The Detroit Lions are the Worst Franchise in Pro Sports History

[hairysasquatch]

I do not believe any other franchise comes close to 60+ years of mediocrity or worse.
Aside from a few years in the late 1940s/early 1950s, they have been very bad.
Agree, disagree.

Vote in the poll!

[Whodatiz]

You're bordering on mmbts (I think that's right) level of acceptance. Get it together squatch.

[hairysasquatch]

Originally Posted by Whodatiz

You're bordering on mmbts (I think that's right) level of acceptance. Get it together squatch.

Oh, my goodness!

Is it that bad? mmbtvs? Really?

[Whodatiz]

Originally Posted by hairysasquatch

Oh, my goodness!

Is it that bad? mmbtvs? Really?

Be careful. Your integrity weighs in the balance.

To answer your poll...

[DawnBTVS]

No way... they at least won some NFL Titles. The Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals were awful historically outside of a handful of years. They have the 2nd lowest win % as an existing franchise in the NFL (lowest is Tampa Bay at 0.393) despite existing 10 years longer than Detroit.

Cardinals have had 9 10+ win seasons. 3 of them were 2013-2015. They made the playoffs just 6 times since 1982.

Detroit was good in the 50s and at least made the playoffs 9 times since the 1991 season.

[hairysasquatch]

Originally Posted by DawnBTVS

No way... they at least won some NFL Titles. The Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals were awful historically outside of a handful of years. They have the 2nd lowest win % as an existing franchise in the NFL (lowest is Tampa Bay at 0.393) despite existing 10 years longer than Detroit.

Cardinals have had 9 10+ win seasons. 3 of them were 2013-2015. They made the playoffs just 6 times since 1982.

Detroit was good in the 50s and at least made the playoffs 9 times since the 1991 season.

9 times since 1991 seems high. Going to have to fact check that. Only one playoff win, though, so who really cares. Plus the OP factored in the streak of success prior to the sale of the franchise to the Fords. Your post is BS, and will be dismissed.

[WillBBC]

Clippers.

[TheFrenzy]

In my opinion, the more threads the better. Keep'em coming.

I'm answering "no" because "Pro Sports History" covers such an incredibly vast constellation of franchises. What about the Oorang Indians back in the 1920s? Their owner only started the team as a means of advertising the Airdale dogs that he bred and sold. That's why everyone on the roster was Native American and the halftime shows consisted of the Airdales doing tricks and being sold to the people in the crowd. Once people grew tired of the "Indian" novelty and stopped buying the dogs, the team folded.

I'll rank the franchise that featured Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson ahead of the Oorang Indians.

[ItsMeJordanD]

Although they haven't existed as long as the Lions, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been mediocre or worse for their entire 31 year existence with the exception of the year that Kevin Garnett won MVP. I'm a Timberwolves fan and while fans of other teams dream of deep playoff runs, we dream of just making it to the playoffs.

[jason122883]

I'm a Lions and Mariners fan. Both really bad franchises

[Stifle]

63 years with one advanced playoff victory and no Championships. Since the Super Bowl era began, 53 seasons, I Division win and then lost 41-10, thought the Lions had the worst Playoff record and have been the furthest away at reaching the Super Bowl.

Jags started 95, Texans in 92 and the Browns started in 66 but were shutdown from 96-99.

Since the Ford family purchased the franchise, There isn’t another team that has looked this lost in another top 4 sport.

Bring back the Michigan Panthers.

[hairysasquatch]

Originally Posted by Stifle

63 years with one advanced playoff victory and no Championships. Since the Super Bowl era began, 53 seasons, I Division win and then lost 41-10, thought the Lions had the worst Playoff record and have been the furthest away at reaching the Super Bowl.

Jags started 95, Texans in 92 and the Browns started in 66 but were shutdown from 96-99.

Since the Ford family purchased the franchise, There isn’t another team that has looked this lost in another top 4 sport.

Bring back the Michigan Panthers.

Bobby Hebert!

[AwesomeBrian]

Browns worst

[Bulls90s]

Originally Posted by AwesomeBrian

Browns worst

Absolutely.... They lost over 100 games in back to back decades, 00s and 10s. They didnt lose 100 games in 1990s b.c they didnt have a team for 3 years. Browns off to a good start in this new decade.

[mortatort]

Falcons for blowing leads. It's their specialty.

[Stifle]

Originally Posted by AwesomeBrian

Browns worst

Are you serious ? Cleveland in 64-65 made it to both Championship games while winning it in 64. Then have won 6 games in the Post Season during the Super Bowl era. The Browns have been in 5 Conference Championship games in the Super Bowl era.

The Lions 1 Super Bowl era win enabled them to reach their only Conference Championship game, to be defeated 41-10, and it wasn’t even that close, just like comparing the Browns to the Lions.

[Stifle]

Originally Posted by ItsMeJordanD

Although they haven't existed as long as the Lions, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been mediocre or worse for their entire 31 year existence with the exception of the year that Kevin Garnett won MVP. I'm a Timberwolves fan and while fans of other teams dream of deep playoff runs, we dream of just making it to the playoffs.

