Atlanta sports: So lousy we can’t even top the misery index
"Oh, yeah? Well, our one team is better than all four of yours!" (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Not long ago, this correspondent was moved to bemoan the forlorn fortunes of our local pro teams – 149 completed seasons, one championship. Now comes Forbes magazine to make like Smokey Robinson and second the emotion, and I do mean second it.
Forbes rates the nation’s most miserable sports cities, and Atlanta — that’s us, people! — is No. 2!
And who, you’re asking, would be ahead/behind us? Seattle would. And why? Writes Tom Van Riper:
The loss of its NBA club was just enough to nudge Seattle past Atlanta, a city with one sports title in 153 cumulative seasons, to the top of the misery list. Atlanta’s postseason misery is legendary, led by the Braves’ failure to take home a world championship in 13 of 14 playoff appearances from 1991 to 2004.
You might have noticed that Mr. Van Riper’s second sentence above contains an error. The Braves won 14 consecutive division titles over completed seasons — the 1994 season was truncated by the players’ strike — from 1991 through 2005. He also has the Atlanta Hawks reaching the Eastern Conference finals twice, when in fact they haven’t made the Eastern finals at all. (They did make the Western finals in 1969 and 1970.)
And I’m not sure how Mr. Van Riper comes up 153 pro seasons for Atlanta teams. The Braves and Falcons have each been here for 45 seasons, but we can’t count the 1994 baseball year as being completed, can we? The Hawks have logged 42 and the Thrashers 10 — we don’t count 2004-2005, lost to the NHL lockout — and the Flames were here for eight seasons. That adds up to 149 completed seasons, not 153. (I’m sensitive on this point because I, too, miscounted the first time around. We had to run a correction, and woe was I.)
The only way it adds up to 153 is if we count the aborted 1994 baseball season, throw in the NHL lockout and assume the Hawks and the Thrashers won’t win a championship in 2011. And that really would seem to fit the definition of misery: Being ruled out when there are still games to be played.
Oh, and maybe you’re asking: Where’s Cleveland? Astonishingly enough, that charming city ranks only eighth — this with no championships since 1964 — on the Forbes list.
- Seattle
- Atlanta
- Phoenix
- Buffalo
- San Diego
- Houston
- Kansas City
- Cleveland
- Denver
- Cincinnati
I guess the good news is that the only way we could sink below Seattle is to lose one of our teams, and we all know that could never happen. Don’t we, Thrashers fans?
By Mark Bradley
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234 comments Add your comment
ASHCAN.
February 28th, 2011
3:29 pm
Atlanta is ranked #2 because of its lousy divided racist fans and sport reporters.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 28th, 2011
3:29 pm
I’ll bet a dollar that Paul Allen ain’t happy about that ranking. He can buy Forbes and change it though.
DC
February 28th, 2011
3:31 pm
“Think about it”, only problem with that is that the clubs use the sales from tickets to spend on getting players. Braves have the budget they do b/c of the amount of fans show up to the games…along with sponsors etc..but we do matter in the equation of putting a decent product on the field. Not everyone can be the yankees. I am thankful for that!
phil
February 28th, 2011
3:32 pm
Bradley is easily the most negative writer in the country. Belongs in NY. Does this guy EVER find the positive in ANYTHING? That article is crap. The 14 straight division title for the Braves were NOT the work of losers. We didn’t take it all most years but so what. A great run.
Then again, we DO have the Falcons, Thrashers and Hawks to drag us to down repeatedly to the depths of despair. I’m so disgusted in hindsight with the Falcons that I’m not sure i even want to watch em next year. What a sorry performance against the Pack. Pathetic, uncalled for, embarassing but i guess not surprising….
Michael in Dunwoody
February 28th, 2011
3:44 pm
Mark, your continued bias against Cleveland makes me so happy. Thank you.
