In the ‘50s, New York had Jackie Robinson. It had “Willie, Mickey and the Duke” — the center fielders whose baseball teams combined to win eight straight championships starting in 1949. The city also had the football Giants, a team that hosted the 1958 game known as the “greatest game ever played.”
But 1950s New York has now arguably been surpassed as the setting for the country’s luckiest sports fans. (And, yes, sports fans will certainly argue over this.) The new titleholder? Boston, in the early 21st century.
On Sunday, the New England Patriots will play their ninth Super Bowl in 17 years, a modern dynasty with no peer. The Boston Red Sox have won four of the past 15 World Series. The Celtics and Bruins have each won a championship since 2008.
Here are the rankings of the best two-decade runs that any pro sports fans have had since World War II, based on both statistical and subjective factors, in the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball.
1. Boston, 2001-18
Red Sox (4), Patriots (5), Bruins (1), Celtics (1)
11 titles in 71 team seasons (15%)
All 4 franchises won a title
The breadth of the success makes Boston’s current run unique. Across one recent seven-year span (2008-14), its teams in each of the four major sports won a championship. No other city has completed such a sweep in fewer than 21 years. During the past two decades, Boston fans have been able to watch Tom Brady and Pedro Martinez, two of the great modern team athletes, as well as the beloved David Ortiz and the gruff mastermind coach, Bill Belichick. And because this run began in 2001, it is still two years shy of the 20-year mark.
For much of the 20th century, of course, Boston was famous for its sports heartbreak. The rest of the country looked at the city’s fans with a mixture of mockery and pity. These days, fans outside of Boston tend to loathe the city’s teams. Boston’s fans are quite happy with the trade off.
2. New York, 1951-70
Yankees (7), Giants (MLB, 1), Dodgers (1), Mets (1), Giants (NFL, 1), Jets (1), Rangers (0), Knicks (1)
13 titles in 108 team seasons (12%)
7 of 8 franchises won a title
New York in the 1950s is still probably the best setting for a baseball fan. Think of the all-star lineup that could be formed with players only from the city’s three teams: Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Gil Hodges, Sandy Koufax and on and on.
Beyond baseball, the picture is more mixed. The Knicks won a title in 1970, and the Giants won one in 1956. But the Giants also lost five title games during this span, and the Rangers did not win one at all. In 1957, baseball’s glorious run in the city came to a shocking end: The Dodgers and Giants left for California.
3. Pittsburgh, 1974-93
Pirates (1), Steelers (4), Penguins (2)
7 titles in 60 team seasons (12%)
All 3 franchises won a title
Pittsburgh is the only city where the different professional teams share one color scheme: the black and gold of the city’s flag. There were a lot of championship banners with those colors flying from the early 1970s to the early 1990s. This run was the most successful any three-team city has had. (Pittsburgh lacks a basketball team.) The Steelers were a dynasty. The Pirates won two titles in the 1970s, partly by signing large numbers of Latino players, including Roberto Clemente, before other teams did. And the Penguins closed the run with Mario Lemieux leading them to back-to-back Stanley Cups.
4. Chicago, 1997-2016
Cubs (1), White Sox (1), Bears (0), Blackhawks (3), Bulls (2)
7 titles in 100 team seasons (7%)
4 of 5 franchises won a title
The best basketball player in history — the Bulls’ Michael Jordan. Two baseball teams — the Cubs and White Sox — each ending championship droughts that had started before the end of World War I. And a hockey team — the Blackhawks — that won three Stanley Cups. Only the Bears missed out on winning a title.
5. Boston, 1957-76
Red Sox (0), Patriots (0), Bruins (2), Celtics (13)
15 titles in 71 team seasons (21%)
2 of 4 franchises won a title
There was one giant exception to the mediocrity and disappointment of Boston sports in the late 20th century: The Celtics, basketball’s most successful franchise. Starting in 1957, they somehow won 13 titles in 20 years. Strictly by the numbers, the city’s original golden age was even better than the current one: 21 percent of team seasons ended with a championship. But the success was narrow: Beside the Celtics, only the Bruins won a title.
6. Detroit, 1950-69
Tigers (1), Lions (3), Red Wings (4), Pistons (0)
8 titles in 72 team seasons (11%)
3 of 4 franchises won a title
Detroit was both an economic and sports powerhouse in the 1950s and 1960s. The Lions, Red Wings and Tigers all won championships. Gordie Howe became the icon of hockey. Strange as it may sound to younger football fans, the Lions were a dynasty, appearing in four NFL title games in the 1950s and winning three of them. But since 1957, they have won just a single playoff game, in 1991.
7. San Francisco, 2010-18
Giants (3), 49ers (0), Sharks (0), Warriors (3)
6 titles in 36 team seasons (17%)
2 of 4 franchises have won a title
One city is now in the midst of a run that could ultimately match or surpass Boston’s. Fans in San Francisco have enjoyed six championships since 2010, from the Giants and Warriors. (The Warriors currently play in Oakland, but we’re counting them as San Francisco’s basketball team and the San Jose Sharks as the city’s hockey team, to be consistent with rooting patterns there.) The 49ers, once the city’s main source of championships, will need to rebound, however.
