An anniversary almost missed...

I'm sad to say that I completely forgot about a major anniversary that occured a few days ago. An anniversary that weighs heavy on my heart. An anniversary that would have gone completely unnoticed by me if it hadn't been for a text message I recieved from my friend Dave. It read:

"Congratulations to Philadelphia on 25 years of futility!"

That's right. May 31st, Philadelphia... um... celebrated? 25 years without winning a major sports championship. 25 years. Sure, some cities have suffered longer, but none of those cities have all four major sports (Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Hockey).

May 31st, 1983 was the last time Philadelphia celebrated. The 76ers swept the L.A. Lakers in 4 games. Prior to that, Philadelphia had had a great recent sports run. The Flyers won back-to-back Stanley Cups in the 70s, the Phillies won their one and only World Series in 1980. The Eagles made it to the Superbowl in 1980 (losing to the Raiders), and the Phillies made it to the World series in 1983 (losing to the Orioles). Things were going great in Philadelphia.

Then, the drought started.

--The Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1985, and lost in 5 games to the Edmonton Oilers.
--The Flyers fought into the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987, and lost in 7 games, and again, lost to the Edmonton Oilers.
--The Phillies surprised the baseball world by going from worst in 1992 to the World Series in 1993, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays.
--The Flyers showed promise again in 1997, making it to the Stanley Cup Finals vs. the Detriot Red Wings, but were swept.
--The Eagles were turning into an NFC dynasty, making it to the NFC Championship game 4 years in a row (2001-2004), and finally to the Superbowl in 2004, before losing to the New England Patriots.
--The Sixers proved they could be a good team for once, making it to the NBA finals, only to lose 4 games to 1 to the L.A. Lakers.

And let's not forget numerous playoff berths by all Philadelphia teams in that timespan as well.

What makes this streak so heartbreaking is that the Philadelphia teams haven't been BAD. The Phillies haven't seen major success, and the 76ers had a slump, but overall, most of the Philadelphia teams have had good shots at winning championships, but alas, none have come for 25 years now.

There is promise in the future. The Flyers battled back from their worst season in team history to make it to the NHL Eastern Conference finals this year. The Phillies made it ot the playoffs for the first time in 14 years last year (and currently sit in 1st place). Even the Sixers found their way into the playoffs. We just need that championship. Whenver it does come around, it will be sweet, and the parade down Broad Street will be a sight to see.

I just hope it doen't take another 25 years.