I’ll say this again because it bears repeating: find me another city that has hosted a Super Bowl, a World Series, NBA/NHL and MLB All Star Games, the SEC Championship Game (some might consider it the National Championship Game), multiple Final Fours, the PGA Championship, and THE OLYMPICS. And Atlanta’s getting the College Football Hall of Fame soon, too.
Atlanta may not have many professional sports championships, but it is far from a miserable sports city.
ASHCAN.
February 28th, 2011
3:47 pm
@ phil,i was trying to tell everyone that the falcons was setting there fans up flying there hopes up high to doo doo in there face.What a sting from bird droppings 200+ yards in the air falling down on peeps face.no wonder they call them turdy birds.
Walker, Texas Ranger
February 28th, 2011
3:50 pm
As long as Cleveland is not number 1, then I can’t believe this ranking. This must have been compiled before Lebron left. Our only championship, we beat Cleveland. Little did we know, that World Series would be the Super Bowl of Miserable.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
February 28th, 2011
3:51 pm
Mark, does this mean that Atlanta is so bad, that its actually very good? I now have something else to ponder along with broad jumps and 40 times.
Buckeye
February 28th, 2011
3:54 pm
Mark,
Frank Ryan # 13, Gene Dickerson # 66, Ernie Green # 48 and Gary Collins # 86 to name a few.
Admit it Mark, you’re a Buckeye at heart!
Walker, Texas Ranger
February 28th, 2011
3:55 pm
This whole list is like a beauty contest with Phyllis Dillar, Bea Arthur and Abe Vigoda as the contestants.
STRETCH
February 28th, 2011
3:59 pm
gdawginkalamazoo,
The Lions will NEVER make it to the Superbowl before the Falcons because of the fact they went in the 98 season. Remember the Dirty Birds?
Hope springs eternal
February 28th, 2011
4:04 pm
I’m starting to like the Hawks’ trade.
Maybe Sund’s a decent GM after all.
MB article to follow in a few days, I’m sure.
I may try a new handle today shortened to Hope.
Funny the Heat let themselves get beat.
Hope springs eternal
February 28th, 2011
4:11 pm
That index is a joke.
Cleveland is the most miserable.
Losing Lebron should have sealed the top spot for them.
And no town has a more insulting monicer: mistake by the lake. ha ha.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 28th, 2011
4:17 pm
Stretch, Not in the history of the teams as Detroit used to rock the old football league in the 50’s, Bobby Lane etc. At least that’s what I have read. I mean in the future. Let’s say starting today. Of course who could forget those dirty birds chasing the undercover police chicks around the night before the big game. Classic.
I do believe though that if “Lake effect snow” can have an outcome on your football game then Cleveland and Buffalo should be 1 & 2.
TM
February 28th, 2011
4:22 pm
Thank God for Seattle!
Hope springs eternal
February 28th, 2011
4:23 pm
Anyone else wonder what the Bills would have done had the damn kicker made the kick vs the Giants in their first Superbowl? I think they would have won three or four and been a dominant team like Dallas.
Hope springs eternal
February 28th, 2011
4:24 pm
Phoenix should not be third.
They are newcomers to suffering.
Not enough of a body of work to make the top ten.
Atlanta United
February 28th, 2011
4:24 pm
Atlanta…Imagine if we could buy alcohol on Sunday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TOM_UuQzc0
Hope springs eternal
February 28th, 2011
4:26 pm
And Seattle doesn’t care.
