The 29 most hopeless fan bases in professional sports

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) /

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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 13: Marcus Camby /

14. Los Angeles Clippers

Last Championship: Never

Last Winning Season: 2015-16

For years on years, the Clippers were the ugly stepsister of the most disproportionate same-city dichotomy in all of sports. There were the Lakers, perpetual winners of titles and home of generation-shaping superstars. On nights when Showtime was taking its show outside the Forum or Staples Center, it was the Clippers bringing their special breed of basketball futility to bear.

After arriving to Los Angeles (following stints of being equally lackluster as the Buffalo Braves and San Diego Clippers), the the L.A. incarnation posted a .303 winning percentage over its first seven years — a stretch that included a 12-70 record in 1986-87 and a slightly less grotesque 17-65 the next year.

Overall, in the first 21 years of the L.A. Clippers’ existence, they had a grand total of one winning season. If the entirety of the franchise’s history is accounted for, they have produced at least a .500 winning percentage only 11 times in 46 years.

The team has improved greatly in recent years, of course, winning a pair of division titles and nothing three second-place finishes in the past five years. However, in true Clippers fashion, they lost in the first round in each of the past five years as well.

Comparatively speaking, a string of disappointing playoff collapses is still considered an acceptable success — a surefire sign of a franchise just happy to have its head above water.

Next: 13. Sacramento Kings