The Cleveland Guardians (then known as the Indians) won the World Series in 1920 and 1948. They also won the American League pennant, making the World Series in the 1954, 1995, 1997, and 2016 seasons. Between 1995 and 2001, Progressive Field (then known as Jacobs Field) sold out 455 consecutive games, a Major League Baseball record until it was broken in 2008.[3] The franchise changed its name beginning with the 2022 season from the Indians to the Guardians.
From 1964–2016, the city's failure to win a trophy in any major professional sport earned a reputation of being a cursed sports city, extensively covered by the 2016 ESPN30 for 30 documentary Believeland.[5] In addition, changes in the Cleveland sports landscape led to further heartbreak and resentment among local fans, the most notable instances being Art Modell's relocation of the Browns to Baltimore after the 1995 season (that franchise became the Ravens, with the current Browns team starting play in 1999), and Akron native LeBron James' decision to leave the Cavaliers in 2010 for the Miami Heat.[1] The Cleveland city sports curse is considered to have ended in June 2016, when the Cavaliers won the NBA Championship against the defending champion Golden State Warriors.[6] Shortly before the Cavaliers' victory, the Monsters defeated the Hershey Bears to become AHL champions, the first time a Cleveland hockey team had won the Calder Cup since 1964.
(*) - The Charge have one NBA G League (then known as NBADL) Championship to their credit from 2006 when they were based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and known as the Thunderbirds.
The city has been home to several additional professional sports franchises, including a women's basketball team, multiple soccer teams, and a past incarnation of the Cleveland Browns now known as the Baltimore Ravens. Cleveland has also been home to several ice hockey franchises, beginning in 1937 with the AHL member Cleveland Barons.[12] The original Barons, although having been the most successful team in AHL history at that point, moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where they subsequently folded after one season.[13] The salient cause of the Baron's move came from Nick Mileti's short-lived WHA franchise, the Cleveland Crusaders, which shared the old Cleveland Arena with the Barons in beginning in 1972.[14] The new league ultimately created a financial disparity that the Barons could not compete with.[15] Local philanthropist George Gund III facilitated the relocation of the NHL's California Golden Seals to Cleveland in 1976 and renamed them the Barons. However, this latest incarnation was short lived, with the team merging with the Minnesota North Stars following the 1977–78 season.[15] In 1992 the Cleveland Lumberjacks, of the also now-defunct IHL, began play and lasted until 2001. Later in 2001, a third incarnation of the Barons was established, this time having returned to the AHL. The Barons moved to Worcester, Massachusetts following the 2006 season.
In 1997, Cleveland was awarded one of the original eight franchises in the WNBA, the Cleveland Rockers.[16] Although the Rockers finished first in the WNBA Eastern Conference on two occasions, they never made an appearance in the WNBA Finals. The team folded in 2003 after the league was unable to find a new owner. Previous owner Gordon Gund had dropped the team from operation, citing financial losses and poor attendance.[17]
From 1978 to 1988, Cleveland was home to the Cleveland Force of the MISL. After the Force folded in 1988 they were replaced by the Cleveland Crunch of the NPSL and MISL, who played from 1989 to 2005. The Crunch won three league championships in the 1990s, being the first Cleveland sports team to win a championship since the 1964 Cleveland Browns. They re-adopted the Force name in 2002 before ceasing operations in 2005. The Crunch returned in 2021 playing in the Major Arena Soccer League 2.
The Cleveland Spiders played in the National League of Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1899. The team folded after the team owners (Robison brothers) had purchased the St. Louis Browns and sent all of Cleveland's star players there. Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young began his career with the Spiders and threw the first of his No-hitters with them.
The Cleveland Gladiators formerly played in the Arena Football League from 2008 to 2017. The team played home games in Quicken Loans arena. They reached the arena bowl in 2014. The team was placed on hiatus for the 2018 and 2019 seasons while renovations were underway at their home arena. Unfortunately for the team the AFL ceased operations before the team could return for 2020.
College sports
The headquarters of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) are located in Cleveland. The conference also stages both its men's and women's basketball tournaments at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Although there is no Division I college football team based in the city itself, Cleveland is nationally known for its support of Ohio State Buckeyes football. This is due to the team playing occasional games in Cleveland throughout the years, the large fan base of the Buckeyes (including many Ohio State alumni in the Cleveland/NE Ohio area), and numerous Cleveland area high school standouts playing for OSU (such as Glenville High School alums Troy Smith, winner of the 2006 Heisman Trophy, and 2014 National Championship winning quarterback Cardale Jones).[22][23][24] Cleveland's devotion to Buckeyes football has been documented by fan surveys,[25] television ratings,[26] and even the Terminal Tower being lit up in scarlet and gray during OSU's 2014 National Championship run.[27]
Windhorst, Brian; McMenamin, Dave (2017-04-11). Return of the king: LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the greatest comeback in NBA history (Firsted.). New York. ISBN9781478971689. OCLC979415121.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Lubinger, Bill (April 15, 2010). "Poll shows Cleveland State students want football team, but costs dampen enthusiasm". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved November 10, 2010. The survey was the next phase in a process that began in late 2008, when then-outgoing CSU President Michael Schwartz floated the idea of a Vikings football team to enhance the college experience and campus atmosphere.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Sports_in_Cleveland, and is written by contributors.
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