-
JJ Post, ESPN
The Chicago White Sox are chasing history. Unfortunately, not all history is positive.
For decades, the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (worst winning percentage) and the 1962 New York Mets (most losing totals) have had a valid argument for being the worst seasons in Major League Baseball history. But the White Sox could settle the debate by posting the worst records in both metrics.
Already at 102 losses and a .233 winning percentage, Chicago is on pace to break the league record. If you can’t find a hot streak in September, who will you join in the disgrace? Here are some of the worst campaigns in American sports leagues.
NFL
2008 Detroit Lions
Record: 0-16
Unsurprisingly, finishing the season with a .000 winning percentage leads this list. The Lions have been hopeless at times, most notably enduring four straight games decided by one point, but have fallen short each time. The campaign was the eighth of 10 consecutive losing seasons for Detroit, and third-year coach Rod Marinelli was fired the day after a Week 17 loss to the Green Bay Packers that sent the Lions to their first 0-16 record in NFL history.
2017 Cleveland Browns
Record: 0-16
As the saying goes, misfortune loves company. Fortunately (in a sense) for the Lions, they are not the only NFL team to have a 16-game winless season. Just over a decade after Detroit went 0-16, the Browns had their own winless season.
Cleveland’s quest for a win lasted until the end, most notably a 4-yard touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins early in the third quarter of Week 17 that tied the Browns with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But their hopes were short-lived. Minutes later, JuJu Smith-Schuster returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to give the Steelers the lead, a lead they couldn’t give up and sealing Cleveland’s winless fate.
1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record: 0-14
The Buccaneers’ winless season pales in comparison to the Lions and Browns, who achieved the feat with two more games remaining on their schedule, but Tampa Bay still finished with an identical .000 winning percentage. The Buccaneers’ offense was particularly weak during their fateful campaign, being shut out in five games.
Women’s Basketball (WNBA)
2011 Tulsa Shock
Record: 3-31
Tulsa’s 2011 campaign began with a 20-point road loss to the San Antonio Stars and hasn’t gotten much better since. It was the first of 10 times the Shock lost by 20 or more points that season. Tulsa went two months between their first and second wins. The Shock won just once at home all season, posting a WNBA-record .088 winning percentage.
NHL (USA)
1974-75 Washington Capitals
Record: 8-67-5
It goes without saying that the Capitals’ debut as an NHL franchise could have gone a little better. The team set several records in its first season, including the worst away record in NHL history (1-39) and the worst defensive record (the team’s total goals allowed of 446 remains an NHL record, more than 30 more than the closest team).
NBA
2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats
Record: 7-59
The Bobcats got off to a strong start to the season, with rookie Kemba Walker hitting two free throws in a 96-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the season opener. But things changed drastically after that. Charlotte went a month without winning more than three games, and the team went through a brutal stretch where they lost their last 23 games. The Bobcats finished the (shortened by the fall strike) season a surprising 43 games out of first place in the Eastern Conference, 39 games behind the division-leading Miami Heat.
Major League
1916 Philadelphia Athletics
Record: 36-117
While the 1962 New York Mets (40-120-1) hold the record for most losses in a season, the 1916 Athletics are more tied with the White Sox, finishing with the worst winning percentage (.235) of any MLB team (the Mets played an additional seven games). Philadelphia finished a surprising 40 games behind, finishing in second-last place in the American League. This historic campaign came just one season after the Athletics narrowly missed out on their second consecutive World Series appearance.
