Happy Halloween! If your franchise makes this list then you know all about having rampant, mutant fear. You've seen the scariest franchise's in professional football, baseball, or basketball. Long seasons watching gruesome performances by players so bad they make your skin crawl. Front Office decisions so bloodcurdling that Hollywood is actually scared to make a film about it.
Our poll is based on a what have you done for us lately formula. Super Bowls or great players on a team 40 years ago don't carry much weight. We prefer things like recent success. Infamous players and owners. Fan Support. And, the city the team is in. There might be some other chilling things we just make up as we go along.
We present, in all it's brutality, the Scariest Franchises in sports.
8) The Pittsburgh Pirates
Why are they so terrifying? Since losing a heartbreaker to the Braves in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, the Pirates have yet to have even a winning season.They had a diabolical plan this season making it look like they would make a run at. 500 but apparently it was all designed to further torture the fan base. The owners of the team have turned losing into a profitable enterprise, making almost $ 30 million a year while getting rid of All-Stars in an effort not to pay them. How spine-chilling.
7) The Detroit Lions
The mere fact they play in Detroit is creepy enough isn't? I've never been there but I've talked to a few people who have (those that made out alive) and they were not too kind to the Motor City. This franchise was so bad it scared the greatest runner of all time, barry sanders, into early retirement. They also have the meanest current player in the NFL, Ndamukong Suh, who has been fined for illegal hits on various occasions and for the most part he has refused to apologize, instead receiving fines from the National Football League.
Finally, the Lions are scary because they've won just one playoff game since 1957.
6) The Oakland Raiders
Even the Pirate on the helmet strikes fear in very few these days. This once proud franchise was mis-manged by the very man who made them great, the late Al Davis. Coming into this season the Raiders were in a 37-91 stretch and have been known for grim draft busts (JaMarcus Russell). Raider Nation, those guys who dress like everyday is Halloween, has given up on this franchise. The Raiders finished dead last in NFL attendance in 2010. The Raiders also get poor marks for the city of Oakland. It's not a good sign when the fan base is more ghoulish than the team.
5) The Los Angeles Clippers
It's distressing when the other team in your home town, that plays the same sport, is soooo much better than you. The Lakers outclass the Clippers in pretty much every facet. You don't have to go far to see why the Clippers are so dreadful. Look at the draft. They used a No. 1 overall pick on Michael Olowakandi, a No. 2 pick on Danny Ferry, a No. 3 pick on Darius Miles and a No. 4 pick on Shaun Livingston. It's impossible to miss on that many # 1 overall picks! It leads to missing the playoffs in 13 of 35 years.
4) The St. Louis Rams
There are weeks that I simply forget they are still in the NFL. The Rams have slowly degraded step-by-step since those glory days of the "Greatest Show On Turf" to the point where they really have nothing to hang their hats on anymore. They are just boring to watch and what makes it worst is that they have one the most hideous stadiums in the NFL. The fans look asleep most of the time because the Rams only have one player with any star power and that's Sam Bradford, and he still has a lot to prove.
3) The Kansas City Royals
They have a very nice stadium but it only masks the underlying horror. The Royals have been flying under the radar as the epitome of the small market team. Why else have they be able to get away with not making the playoffs since 1985 !! It's because nobody cares. But it gets more freakish for this franchise. Kansas City has finished as high as second in the division standings only twice since 1985. Despite having a number of perennial All-Stars begin their careers in Kansas City-David Cone, Kevin Appier, Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran and Jermaine Dye to name a few-the Royals consistently traded their best players to avoid paying them during their prime years.
2) The Toronto Raptors
The team nickname is one for the coolest, and scariest, in all of sports. That's just about where it ends for this franchise. Just about every good player they've had wants out (Vince Carter, Chris Bosh). How about some Raptor jokes?
Q: What do the Toronto Raptors and possums have in common? A: Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!
Q: What do you call 12 millionaires around a TV watching the NBA Finals? A: The Toronto Raptors.
1) The Charlotte Bobcats
The Bobcats have been bad every year of their brief, but unpleasant existence, but they outdid themselves in 2011-12. The Bobcats weren't just bad, they were historically awful. With 23 straight losses to end the lockout-shortened season, the Bobcats finished with a record of 7-59, the worst winning percentage (.106) ever by an NBA team. Hard to believe Michael Jordan, the teams owner, is in any way associated with this foolishness. Last year Bobcats were everything Jordan was as a player – unproductive, uncompetitive and unwatchable.
Dis-honorable mentions. The Milwaukee Bucks. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Astros, Buffalo Bills, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Browns and New York Mets.