Lovable Losers: Take Lessons from the Saints' Victory

The first thing I must say is that I'm a Detroit Lions fan. Or maybe I should say it like this: "Hello, my name is Marc and I'm a Detroit Lions fan." It's a bit like saying I enjoy being dumped or ridiculed. Since I was born, the Lions have been in exactly zero Super Bowl games and have won one playoff game. The Lions other "claim to fame" was their 0–16 season in 2008, a record that can't be broken until the NFL expands its season to more than 16 games.

But you know what? I'm guessing Lions fans across the country took at least a little bit of solace in yesterday's Saints Super Bowl victory. That's because, like the Lions, the Saints hadn't won a Super Bowl before, much less been in a Super Bowl. The closest either team had come was having their stadiums host the Super Bowl, something New Orleans has so far done a total of nine times (with the 10th coming in 2013). And, as this Wall Street Journal article pointed out, it's the first championship for the entire city of New Orleans when it comes to professional sports teams. Admittedly, the city doesn't have a baseball or hockey team, but to have never tasted a championship before is a pretty heavy weight to be carrying around — one that the Saints successfully lifted.

Now, with the Saints having won, Milwaukee is the torch-bearer for cities with multiple pro teams that haven't appeared in a championship in the longest period of time, with the city last doing so in 1982, when the Milwaukee Brewers, aka Harvey's Wallbangers, lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series that year.

So if you're a fan of the following teams, maybe you have a little spring in your step today, too, because if the Saints could do it, so can your team:

In the NHL, it's the Chicago Blackhawks, who last won a Stanley Cup in the 1960–61 season, a drought of 47 seasons.In the NBA, it's the Sacramento Kings, who last won a championship in 1951, when they were known as the Rochester Royals, a drought of 58 seasons.In the NFL, it's the Arizona Cardinals, who last won any type of championship in 1947, as the Chicago Cardinals, a drought of 62 seasons.And in Major League Baseball, it's the Chicago Cubs, who last won a World Series in 1908, a drought of (gulp) 101 seasons.

As they say, hope springs eternal.

 

Photo courtesy of NewsHour via Flickr