So... here we are again.
With the 2016 NBA Finals set, Phoenix is perhaps once again on the verge of claiming the dubious title of Saddest Sports Town in the United States.
All that stands in the way of that "distinction" is a Cleveland Cavaliers NBA championship.
One year ago, after the Cavs fell short to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, yours truly (a 30-plus-year Valley sports fan) wrote the following:
Thanks to the futility and misfortune of the Indians, Browns and Cavs, Phoenix fans can take heart in the fact that at least one American sports city will remain sadder than them for at least one more season.
Well... If LeBron has his way, Cleveland and Phoenix will soon trade places.
There's no denying the overall futility that Valley sports fans have grown accustomed to, both from a short- and long-term perspective. The Phoenix area is one of 13 cities/regions that has at least one of each "Big 4" sports franchise -- a team from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. None of those cities have fewer combined world championships than Phoenix, which has a grand total of one (thanks to a memorable Fall Classic 15 years ago).
Consider this: San Antonio, which is home to just one Big 4 team, has five times as many Big 4 titles as Phoenix does, all thanks to the Spurs.
To be sure, a number of cities not named Phoenix could stake claim to the Saddest Sports Town crown if Cleveland removes itself from the top of the leaderboard.
For starters, our neighbors in San Diego have a strong case (as presented here by a former editor of mine). My counter: San Diego only has two Big 4 franchises (the Chargers and Padres), while Arizona has four. Twice the teams, twice the losing. The same argument can be made against long-suffering Bills/Sabres fans in Buffalo.
Other than Phoenix, Minneapolis has the most compelling argument among the 13 "Big 4" cities. (Welcome back to this list, Los Angeles.) The Twins are the most recent (in fact, the only) world champions from that city. My counter: The Twins won two World Series titles in a five-year span -- and while those titles came 29 and 25 years ago, they still add up to one more title than Phoenix has.
But let's take a look at recent history. The Suns and Coyotes are in a six- and four-year playoff drought, respectively -- and they both play in leagues in which a majority of teams make the playoffs each year. The Diamondbacks, who made some exciting offseason moves, seem to be well on their way to extending their playoff-less streak to five years.
The Cardinals have been the recent exception, as they've advanced to the playoffs in each of the last two years and are coming off their best regular season in franchise history. But both of those postseason campaigns ended with resounding thuds. (And since we're only talking about recent history right now, we won't dive into the Cards' overall performance since they moved to the Valley in 1988.)
Look, even with decades of exasperation under my belt, I still have hope that our day will come. My dream is to have multiple Valley teams win championships in the same season, such as the Suns and Coyotes lifting the O'Brien Trophy and Stanley Cup on back-to-back nights.
Farfetched? Absolutely. But there are no rules against dreaming about such things. And of course, with the Cardinals looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders heading into next season, world title No. 2 might not be far away.
Bottom line: Until another world title is brought to its fans, Cleveland will remain No. 1 on the Saddest Sports Town list. The Cavs have never won a championship, the Indians haven't won a World Series since 1948, and the Browns have never even been to the Super Bowl.
An NBA championship would change all that. It would refute Bill Simmons' long-standing theory that God hates Cleveland, and it would allow Cleveland to pass the torch of Saddest Sports Town to another city.
With respect to disheartened fans in San Diego, Buffalo, Minneapolis and elsewhere: In my view, that title would relocate right here to the Valley of the Sun. Feel free to disagree.
