10 Jul 2026
When Will Then Be Now? The Psychology of Long Suffering Fans
Anna and Jessie honor the NY Knicks and LSF's everywhere by diving into the psychology of long suffering fans. Recorded July 5 2026.
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As promised, the rubric Anna and Jessie developed to test the theory that we are in an era of redemption for long-suffering fans.
Rubric: Each decade gets 1 point for Championship drought of 20+ years busted (bonus points for each 20 year period over 20 years)
Decades all end in —6 to —-5 for mlb and wnba and nfl (cause superbowl win year is when season starts), unless championship decided this year like NHL, NBA then it’s —7 to —6.
Once a city moves cities, it’s a new team - we’ve learned that since living in Seattle!
Some years with interruptions like strikes, covid, we just didn’t count it unless it was a full season, and them’s the breaks.
Limitations: 1) hard to rack up long suffering fanship if a league doesn’t have long enough existence to have 20+ year droughts, which means we can’t include some leagues, but doesn’t mean there isn’t suffering associated with shorter stints! 2) Also doesn’t capture making it to playoffs, which can be a balm for fan suffering and was part of our original rubric but was gonna take three times as long, so that's for another day, 3) NHL not included for now cause we ran out of time.
RESULTS:
MLB: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Series_champions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Series_champions)
Started in 1903 when AL and NL formed into MLB: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball
11 POINTS - 2016-2025: 2016 Cubs (5 pts - 107 years), Rangers 2023 (3 pts - 62 years), Nationals 2019 (2 pts - 50 years), Dodgers (1 pts - 31 years but maybe even 36 years if we don’t count 2020 which i don’t)
5 POINTS - 2006 to 2015: 2015 Royals (1 PTS - 30 year drought), 2010 SF Giants (2 PTS - 56 year drought), 2006 cardinals (1 PT 20 years drought), 2011 Phillies (1 PT 28 years)
8 POINTS - 1996 to 2005: 2005 White Sox (4 PTS - 88 years - 1917), 2004 red sox (4 PTS - 1918 - 86 years)
2 POINTS - 1986 to 1995: (lost 94 season to strike) 1995 Atlanta braves (1 PT - 30th season in Atlanta), Minnesota Twins 1987 (1 PT - 27 years)
3 POINTS - 1976 to 1985: Phillies (3 PTS - 73 years going back t0 1903)
NFL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Super_Bowl_champions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Super_Bowl_champions)
https://champsorchumps.us/drought/longest-nfl-championship-drought (https://champsorchumps.us/drought/longest-nfl-championship-drought)
NOTES: keeping with super bowl era, which means this starts in 1967
4 POINTS - 2016 to 2025: Kansas city 2019 (2 points - 50 years), 2017 Eagles (2 points - 50 years)
4 POINTS - 2006 to 2015: Seahawks 2013 (1 point - 37 years), 2009 saints NOLA (2 point - 43 years), 2006 indy colts (1 point - moved to indy in 1984 - 27 years)
4 POINTS - 1996 to 2005: TB Buccs 2002 (1 point - 26 years), Broncos (1 point - 27), Steelers 2005 (1 POINT 26 years), Green Bay 1996 (1 point 29 years)
1 POINT - 1986 to 1995: new york giants 1986 (1 point - 20 years)
1976 to 1985: not counted because not enough time passed between start of super bowl era in 1966 season and this decade
NBA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_champions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_champions) - merger in 1950 is starting point
5 POINTS - 2017 to 2026: Denver nuggets 2023 (2 POINTS - never - from 1976 - 47 years), Knicks (50 years), milwaukee bucks 2021 (2 POINTS - 50 years), 2019 toronto raptors (1 POINT - 24 years)
4 POINTS - 2007 to 2016: Boston Celtics 2008 (1 point - 22 years), golden state 2015 (2 points - 40 years), 2011 dallas mavericks (1 point - 31 years)
0 POINTS - 1997 to 2006
2 POINTS - 1987 to 1996: 1994 houston rockets (21 years), 1989 detroit pistons (1950 to 1988 is 33 years)
0 POINTS 1977 to 1986: supersonics don’t count cause 1967, bullets don’t count cause 5th season in DC, trailblazers dont’ count cause formed in 1970
3 POINTS - 1967 to 1976: NY Knicks 1970 (20 years), golden state warriors 1975 (25 years), LA Lakers (22 years) 1972
WNBA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA_Finals (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA_Finals) - first was in 1997
2 points - 2016 to 2025: 2019 washington mystics (21 years), 2024 NY Liberty (27 years)
