Living in the Past
On Sunday the Dallas Cowboys lost 23–17 to the San Francisco 49ers. It was one of the more intriguing games of the weekend featuring two historically great franchises meeting in the postseason for the 5th time in the history of the NFL.
The game ended in controversy, as Dallas drove the ball down the field towards the end of the game, Quarterback Dak Prescott ran a draw play through the middle of the field, with no timeouts remaining and only 14 second left to play in the game. This was an unusual call as the team had no timeouts remaining and the likelihood of Prescott getting out of bounds was slim given the 49ers defensive alignment.
As Dak Prescott tried to spike the football after the draw play the clock expired, and Dallas would be eliminated from the postseason. The ensuing controversy would be that the referee didn’t allow Dak Prescott and the Cowboys time for another play after taking too long to set the football.
My takeaway from this game went beyond the controversy that would dominate the headlines the morning after, but instead, focused on the fact that the Dallas Cowboys, nicknamed “America’s Team”, haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1995, and have actually been “one-and-done” in seven of their last 10 postseason appearances.
This got me thinking about comparable teams across other leagues. Which teams fan bases find themselves holding on to the past and hoping it is indicative of future success? Only to find that for most of the teams on this list, that success has been replaced with postseason heartbreak. In addition to the Cowboys, the following teams would also fit the mold:
Toronto Maple Leafs
This team plays Canada’s sport, in Canada’s largest city, and wears Canada’s national symbol on their uniforms. Of all the teams on this list, the Toronto Maple Leafs may have the most pressure to succeed. The history is there for Toronto, they are considered one of the “Original Six” hockey teams in the NHL and with 13 Stanley Cups, they rank second to the Montreal Canadiens for the most in the league.
However, despite that history, there hasn’t been much for the organization to celebrate since 1967, the last year that they won the Stanley Cup. In fact, the team hasn’t been back to the Stanley Cup Finals since then and hasn’t even won a playoff series since 2004. The Maple Leafs haven’t been without their share of postseason heartbreak in recent seasons though, as their last four playoff series exits have come at the hands of a winner-take-all Game 7 (Game 5 in 2020 due to Covid-19). In some cases, the Maple Leafs opponent forced the Game 7 after the Maple Leafs gave up a series lead.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks’ history includes some of the best NBA players of all time in addition to playing in the most iconic basketball venue in the world. Players such as Willis Reed and Patrick Ewing have brought a lot of history to the Knicks, a history that includes two NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973. However, since appearing in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000, the Knicks have only reached the postseason six times and in only one of the times did they win a playoff series.
Some of the expectations placed on the Knicks may not be deserved as the New York region generally brings a higher expectation. Fair or unfair though, it is New York, and much like hockey in Toronto, the basketball team in New York needs to perform better.
