In sports, a drought refers to instances in which an individual or team has gone through a lengthy period of time without accomplishing some goal. For a team, this usually refers to an extended period of time without making the playoffs or winning a championship. Droughts occur for a variety of reasons, from chronic mismanagement to bad luck. Some droughts are also popularly attributed to a curse.

North America [ edit ]

Droughts by sport [ edit ]

With regard to other major domestic trophies, the longest active Supporters Shield drought is shared by two teams, the Colorado Rapids and the New England Revolution. Neither has won a Supporters Shield despite competing in every MLS season since 1996. Among MLS teams, the longest U.S. Open Cup drought is 20 years, shared by three teams, the Colorado Rapids, New York Red Bulls, and San Jose Earthquakes. Eight other current United States-based teams have not won the Open Cup (Atlanta United FC, Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United FC, New York City FC, Orlando City SC, the Philadelphia Union, the Portland Timbers, and Real Salt Lake), but were added as expansion teams after 1996. The three Canada-based MLS teams, the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC are ineligible as they compete in the Voyageurs Cup.

Cities with significant droughts [ edit ]

Several North American cities are considered to have championship droughts among their “Big Four” pro sports teams:

Those who believe in the Buffalo Curse[1] cite as examples the four consecutive Super Bowl losses by the Buffalo Bills from 1990 to 1993, as well as the failure of the Buffalo Sabres to ever win the Stanley Cup. Wide Right, No Goal, and The Music City Miracle also contribute to the belief in the Buffalo Curse. Hearts were broken[citation needed] once again in 2006, when the Sabres lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as four of their top six defensemen were lost to injury along with Tim Connolly, the leading scorer of the playoffs at the time of his injury. Even though the Sabres made it back to the conference finals the next year, they lost again, this time to the division rival Ottawa Senators. It is notable that the Buffalo Bills won the AFL championship in 1964 and 1965. The alleged “curse”, however, has not extended to the city’s fringe or minor league teams—the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL have won 4 league championships (1992, 1993, 1996, 2008) and six division Championships (1992, 1993, 1994, 2004, 2006, 2008), and the Western New York Flash of the National Women's Soccer League, based in Buffalo but playing home games in Rochester, won the 2016 NWSL Championship. The Flash also won league titles in the two competitions that directly preceded the NWSL—Women's Professional Soccer in 2011 and WPSL Elite in 2012. The Flash also won the NWSL Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record, in that league's inaugural 2013 season, but lost the championship final to Portland Thorns FC. The Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League won their first Isobel Cup in the 2016–17 season.[2]

The San Diego Padres have never won a World Series, believed[by whom?] to stem from the San Diego Sports Curse. San Diego’s former NFL team, the Chargers and its former NBA teams, the Rockets and Clippers, never won a Super Bowl or an NBA championship when located within the city. The Padres are tied with the Texas Rangers for the most World Series appearances (two) of the seven teams without a World Series championship. The Chargers won the 1963 AFL championship and only appeared in one Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXIX, which they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 49–26).

Some cities with at least three teams have shorter yet notable droughts. Minneapolis–Saint Paul has not reached a championship series or Super Bowl since the Twins won the 1991 World Series. This drought, like the one in Buffalo, has not extended to the market’s fringe or minor league teams—two such teams, the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx and the Minnesota Stars of the current North American Soccer League, won league championships in 2011, and the Lynx claimed another league title in 2013 and 2015.

Since the founding of Major League Soccer in 1996, both Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C. have won all three major U.S. soccer trophies (MLS Supporters’ Shield, MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup) during their “Big Four” droughts. Toronto won all three major Canadian soccer trophies (MLS Supporters’ Shield, MLS Cup and Voyageurs Cup) in the 2017 MLS season, during its current "Big Four" drought. San Jose has won the MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup during its "Big Four" drought while Atlanta, Portland and Salt Lake City have won the MLS Cup (but no MLS Supporters’ Shields or U.S. Open Cups) during their "Big Four" droughts.

All of the Canadian cities listed above have won multiple Grey Cups during their "Big Four" droughts listed above.

Notable former droughts:

Outside North America [ edit ]

England

Germany

While 1.FC Nurnberg is one of the most successful teams in German footballing history, their last league league title came in the 1967-1968 Bundesliga season. [13]

Hertha BSC won the German Championship, the equivalent of the Bundesliga in 1930 and 1931, but have not won the league since. As of 2018, it has been 87 years since Hertha has won the league. [14]

Schalke 04 have not won the German Championship since 1958.

Italy

Portugal

Benfica has not won a European trophy since the 1961–62 European Cup; the club has lost eight European finals since then, the last one in 2014.[16]

Netherlands

Vitesse Arnhem won The 2017 KNVB Cup, defeating AZ Alkmaar 2-0 in the final to win the club's first trophy in their 125-year history.[17]

Scotland

Spain

France

Argentina

In the VFL/AFL (1897–present), the longest premiership drought was that of South Melbourne/Sydney, who won their third premiership in 1933, but did not win another premiership until 2005, 72 years later.

