PITTSBURGH — Next time you find yourself complaining for any reason about the professional sports teams in Pittsburgh, take a look at what’s happening 304 miles to the east. Right now, the Penguins, Pirates and Steelers are each enjoying considerable success, while the professional sports teams in Philadelphia are dealing with mediocrity, and in some cases, futility.
Let’s start with baseball.
In the last three seasons, the Pirates averaged 93 wins, with three consecutive postseason appearances. Over that same time, the Philadelphia Phillies averaged 92 losses, failing to make the playoffs in each season. With 99 losses in 2015, the Phillies were officially the worst team in baseball.
Since 2005, the Steelers have averaged 10 wins a season, with seven postseason appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl titles. Over that same time, the Philadelphia Eagles have averaged eight wins a season, with five postseason appearances, but no Super Bowl appearances.
The Penguins have made it to the playoffs for 10 consecutive years. In the entire NHL, only the Detroit Red Wings have a longer postseason streak.
The Penguins made an appearance in the Stanley Cup finals in 2008, and one year later, the Pens won the Cup for a third time. The Philadelphia Flyers won back-to-back Stanley Cups in the mid-‘70s, but have gone more than 40 years without winning again.
This season, the Flyers found their way back to the playoffs, but are on the verge of being swept in the first round.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have an NBA team. Some would argue that Philadelphia doesn’t either.
The 76ers haven’t made the playoffs since 2012, and last season, were the worst team in the NBA. The 76ers are also now in the record books for all the wrong reasons.
In the 2014-2015 season, the Sixers lost their final 10 games. That losing streak carried over to last season, when the 76ers dropped their first 18 games. The 28 consecutive losses from one season to another is the longest losing streak in American professional sports history.
Over the entire 2015-2016 season, the 76ers won only 10 games.
The ultimate goal is to win championships. Overall, Pittsburgh has a slight edge over Philadelphia, with 15 championships to Philadelphia’s 12 in the four major professional sports -- but since 1970, Pittsburgh has won 12 championships to Philadelphia’s five.
- Super Bowls championships: Pittsburgh Steelers 6. Philadelphia Eagles 0.
- World Series championships: Philadelphia 7 (Athletics 5, Phillies 2). Pittsburgh Pirates 5.
- Stanley Cup championships: Pittsburgh Penguins 3. Philadelphia Flyers 2.
- NBA championships: Philadelphia 76ers 3. Pittsburgh 0.
- ABA championships: Pittsburgh Pipers 1. Philadelphia 0.