8. Los Angeles, 1969-88
Dodgers (2), Rams (0), Raiders (1), Kings (0), Lakers (6)
9 titles in 91 team seasons (10%)
3 of 6 franchises won a title
Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s was home to some of the most memorable athletes and games of the past century. The Lakers of Wilt Chamberlain turned into the Lakers of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and ultimately of Magic Johnson. Kirk Gibson hit perhaps baseball’s most dramatic home run, helping the Dodgers win the 1988 World Series. As a bonus, the city hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics.
9. Milwaukee, 1957-76
Braves (1), Brewers (0), Packers (5), Bucks (1)
7 titles in 48 team seasons (15%)
3 of 4 franchises won a title
On April 13, 1954 — opening day — a 20-year-old outfielder named Henry Aaron made his debut for the Milwaukee Braves. He went 0 for 5 that day in Cincinnati, but it was the start of Milwaukee’s best sports era. Aaron’s Braves won the World Series three years later. The football Packers — effectively Milwaukee’s football team — won five titles in the 1960s. And a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to a title in 1971. This period would rank higher on our list if it hadn’t been marred by the Braves’ departure for Atlanta in 1965.
10. Oakland, 1972-91
A’s (4), Raiders (2), Seals (0), Warriors (1)
7 titles in 55 team seasons (13%)
3 of 4 franchises won a title
Oakland in the 1970s won with attitude. The A’s — in their mustaches and bright yellow uniforms — were quirky and fractious. Still, they won three straight World Series. The Raiders of the same period were notoriously nasty. In the midst of it all, Rick Barry’s Warriors won a basketball title in 1975. The A’s, with “Bash Brothers” Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, won another title in 1989.
11. Cleveland, 1948-67
Indians (1), Browns (4)
5 titles in 40 team seasons (13%)
2 of 2 franchises won a title
The most frustrated sports city of the late 20th century was Cleveland. The Browns sometimes lost in spectacularly painful fashion. The Indians and Cavaliers were usually just bad. Old-time Clevelanders, however, knew a happier sports scene. The Indians won a title in 1948 (still their most recent), while the Browns were to the 1950s what the Patriots have been to recent years: They appeared in seven title games during one eight-year stretch and won three. The Browns won again in 1964, which would turn out to be the city’s last major title until LeBron James’ Cavaliers won one 52 years later.
12. Baltimore, 1957-76
Orioles (2), Colts (3), Bullets (0)
5 titles in 50 team seasons (10%)
2 of 3 franchises won a title
“The greatest game ever played” was the first overtime game in NFL history, and it made many Americans realize how exciting football could be on television. It took place Dec. 28, 1958, at Yankee Stadium, with Baltimore’s Colts beating the New York Giants. The years that followed brought more titles for the Colts, behind Johnny Unitas and others, while the Orioles of the 1960s and 1970s flourished with great pitching. The Baltimore Bullets, who decamped for Washington in 1973, were less successful.
13. Philadelphia, 1964-83
Phillies (1), Eagles (0), Flyers (2), 76ers (2)
5 titles in 80 team seasons (6%)
3 of 4 franchises won a title
Of America’s longest-standing four-team cities, Philadelphia is among the least successful. But it has had a few periods of glory. The 76ers won an NBA title with Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 and again with Julius Erving in 1983. The Flyers team known as “Broad Street Bullies” won twice in the 1970s. The Phillies won their first World Series in 1980. And just outside of the 20-year window listed here — in 1960 — the Eagles won an NFL title. The 21-year stretch in which all four Philadelphia teams won a title (1960 through 1980) was the shortest until Boston recently broke the record.
14. Dallas, 1992-2011
Rangers (0), Cowboys (3), Stars (1), Mavericks (1)
5 titles in 78 team seasons (6%)
3 of 4 franchises won a title
Dallas is among those Sunbelt cities that have attracted a full complement of pro sports teams only in the past several decades. The 20-year period that began in 1992 included a return to dominance for the city’s original team, the Cowboys, as well as the first titles for hockey’s Stars and basketball’s Mavericks. Baseball’s Rangers came within one strike of winning the 2011 World Series, and the city hasn’t won a title since.
15. Denver, 1996-2015
Rockies (0), Broncos (3), Avalanche (2), Nuggets (0)
5 titles in 80 team seasons (6%)
2 of 4 franchises won a title
Until 1996, Denver had not won a single major sports title. Then the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup that June. During the next few years, John Elway — initially known for losing Super Bowls — capped his football career by winning two in a row. Each of those two franchises would win another title in later years. The Rockies and Nuggets still have not done so.
16. Miami, 1997-2016
Marlins (2), Dolphins (0), Panthers (0), Heat (3)
5 titles in 80 team seasons (6%)
2 of 4 franchises won a title
As in Dallas, football came first to Miami. And as in Dallas, the team — the Dolphins — was one of the best in the 1970s. But they haven’t won a championship in 45 years. The titles that younger Miami fans have enjoyed are thanks to the Marlins and the Heat.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.