Sometimes it’s miserable to be a Minnesota sports fan – OK, maybe it actually feels that way most of the time. But just in case you weren’t sure, someone has now acknowledged how consistently agonizing the disappointment can be.
Forbes ranks Minneapolis No. 9 on its annual list of Most Miserable Sports Cities, which was released Thursday.
Atlanta ranked No. 1, followed by Phoenix, Cleveland and San Diego. For the complete list, click here.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal notes “long-suffering Minnesota sports fans now have some validation” that it is “painful” to cheer for the home team. Adding that “somehow” Forbes left Minneapolis off the lit for the last few years, but it finally “came to its senses” with this year’s list.
Forbes graded the misery of major sports cities (cities with 75 cumulative years in the NFL, NBA MLB and NHL – not counting cities that have won a championship in the last five years) based not so much on “sheer futility” as much as the “letdown factor” or “the tease” – when a team builds up fans’ hopes and dreams, only to crush them with a heartbreaking loss in the playoffs.
For the ranking, Forbes awarded “misery points” for teams’ postseason records – if a team made it to the finals and lost, it was awarded more points than the team that was knocked out in the first round. Forbes also added points for championship droughts and fewest championships, and added bonus points for losing a sport to another city through relocation.
For Minneapolis’ ranking, Forbes considered past and present Minnesota teams, including the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Lakers, Wild and North Stars.
Forbes says those six Minnesota teams have played a total of 184 seasons and have had seven championship wins – the last time the state celebrated a professional sports title (not including the Minnesota Lynx) was in 1991 with the Twins.
Minnesota has a combined championship round record of 7-8 (which includes four Super Bowl loses) and a semifinal round record of 12-18.
