Seattle's 0-for-4 Nightmare Isn't Even Close to the Worst Four-Sport City Collapse in 50 Years

You know that feeling when every team your city fields tanks in the same season and you've got nothing left to do but laugh at the absurdity of it all? Yeah, that's a specific kind of pain. But here's the thing: even when Seattle goes 0-for-4 and nobody makes the playoffs, the city could have it way, way worse.

A deep dive into historical four-sport city performance since 1950 reveals something grimly fascinating. The metric is simple: take the end-of-year ranking percentile for each team in its respective league, average them out, and you've got a snapshot of how bad a year really was. A 29th-place finish in MLB (out of 30 teams) ranks the same as a 29th-place finish in the NFL (out of 32). One team per sport, because let's be honest, if you're a Mets fan you're not losing sleep over the Yankees' record.

DC's 2025 Wasn't Even Top Five Worst

Washington DC fans thought they had it brutal in 2025. The Nationals went 66-96. The Commanders limped to 5-12 after riding high on a fantastic 2024 season that ended in a Conference Championship appearance. The Wizards bottomed out at 17-65. Even the Capitals, with a winning 43-30 record, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022-23.

But here's where it stings: DC ranked 39th historically. Not even top five worst. Not even close.

Chicago's Recent Stretch Makes You Hurt

Chicago had it rough. Real rough. The second city ranked 17th in 2022, 27th in 2023, and 34th in 2024. Three consecutive years of pain. The fact that the Bears made the playoffs a couple months ago felt like a championship parade because fans hadn't had anything to celebrate in years. That's what a four-year drought does to a city.

But Nothing Compares to This

New York in 2017 was an absolute wasteland. With different team combinations, the city hit lows of 18th, 20th, 25th, 29th, 32nd, and 38th. The Mets, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, and Islanders all took turns breaking hearts simultaneously.

Detroit in 2019 and 2020 might be the worst stretch any four-sport city has endured. Ranking 3rd in 2019 and 1st in 2020, Detroit fans watched their entire sports landscape collapse. At least some shortened seasons in there put the misery out of its misery faster.

So yeah, when Seattle goes winless across the board, it stings. But your battle scars? They're not the worst ones out there.

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