The 29 most hopeless fan bases in professional sports

The fate and direction of following a specific team can be either a blessing or a curse. So much of it is about being in the right place at the right time. Surely those born in Boston within the last 30 have very little to complain about, right? The same thing goes for those in the San Francisco area, as well as basketball fans in Central Texas. For those that choose to follow certain teams or players from afar, there can also be undeniably great times, followed by some soul searching when said player moves on; the Kobe Bryant or Peyton Manning faithful can relate to this heavily right now, no doubt.

However, the same cannot be said of those that dig their heels in, season after season, on behalf of a city or team they know won’t amount to much of anything. Those that have (and will) experience years and sometimes decades upon decades of disappointment from their teams, yet still remain steadfast in the hopes of finally being on hand for the breakthrough season (looking at you, Kansas City).

But for every Royals breakthrough, there are still dozens of teams that continue to struggle and plague their fans with frustrations that make them question their allegiance. This is a listing of the teams that have tested their following’s faith the hardest — including those that have made that pain a straight-up proud tradition.

Next: 29. San Diego Padres