The Chicago White Sox recently circumvented an ignoble record that most teams would rather avoid at all costs.
Last Tuesday, they claimed a victory over the Oakland Athletics, snapping a 21-game losing streak that tied the American League record and stood as the second-longest in Major League Baseball history. The team was dangerously close, just two losses away, from tying the all-time record set by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies.
The White Sox currently hold a record of 28-88, which translates to a winning percentage of .241. That’s a little better than their all-time low by .006. They’re also dangerously on pace to break the single-season record for losses, a dubious honor held by the 1962 New York Mets with 120 losses.
Now that the White Sox near-defeat is behind us, we take a deep dive into some of the longest losing streaks in major North American team sports, as documented by FOX Sports Research.
- Chicago Cardinals (NFL) — The longest losing streak in the NFL was 29 games, from 1942 to 1945. Before the AFL-NFL merger, and even before the founding of the AFL, the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals) set this record during a tumultuous period marked by World War II, which led to the team’s temporary merger with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) — Between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, the 76ers suffered a 28-game losing streak, marking the lowest point in NBA history for the franchise. This era, known as “The Process,” was marked by notable struggles, including an 18-game losing streak before finally securing a win over the Lakers.
- Detroit Pistons (NBA) — In the 2023 season, the Pistons endured a historic downturn, setting the longest single-season losing streak in the four major North American leagues with 27 consecutive losses. The team’s defense faltered significantly, allowing an average of 119 points per game, the most in over five decades.
- Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) — After the initial departure of LeBron James, the Cavaliers had a particularly difficult 2010-11 season. They suffered a 26-game losing streak, which underscored the difficulties the team faced in the wake of losing their star player.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) — Holding the record for the longest post-merger losing streak in the NFL, the Buccaneers waited nearly two full seasons to earn their first win, suffering a 26-game losing streak from their founding in 1976 through 1977.
- Philadelphia Phillies (MLB) — In 1961, the Phillies set a major league record with a 23-game losing streak, the longest in MLB history, and a season record of 47 wins and 107 losses.
- Charlotte Hornets (NBA) — Known as the Bobcats in the 2011-2012 season, the team had one of the worst performances in NBA history with a winning percentage of .106, accentuated by a 23-game losing streak at the end of the season.
This account of historic losing streaks not only highlights the challenges teams can face, but also the resilience needed to overcome such adversity in professional sport.