They either work for MSFT or bought the stock when it was an IPO.
jerry
February 28th, 2011
4:26 pm
What about Brooklyn? They lost the Dodgers, all they had.
jerry
February 28th, 2011
4:27 pm
And now the “Duke” is gone.
jerry
February 28th, 2011
4:29 pm
I bought some alcohol on Sunday about 40 years ago. Got me in trouble.
purple gorrila
February 28th, 2011
4:33 pm
It’s just a typical northeastern snubbing of their nose at the south and the west. Tell me what other cities have a baseball team that is in it every year, the football team is a top competitor in the NFL. The Hawks, though they have no realistic shot of winning it are in the final 8 the last two years. We have a hockey team, I guess that should say something. Outside of that we have hosted just about every major professional and collegiate sporting event in addition to the occasional PGA tour comes tour comes through town. Tell me how Cleveland, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, etc…
Also, arent’ we being penalized for having sports teams in this account. KC doesn’t have basketball or hockey so they aren’t docked as many points. I bet those people wish they had teams as strong as the Braves and Falcons and had the other sports to root for. Lamenes! I’d say Forbes is the number 2 magazine that I wouldn’t want to have a subscription to anyway.
Wollybugger
February 28th, 2011
4:36 pm
Mark:
What about the Atlanta Silverbacks who brought how the “Willie B” cup in soccer (or was it kickball) back in the 90’s and the Atlanta Xplosion professional women’s football team that brought home the “Rosie O’Donnel” trophy?
I also believe the Marthasville Mauraders won a title in 1842 before the city changed it’s name. Before that, Terminus was known as the “winnersville” of the 1830’s deep south.
TruthSeeker
February 28th, 2011
4:39 pm
Everyone talks about Cleveland, but I would submit that Atlanta has suffered more postseason misery than any other city in North America. Our teams don’t just lose in the postseason, they lose epically.
Braves: 18 winning seasons and 15 playoff appearances since 1991 and only one World Series. 1996 was the worst chokejob, but 1997 and 1998 were pretty bad too. Then losing four straight NLDS’s from 2002 to 2005 when they had home-field advantage in every series…mindboggling.
Falcons: Got blown out in their one and only Super Bowl. This year suffered the worst blowout loss ever by a No. 1 seed. (It looks a tiny bit more respectable in hindsight considering the Packers won the Super Bowl.)
Hawks: Lost in the Eastern semis in ‘94 and ‘99 to lower-seeded teams. In fact, they weren’t even competitive in either one of the series’. Then the Orlando debacle last year which was the worst blowout in NBA playoff history.
Thrashers: Swept in their only playoff appearance by a lower-seeded team
The only reason Atlanta’s postseason failures don’t get talked about as much is because we haven’t had the narrow, heartbreaking defeats that Cleveland has suffered. But I defy you to find me a city that has seen its sports teams implode as consistently and as spectacularly on the big stage as Atlanta’s has.
AFDawg
February 28th, 2011
4:44 pm
Goldenrod, Unfortunately GA Tech falls under the Atlanta curse too — only one NCAA Team National Championship in its entire history. How can that even be possible for a school with such a fertile recruiting base and longstanding tradition? I’m telling you — Atlanta is under a spell when it comes to sports. I say its time to perform an exorcism.
Skeezix
February 28th, 2011
4:46 pm
Mark: All Atlanta has is the Braves. It should be a modern day “Mecca” of sports. It is pretty depressing when you think about it. Man, what a downer. And no woman around to comfort me, to dry my tears.
Oh well………….I guess I’ll go have a drink now.
glsjunior
February 28th, 2011
4:49 pm
We suck again!
Coach Grohbo
February 28th, 2011
4:50 pm
If Athens was large enough, it would be #1.
purple gorrila
February 28th, 2011
4:50 pm
So, it’s better to not have a winning season than to do well but not quite win it all. Give me a break!
purple gorrila
February 28th, 2011
4:51 pm
Ummm, in Athens we have numerous championships. So back off there coach Grohbo
sidewalk 74
February 28th, 2011
4:52 pm
Hey Mark,
Read the article again. It states that Seattle has 1 title in 153 seasons not Atlanta.
The Sonics won the NBA title in the late 70’s.
Desperation on the Ave
February 28th, 2011
4:52 pm
Man oh man…….
how about that THUG baseball player at Tech. Wow. DUI??? Really??
