Then I began to completely hallucinate and extended the thought to other teams who have gone decades without championships; what if they, too, won? From baseball we have the aforementioned Cubbies along with the Cleveland Indians. In the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions currently hold the longest droughts. The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone the longest without a Stanley Cup, while the Sacramento Kings are chasing an NBA Championship.
Getting to my original daydream, I wonder if there would be no advantage these teams winning their respective championships. In fact, could it be advantageous if they didn’t? Is part of their identity based on their lack of success? If so, would it not stand to reason that if their streaks were to end that part of their history, their “aura”, would die too?
I began to look at these franchises as falling into one of two groups; those that would benefit from a championship, and those are thriving without one. For me the Cardinals, Lions and Browns, along with the Sacramento Kings, would certainly benefit from winning a championship. In each case the team has gone through decades of complacency, which has hurt their fan base and consequently their owners’ pocketbooks. Attendance has been poor, and performance, lacklustre. A championship in these cities would only help to unite their fans again, and pastures would indeed seem greener.
The other teams pose completely different situations. The Toronto Maple Leafs are thriving despite going 44 years without a Stanley Cup. The team is the league’s most profitable on a yearly basis, with conflicting reports of how long of a “sell-out streak” they currently have, ranging from 200 to 2000 straight games. The ownership group, while not popular amongst the team’s fans due to frugality, are very stable. Their fan base is incredibly passionate about the team, and have seen the team through many bad years. They have lucrative merchandising and television partnerships. I wonder, if the Leafs won the cup would there be any lasting benefit? If so, what? The Leafs are one of those teams that it doesn’t matter if they are horrible, mediocre or fantastic, they are hockey.
The Philadelphia Eagles have gone 51 years without a Superbowl, the longest in football after the Cardinals and Lions. A quick look at the attendance records will show that the team seems to be doing just fine, as last year they were at 103% capacity. Let’s say 20 years down the road they remain bowl-less; would they still be at 103%? Maybe not, but I bet it’s close to that. They seem to be managing just fine, thank you very much!
I had the privilege of going to a game in Cleveland to see the Indians several years ago. The experience was fantastic. The stadium was full, the fans were into the game, and I had a blast. In the mid to late 1990’s, Cleveland had a very long streak of sold-out games; 455. Not bad for a team that hasn’t won a World Series since WWII era. Clearly the team is thriving despite lack of championships.
We finally arrive at my Cubbies; 103 years and still counting. I think this franchise takes championship droughts to another level. I suppose when you hit the “triple digits” it just adds a little mystique, in a “good” way. I think part of the identity of the Cubs is that it is a proud club steeped in tradition. I would go so far as to say it’s tradition is amongst the richest in professional sports. Part of that tradition revolves around the “Yet another year without a World Series” mentality. It’s not a bad thing; actually, it’s kind of like a greeting. Not to say Cubs fans are pessimistic, mind you. There is a lot of optimism out of Wrigley right now with the new look club under Epstein. When you’re up against a curse though (Curse of the Billy Goat – Google it!) it’s very much uphill both ways.
As I snap out of my daydream I come back to reality. Of course each team wants to win the championship. Likewise, all fans want their team to win. My point is that in some cases winning is more important than in others. For fans of some of the bigger, more historical franchises it isn’t as important.
…and that is the last word.
