Fansided

The 29 most hopeless fan bases in professional sports

By Matt Whitener

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 13, 2015: Cleveland Browns fans hold up signs reading 'HELP' during a game against the San Francisco 49ers on December 13, 2015 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won 24-10. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 13, 2015: Cleveland Browns fans hold up signs reading 'HELP' during a game against the San Francisco 49ers on December 13, 2015 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won 24-10. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
14 of 30
Next
Oct 29, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets mascot Hugo the Hornet waives the banner before the tipoff of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets mascot Hugo the Hornet waives the banner before the tipoff of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

17. Charlotte Hornets

Last championship: never

Last winning season: 2015-16

The plight of pro basketball in the city of Charlotte is an odd one. Mainly because it requires understanding that, since 1988, the city has been: awarded an expansion franchise; had that franchise move away; been awarded a second expansion franchise; then saw that one be rebranded as the first one that moved away. Keeping up?

The combined path of the original Charlotte Hornets, the Charlotte Bobcats, and the now-rebranded Bobcat-Hornets has seen the city go from having one of the most popular and exciting franchises in basketball throughout the 1990s to one of the most perpetually downtrodden clubs in all of basketball for the better part of the 2000s.

While the original Hornets never advanced beyond the Eastern Conference Semifinals, they qualified for the playoffs in seven out of 10 seasons, boasting the likes of Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Glen Rice, and Baron Davis.

However, after seeing their original team leave town after the 2002 season (and subsequently draft North Carolina high school and college hero Chris Paul), the fanbase was saddled with the league’s most recent expansion franchise (the Bobcats), which did not acclimate to the league as quickly as the Hornets had.

The new-look Hornets have finished 10th or worse in 10 of 12 years since their reboot, and while they are coming back to life, having had their most successful season in the last 15 years last fall, this is still a fanbase that has gone through an awful lot of emotional and identity shift, with very little show for it.

Next: 16. Pittsburgh Pirates