Seattle's 0-for-4 Nightmare: How the Emerald City Stacks Against Sports' Worst Seasons Ever

You know that feeling when everything falls apart at once? When your entire sports city goes completely silent because there's literally nothing to cheer for? That's the conversation happening right now, and it turns out Seattle's worst seasons aren't even close to the absolute rock bottom some cities have hit.

A sports analyst recently crunched the numbers on the worst four-sport city seasons since 1950, and the data is both comforting and brutal. The model ranked 2025 Washington DC at 39th worst, which sounds bad until you realize there are only eight four-sport cities in America: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, DC, Philadelphia, Phoenix, the Twin Cities, and Atlanta. That means DC actually had it relatively good this year compared to some absolute disasters lurking in the records.

When Everything Breaks at Once

The methodology is simple but telling. Take each team's end-of-year ranking percentile within its league, then average them across all four sports. This way, a 29th-place finish in baseball (out of 30) hits the same weight as a 29th-place finish in football (out of 32). Only count one team per sport, because let's be honest, if you're a Mets fan, you don't care about the Yankees' record.

The really brutal years? Try 2019 and 2020 Detroit, ranked 3rd and 1st worst respectively. No team in either year had a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Not one. Even shorter seasons couldn't save the suffering fast enough.

Chicago Knows the Pain

Chicago had it rough recently too. The second city ranked 17th worst in 2022, 27th in 2023, and 34th in 2024. Three straight years of futility. That's why when the Bears and Packers faced off in the playoff game a couple months ago, the celebration wasn't just about bragging rights against a rival. It was pure relief. Nothing to celebrate for years, then finally something breaks through.

New York? 2017 was a disaster. The Mets, Giants, Nets, and Rangers all collapsed in different combinations throughout the year. Six different worst-case scenarios for Yankees fans watching the rest of their city burn.

At least you can wear your suffering like a badge. When everything implodes simultaneously across all four sports, you earn the right to tell your friends about it. Welcome to the club.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.