About

How we count

Every number on this site follows the leagues’ own record books. Where fans see it differently, we say so in plain words.

What counts as a championship

• NFL: NFL championships from 1920 to 1965, AFL championships from 1960 to 1965, and every Super Bowl.
• NBA: every BAA and NBA title. ABA titles are listed on team pages but not counted, because the NBA does not count them.
• MLB: every World Series, starting in 1903.
• NHL: every Stanley Cup from 1927, the first season only NHL teams competed for it.

How years are counted

Years means completed seasons since a team’s last title. A team that won last season shows as the reigning champion. A team that has never won counts from its first season. Canceled seasons, such as the 1994 MLB postseason and the 2004–05 NHL season, are counted.

Other droughts on team pages

• Finals appearance: the last trip to the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series or Stanley Cup Final. NFL teams that never reached a Super Bowl show their last NFL Championship Game.
• Division title: the last time the team finished first in its division.
• Playoff win: in the NFL, the last playoff game won. In the NBA, MLB and NHL, the last playoff series won. Single-game rounds, such as MLB’s former Wild Card Game, count and are noted on the team page.
• Playoff appearance: the last season the team made the playoffs. Play-in games do not count.
• Winning season: more wins than losses. In the NHL, a points percentage over .500, which is the same as more wins than regulation losses.

These run through each league’s last completed season. MLB figures update after the 2026 World Series ends.

Why some teams show two numbers

When a team moves, the league keeps its titles with the franchise. The Arizona Cardinals own the 1947 title they won in Chicago. Many fans see it differently. When the two views differ, the team page shows the city view in one line.

A few titles have changed hands. The Browns kept their history when the original team moved to Baltimore in 1996. Charlotte reclaimed the Hornets’ history in 2014. If the NBA expands to Seattle, the SuperSonics’ 1979 title may move from Oklahoma City to the new team.

How cities are grouped

Teams count for their metro area. New York includes the Giants, Jets, Devils and Nets. The Bay Area counts San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose as one city. Los Angeles includes Anaheim. Washington includes teams in Maryland. Boston includes the Patriots. Tampa Bay, Dallas–Fort Worth and Minneapolis–St. Paul each count as one city. Cities that lost their teams, such as Quebec City and Hartford, are included.

Sources

We check every title against the Sports-Reference sites and the official league record books, with Wikipedia as a tiebreaker. Each team page lists its sources. If you spot an error, use the “Report an error” link on any team page.

Not affiliated

This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL or any team. Team names are used for identification only.