What kind of athletic program is being run at Tech??
Buncha T.H.U.G.S.
MF
February 28th, 2011
4:52 pm
Great points Billy Ray! If the Falcons lose on a Sunday in november, I can’t sulk about it too long. I can just go on my back porch and drink a beer in the sun and everything is ok in the world. Can’t say that about Philly or Boston.
Coach Grohbo
February 28th, 2011
4:55 pm
They don’t count the sissy sports.
Sorry, Athens is even worse in futility than Atlanta.
Coach Grohbo
February 28th, 2011
4:59 pm
Ave,
How IS that Georgia baseball team doing on the field?
Doug
February 28th, 2011
5:09 pm
Purple gorrilla = coach grohbo = jerry
all same person, blogging to self
Mark Bradley
February 28th, 2011
5:11 pm
I did read it again, sidewalk 74. And it still says: “Atlanta, for instance, has compiled 153 MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL seasons while winning one championship, the 1995 Braves.”
Mark Bradley
February 28th, 2011
5:12 pm
Gene Hickerson, Buckeye. Not Dickerson.
Mark Bradley
February 28th, 2011
5:13 pm
And it’s good to see esteemed colleague D. Orlando Ledbetter chiming in from the combine. D-Led grew up in Cleveland and works in Atlanta.
"Chef" Tim Dix
February 28th, 2011
5:20 pm
Agree with you Mark, that Atlanta is ground zero for college football.
StingerSplash
February 28th, 2011
5:30 pm
Phoenix? Seriously? Phoenix?
San Diego should be removed from the list because, well, it’s San Diego. As Lewis Black said, the easiest job in the world is to be the weatherman in San Diego. Today’s forecast: Nice. Back to you.
I’d put Buffalo and Cleveland’s torture above Atlanta’s because I’ve been to Buffalo and Cleveland and … to be nice, Atlanta they ain’t. I mean, their fans have to live in Buffalo and Cleveland, for crying out loud. Atlanta fans live in Atlanta, where there are trees and tons of pretty women. I’ll sacrifice a championship or two or three for that. Any day. All day.
Thank u Packers
February 28th, 2011
5:33 pm
I’m still a Braves fan but I love the picture of the young Packer telling the old Dawg/Falcon fan where to go.
Then the Packers broke all the Dawg/Falcon fans hearts, stomping them with their second team (because of all their injuries).
Lovely.
Thank u Packers
February 28th, 2011
5:35 pm
Just think where Georgia basketball might have gone had Dooley just given Tubby a raise before Ky swiped him.
Too bad.
Doug
February 28th, 2011
5:41 pm
McGarity has cursed the state!!
Coach Grohbo
February 28th, 2011
5:43 pm
Phoenix has won a World Series and an NFC Championship this decade.
Thank u Packers
February 28th, 2011
5:48 pm
And very close to winning the Superbowl.
Their fall since then shows again how important the QB is.
Phoenix should not even make the list.
Small fries in suffering.
Cleveland should be #1.
Mistake by the Lake.
Who else gets insulted like that?
Dan
February 28th, 2011
5:50 pm
“Atlanta is the best big city for college football…” Not with the Nerds playing ball there.
Thank u Packers
February 28th, 2011
5:52 pm
Answer: Goff, Curry and Shula.
Name three college football players who never should have gotten the head coach job at their alma maters without much more experience.
dawg4u
February 28th, 2011
5:54 pm
Good article Mark. The thing that is so frustrating is that even Bobby Cox says that the ‘95 WS team wasn’t his best. The ‘93 Braves that won 104 games was probably the best but lost in the first round to the Phils. The great choke was in ‘96 against the Yanks and of course the ‘98 team that won 106 games and lost to the Padres in the first round I believe. I am surprised that Buffalo is ahead of us because at least the Braves won one WS, but the Bills never won the Super Bowl. Did Buffalo win a world championship in anything?