Timberwolves began in 1990, the Lions misery since the Ford Family has taken over 30 + years before the Timberwolves Franchise began compares like this.

Minnesota has advanced 2 rounds in the same season to reach the Western Conference Championship.

In half the number of years, Minnesota has twice as many advanced Playoff victories while reaching the same number of Conference Championships. Timberwolves are easily a horrible franchise but ahead of the Lions.

[hairysasquatch]

Originally Posted by Stifle

Are you serious ? Cleveland in 64-65 made it to both Championship games while winning it in 64. Then have won 6 games in the Post Season during the Super Bowl era. The Browns have been in 5 Conference Championship games in the Super Bowl era.

The Lions 1 Super Bowl era win enabled them to reach their only Conference Championship game, to be defeated 41-10, and it wasn’t even that close, just like comparing the Browns to the Lions.

Originally Posted by Stifle

Timberwolves began in 1990, the Lions misery since the Ford Family has taken over 30 + years before the Timberwolves Franchise began compares like this.

Minnesota has advanced 2 rounds in the same season to reach the Western Conference Championship.

In half the number of years, Minnesota has twice as many advanced Playoff victories while reaching the same number of Conference Championships. Timberwolves are easily a horrible franchise but ahead of the Lions.

Excellent work, Stifle! Nobody's going to take our misery away from us! It's all we've got!

[DawnBTVS]

Originally Posted by hairysasquatch

9 times since 1991 seems high. Going to have to fact check that. Only one playoff win, though, so who really cares. Plus the OP factored in the streak of success prior to the sale of the franchise to the Fords. Your post is BS, and will be dismissed.

*Shrug* That's your opinion and I stated my opinion. Again, the Lions actually have championships in their history. Again, the Cardinals as a franchise have a lower winning percentage in their entire history.

I just went by the numbers courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference. Depends on what you are weighing more: Playoff Wins, Playoff Appearances, Regular Season Win %?

If you only want to go by since 1995, the edge goes to the Cardinals: Lions have just 2 10+ win seasons. They have an 0-16 year. They made the playoffs 6 times and lost in the WC every single time.

Cardinals have 4 10+ win seasons. Made the playoffs 5 times, lost an NFC Title Game and Super Bowl.

With that said, the Cardinals did not have a 10 win season from 1976 to 2009(!)... Detroit went from 1970 to 1991 and then 1995 to 2011 at least. There were decades plural where Phoenix/Arizona sucked and them winning just 8 games was almost a cause for celebration.

When the literal title the post is: Worst Franchise in Pro Sports History... I think of encompassing an entirety of that franchise's history.

[Spicoli]

Lions just for 1st round drafting Rogers, Williams, Williams in successive years.

[coltsfan23]

Originally Posted by Stifle

Are you serious ? Cleveland in 64-65 made it to both Championship games while winning it in 64. Then have won 6 games in the Post Season during the Super Bowl era. The Browns have been in 5 Conference Championship games in the Super Bowl era.

The Lions 1 Super Bowl era win enabled them to reach their only Conference Championship game, to be defeated 41-10, and it wasn’t even that close, just like comparing the Browns to the Lions.

Those Browns are the modern day Ravens. The current Browns were an upstart team.

[mrb842]

for a franchise to be really bad to me it's off field stuff like what marge schott, bill wirtz and dan snyder did that have to enter the conversation. The ford family has not made any bad national headlines.

Strong argument that you are right though in the modern nfl is designed to be competitive to have turn over and the lions haven't since the mid 90s. They had a real chance in the early 90s-jerry ball was an all pro-sanders was great, their division was watching a bear team collapse and the packers not yet rise. I would say that certaintly the last 50 years they are the worst performing team in the league no question. I don't know enough about the other sports-the indians in the american league have competed for world series and the nba is so hit or miss.

final analysis-you are correct on the field but off the field, no.

[majestik101]

Originally Posted by Spicoli

Lions just for 1st round drafting Rogers, Williams, Williams in successive years.

Who? Who? and Who? Yeah, no kidding.

The front office was inept at picking First-Rounders for about a 5 year stretch.

2002: Pick #3 - Joey Harrington
2003: Pick #2 - Charles Rogers
2004: Pick #7 - Roy Williams
2005: Pick #10 - Mike Williams
2006: Pick #9 - Ernie Sims

[mrb842]

Originally Posted by majestik101

Who? Who? and Who? Yeah, no kidding.

The front office was inept at picking First-Rounders for about a 5 year stretch.

2002: Pick #3 - Joey Harrington
2003: Pick #2 - Charles Rogers
2004: Pick #7 - Roy Williams
2005: Pick #10 - Mike Williams
2006: Pick #9 - Ernie Sims

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFC_Championship_Game

theres your lions destitution case.

[lambeauleap87]

If anyone would like a very in-depth look at the Lions awful drafting from the last three decades, Kent Lee Platte did a wonderful breakdown here: https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1338275501803266055