Sports’ Worst Losing Streaks

With a promising season ending in all-too-familiar defeat, the Chicago Cubs spend another winter pondering the might-have-beens. Swept out of the National League Division Series by the lightly-regarded Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs will go yet another year without claiming their first World Series title since 1908.

The denizens of Wrigleyville, however, are hardly alone in their misery. Plenty of other sports franchises and their faithful fans have endured impressive runs of futility.

Forbes set out to identify the big losers — lovable and otherwise — of the jock kingdom. Here’s part of what they came up with:

– Los Angeles Clippers: 12 consecutive losing seasons (1993-2005)

– Golden State Warriors: 12 consecutive losing seasons (1994-2006)

– Detroit Tigers: 12 consecutive losing seasons (1994-2005)

– Milwaukee Brewers: 12 consecutive losing seasons (1993-2004)

– Chicago Blackhawks: 14 consecutive losing seasons (1946-60)

– Detroit Red Wings: 14 consecutive losing seasons (1973-87)

– Detroit-Fort Wayne Pistons: 14 consecutive losing seasons (1956-70)

– Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 14 consecutive losing seasons (1983-96)

– Philadelphia-Kansas City Athletics: 15 consecutive losing seasons (1953-67)

– Vancouver Canucks: 15 consecutive losing seasons (1976-91)

– Sacramento Kings: 15 consecutive losing seasons (1983-98)

– Philadelphia Phillies: 16 consecutive losing seasons (1933-48)

– Pittsburgh Pirates: 16 consecutive losing seasons (1993-2008)

To read about these epic losers, and to see a slideshow, visit Forbes.com.