. If you only have one or two pro teams to let you down, then you don't know true heartache.
Sorry.
10. Minneapolis, Minnesota
1 of 10
Minnesota fans do not have things all that easy right now.
Sure, the Twins are a perennial playoff team, although nobody ever expects them to reach the World Series outside the state of Minnesota.
The Vikings had things so bad that they literally were forced to watch the roof cave in at the Metrodome—we don't even have to discuss Brett Favre.
The Wild are on the verge of making the NHL playoffs, but is anyone aware? Seriously, name two players right now.
Then they have the Timberwolves.
With the second-worst record in the NBA, they are hoping to secure a top pick. Just don't try and draft Ricky Rubio again—he already doesn't want to play for you guys.
9. St. Louis, Missouri
2 of 10
The Blues are terrible. Not only will they not make the playoffs, but they do not seem to be headed in the right direction.
The Rams had a record of just 7-9, yet almost made the NFL playoffs. While the team did not win a lot of games, I truly believe that Sam Bradford will get this team to the next level within the next year or two. They certainly have some hope.
Oddly enough, the team with the best recent winning percentage in the city may be the worst off as of today. Adam Wainwright is out for all of this season and could possibly miss the start of 2012. Chris Carpenter has publicly said that he would not block a trade.
And finally, Albert Pujols, who means as much to that city as any athlete in recent history, will be a free agent following this season. To make matters worse, the Chicago Cubs have voiced their interest.
8. Houston, Texas
3 of 10
The Texans are close. Then again, everyone has been saying that for years now. They have an explosive offense, yet they still have never reached the postseason.
The Rockets are not a bad team. Once they rid themselves of Yao Ming's contract next season, they could make some noise—but they will miss the playoffs this season.
The Astros are just downright bad. Some of their biggest contracts are with their declining stars. Carlos Lee is in the twilight of his career, and the team traded away their best pitcher last season.
Maybe it's a good thing that they don't have a hockey franchise.
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7. Miami, Florida
4 of 10
The Marlins were a somewhat competitive team. Unfortunately, no one showed up to watch them play. Yet, for some strange reason, the team is convinced that when they move to an indoor stadium in 2012 that the fans will come. Ask Rays fans if pro baseball works indoors.
The Dolphins are becoming the laughingstock of the NFL after the Jim Harbaugh-Tony Sparano debacle. The team has too many celebrities involved, and no one to play effectively under center.
The Panthers are just downright bad. The future is not bright for them.
Finally, the Heat are in fact one of the elite teams in the NBA. They just can't beat any of the other elite teams. Did I mention that they are also one of the most hated teams in America?
6. Phoenix, Arizona
5 of 10
That picture says it all for Cardinals fans. Without Warner, the team was terrible this season. If they are not able to acquire a better signal-caller, they run the risk of losing Larry Fitzgerald. If that happens, they might as well move.
The Diamondbacks have some young talent, but they are not there right now. If they trade Justin Upton, they could get worse before they get better.
The Suns are in the race for the NBA playoffs, but Steve Nash is getting past his prime, although he is still extremely effective. The window could be closing quickly on them.
The Coyotes have the best chance to make the playoffs out of any of their four teams, but does anyone see them advancing past the second round?
5. Denver, Colorado
6 of 10
I should preface this by saying that not all of their teams are hopeless, but that they are not at the top of their game right now.
The Broncos have the fourth pick in the NFL draft. There is some controversy as to who will start at quarterback for them, with the fans pulling for Tim Tebow, yet the coaching staff favoring Kyle Orton. Either way, they are not a playoff team in 2011.
The Nuggets just traded away their best player, although they received a very attractive package in return. As long as Stan Kroenke doesn't get overly involved, they could turn it around.
The Rockies are a competitive team. They could easily make the playoffs coming out of the NL West, and they have at least locked up two of their top players in Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Still, they have never won a World Series.
The Avalanche are building toward the future. Unfortunately for them, it appears to be a long ways away.
4. Dallas, Texas
7 of 10
It must have been awfully difficult for Jerry Jones to watch the Super Bowl in his building in a season where his Cowboys missed the playoffs.
But next year, Tony Romo is back. I guess that is a good thing. More importantly, Jason Garrett is back.
The Mavericks are a great team. At least, in the regular season. But if anyone feels as if they can beat the Los Angeles Lakers or even San Antonio Spurs, they are only fooling themselves.
The Stars are right on the cusp of the playoffs. But they failed to trade Brad Richards, and now risk losing him next year. They should have dealt him while they can.
The teams in Dallas are not as bad as many of the others on this list. But the expectations are just that much bigger—because they do say that everything is bigger in Texas.
3. Washington, D.C.
8 of 10
It is not easy to be a sports fan in the nation's capital.
The Caps are actually the best team there right now, as Alex Ovechkin leads them back into the playoffs. They have just as good of a chance as anyone else in the conference.
The Nationals were going in the right direction until that pop heard around the world in Stephen Strasburg's arm.
He will miss the entire upcoming season, so the team decided to throw a ridiculous contract to Jayson Werth to take people's minds off of not seeing Strasburg this season.
The Wizards are a mess. They drafted John Wall, traded Gilbert Arenas and bought out Mike Bibby after trading away Kirk Hinrich. Their time is not now—or later.
The Redskins are the worst. They have a terrible owner, a horrible coach and no offense. They will be bad for a long, long time.
2. Detroit, Michigan
9 of 10
Recent developments put this great city on the list.
The Red Wings are still at the top of their game, and stand a great chance to capture yet another Stanley Cup.
It only gets worse from there.
The Lions are no longer an embarrassment, but injuries to key players continue to derail their hopes for a winning season. But at least they have some of the pieces in place to build a contender.
The Tigers are not a bad team at all. But with the huge question mark surrounding Miguel Cabrera and his inability to lay off the sauce, the Tigers may be in for a long season. It is a shame, because the talent is present.
The Pistons have quit. There is truly nothing more to say—it is that bad right now.
1. Cleveland, Ohio
10 of 10
The Cavaliers fans can blame LeBron James all they want. But they should thank him for giving them something to cheer about for seven years. It was a good run, but now it is completely over.
The Browns are also pretty bad, although the fans are hoping that Mike Holmgren will turn them around.
That is easier said than done. No one yet knows if Colt McCoy will be the answer, yet everyone knows that he is a huge upgrade over Jake Delhomme.
Finally, the Indians round out the worst city in which to be a professional sports fan, as they appear to be a perennial cellar dweller for many, many years to come.
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