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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Mar 1, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Film director Spike Lee talks with New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden. The Trail Blazers defeated the Knicks 104-85. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

25. New York Knicks

Last Championship: 1973

Last Winning Season: 2012-13

Perhaps the greatest burden for any serious sports city is being mired in a never-ending championship drought. It’s been 43 years since the Knicks hung a banner in Madison Square Garden, although there have been plenty of frustrating close calls in the process.

It’s not as if the Knicks have been completely out of the picture over the past four decades. They boast the fourth most wins in NBA history, after all. From 1988 to 2001, the Knicks didn’t miss the playoffs once, and twice reached the NBA Finals.

Most of this run was defined by the Patrick Ewing era, which is also a source of frustration for some fans. It was an era that began with great expectations for the Knicks, who were ultimately unable to overcome the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and Chicago Bulls to end that elusive championship drought.

However, it was after 2001 that the Knicks became stuck in an endless skid of failed rebuilds and failed acquisitions (Stephon Marbury, Antonio McDyess, Eddy Curry), even worse issues in the front office (Isiah Thomas, Larry Brown, Derek Fisher), and underwhelming draft picks (Mike Sweetney, Dijon Thompson, Maciej Lampe), resulting in the longest tailspin in franchise history. Amid this plethora of missteps, the team fell thru a 10-year losing streak, and is just two years removed from the worst season in franchise history (17-65).

The most recent leap of faith to take hold over the Knicks was the decision to hand over basketball operations to Phil Jackson, who was a lauded member of that 1973 championship team. However, beyond the doubtless brilliant drafting of 7-foot-3 phenom Kristaps Porzingis, Jackson’s tenure has largely been more of the same: home-run swings for singles results, throwing good money after bad, and generally sticking to the same tired template that got the Knicks in this mess to begin with.

Next: 24. Houston Astros