The second-longest drought in the league was that of St Kilda (67 years), who won their first (and only) premiership in 1966; St Kilda did not compete in 1916 or 1917 due to World War I.

Melbourne currently hold the longest active drought, having not won a premiership since 1964.

Longest VFL/AFL premiership droughts (25 years or more)

1 St Kilda did not compete in 1916 or 1917 due to World War I.

2 Fitzroy merged with the Brisbane Bears in 1996, having never appeared in another Grand Final after their 1944 premiership, to become the Brisbane Lions. The AFL deem the merged Lions as a continuation of the Brisbane Bears and not of Fitzroy.

3 This is commonly known as the "Colliwobbles".

4 Geelong did not compete in 1916 due to World War I.

5 Geelong finished runners-up in 1897, but no Grand Final was required under the round-robin finals system in place that year.

Baseball [ edit ]

South Korea

Lotte Giants has not won a KBO League since 1992.

Rugby league [ edit ]

The Parramatta Eels hold the longest active drought in the NRL totalling thirty-two years, having not won a premiership since 1986. For reference, Parramatta's first premiership came in its 35th season in 1981. The next longest active drought is twenty-four years held by the Canberra Raiders who have not won a premiership (nor appeared in a Grand Final) since 1994.

The North Sydney Bears held the longest premiership drought in the NSWRL/NRL with a total of seventy-seven years. This lasted between their second premiership in 1922 up until the end of 1999 when they began a short-lived merger with Manly-Warringah known as the Northern Eagles. North Sydney also had the longest drought waiting for the next grand final appearance which stood at fifty six years. Their last grand final appearance was against Newtown in 1943[27]. This merger was dissolved after three seasons resulting in North Sydney being expelled from the league. As of 2018 they are still applying for re-entry.

The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks won their first premiership in 2016 after 50 seasons of NSWRL/ARL/Super League/NRL competition – the longest wait for a first title that any club has endured. Prior to this, the Sharks had played in four Grand Finals (including a replay in 1978) for one draw and three losses.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs won 20 premierships in the NSWRL from the league's inception in 1908 until 1971, but had to wait to win their 21st title (their 1st in the NRL era) until 2014, a drought lasting 41 years (the Rabbitohs were inactive in 2000-01).

The Gold Coast itself as a city has suffered a premiership drought of sorts. The original Gold Coast side was founded in 1988 as The Gold Coast-Tweed Giants and then were rebranded three times. First as The Gold Coast Seagulls, then Gold Coast Gladiators and then The Gold Coast Chargers. In 2006, The Gold Coast Titans entered the competition. Since 1988, no Gold Coast team has made a grand final or won a premiership. The best season for any of the franchises was in 2010, when Gold Coast Titans made the preliminary final[28] .

Hull F.C. lost seven consecutive Challenge Cup Final appearances at Wembley Stadium between 1959 and 2008.[29] The team won two Challenge Cups during that time, but the final victories were at Elland Road (1982 replay) and the Millennium Stadium (2005, while Wembley was being rebuilt).[29]

Warrington Wolves were founded in 1876 and have won three premierships in their history with the last being in 1955. Out of all the current teams in The English Super League they have waited longer than any other team to win their next premiership. As of 2018, it has been 63 years since Warrington had won the premiership.[30][31]

The Castleford Tigers currently hold the record for the longest time to win a premiership in either The Super League or The NRL. Founded in 1926, Castleford have only played in three grand finals (1938,1969 & 2017) and for the first time in their 92-year history they finished first in The 2017 Super League season to claim their first ever league leaders shield. Castleford's drought of 92 years to wait for a first title eclipses The Cronulla Sutherland Sharks record in The NRL of 49 years who had the longest drought of any professional rugby league team in Australia to wait for a first title.[32][33][34]

Rugby union [ edit ]

In France, ASM Clermont Auvergne had a championship history arguably as tortured as the most "cursed" teams in North America or Australia. From their formation in 1911 through 2009, they had never won a national title despite making the championship final 10 times, and had come within a converted try in six of those games.

The drought culminated in three consecutive title-game losses in 2007 through 2009, and Les Jaunards finally broke through in 2010 to win their first title after 91 years of competition (they did not play in 1915–1919 or 1940–1942 due to World War I and World War II).

Cricket [ edit ]

Queensland won the Sheffield Shield in 1994/95, its 63rd season of competition, having finished second on 11 occasions in that time. In 46 of those years, only five teams competed for the Shield, as Tasmania were admitted in 1977/78 (winning the Shield in 2007/08, after 30 years).

Somerset have not yet won the English County Championship since they were admitted to the competition in 1891.[35][36] Gloucestershire have not won the Championship since it was constituted in 1890, but won three unofficial "Champion County" titles in the 1870s, the last in 1874.

Northamptonshire have not yet won the Championship since being admitted to the competition in 1905, after the club was granted first class status.

The England cricket team has never won a 50 over ICC world cup, even though England founded the game of cricket.

See also [ edit ]