There’s a moment every summer when you know the national media is bored of baseball and needs the other sports to return.
ESPN hit that moment during Wednesday’s episode of Get Up. It was obvious during a segment discussing “desperate to win’ teams” that featured none from Minnesota while the likes of the Yankees and Cowboys made the list. Laughable indeed.
Included in the debate was a graphic displaying prominent sports droughts, with the lonely Yankees being displayed as a team that labored through more than a decade since its last Word Series championship in 2009. Also on the list were the five time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, who haven’t won the big one since 1995 and 1991, respectively.
The Philadelphia 76ers NBA title drought since 1983 and the New York Jets’ NFL title drought since 1968 were also included. Those are very fair inclusions.
No mention of the Vikings drought since their existence. Nor the droughts of other title-less Minnesota teams like the Timberwolves and Wild. Excluding the Twins is less offensive since they won titles in 1987 and 1991, but even they have a 32-year drought and that little known fact of 18 straight playoff losses.
Then to step things up a notch, ESPN decided to put together a list of its top five franchises that need to win a title.
.@alanhahn's top franchises that need to win a title:
1. New York Jets
2. New York Knicks
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. New York Mets
5. Toronto Maple Leafs pic.twitter.com/W9xKK8m9bZ— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 28, 2023
ESPN’s list featured title-starved teams as the Jets (one Super Bowl title), the New York Knicks (two titles), Cowboys (five Super Bowl titles), New York Mets (two World Series titles), and the Toronto Maple Leafs (13 Stanley Cup titles). For those keeping track, that’s three New York teams (cough *East Coast bias* cough) and 23 combined titles.
The criteria for Alan Hahn’s list is that these are “long-suffering fan bases who have been through a lot but have stayed loyal.”
Last we checked, the Vikings keeping packing U.S. Bank Stadium despite countless playoff meltdowns and the Wild constantly fill Xcel Energy Center despite the franchise’s inability to escape the first round of the playoffs.
Diehard Timberwolves fans have more patience than Rose from The Titanic movie when she waited 84 years to get her necklace back.
Excluding Minnesota teams from a list ranking sports droughts and desperation is laughable. Do better, ESPN.
