Bragging comes with the territory in sports. As soon as a championship is won, it’s accepted that resident sports fans will not hold back from letting those in other states know all about it. Digs will fly, and jokes will be shared until the day it becomes the turn of another to return the favor!
With that in mind, it got us thinking about which states have enjoyed the most bragging rights over the last 20 years and which have had the fewest opportunities to lord it over others.
That’s exactly what we’re looking at today, but let us first warn residents of certain states. If you’re from eight states, such as Louisiana, North Carolina, or Maryland, you probably know that this isn’t going to be an enjoyable read.
Top Three Championship Winning States
Topping the list with regard to bragging rights enjoyed over the last 20 years is none other than California. Though to be fair, most of you already knew that. That knowledge would have come from being Californian and throwing out the brags or being on the receiving end of another.
The Golden State has recorded 15 championship wins in the last couple of decades across the four major professional leagues. The most recent, as I’m sure you’ve told everyone about, was the 2024 MLB World Series win by the LA Dodgers.
Other recent success has come courtesy of the San Francisco Giants (MLB) and the Golden State Warriors (NBA), while the LA Rams (NFL) and the LA Lakers have also boosted the championship-winning number. The state even has the current 2024 MLS winners in the LA Galaxy!
While it is clear that those three states will be backed the most prominently on all deposit and withdrawal options of all states at betting.us and other online sportsbooks, you should keep an eye on the teams in a few others, too.
Notable Mentions
Three states are tied in fourth place and just one championship behind Florida. Pennsylvania can pin its hopes on the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), while Texas can call on the Dallas Cowboys and San Antonio Spurs. As for Missourians, they’ll be hoping the current Superbowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, continue their winning ways.
We should also mention Illinois, which is just two wins away from fourth place. The state has enjoyed recent success thanks to the Chicago Blackhawks winning three championships and there being one apiece from the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs, both from the MLB.
Colorado and New York are among five states that fall in between the runners-up and Illinois and those at the bottom with less than impressive sporting records. You’d argue that New York, in particular, should be doing a lot better, considering the state’s prominence and the teams within it.
Runners-Up
Massachusetts, with 11 wins is the state currently sitting in second. That number previously sat at 10 until, of course, the Boston Celtics won the 2024 NBA Finals. Other teams that have contributed to championship wins are the New England Patriots (NFL) and Boston Red Sox (MLB).
The state has some strong teams right now as well, so there’s a decent chance Massachusetts could close the gap on California.
As for the third spot, that goes to Florida. The Sunshine State has been able to gloat about eight major league wins in the past 20 years. Floridians can mostly thank the Tampa Bay Lightning for that right. The NFL franchise has won four Super Bowls since 2004.
And the least most successful…
There are eight states where bragging has become a lost art in the past 20 years. We mentioned three in the introduction to this article, but among the other five are Nevada and Washington.
Each of those eight states has not been completely starved of sporting celebrations, as each has managed a single championship win. However, we’re sure that for the locals, that’s far from enough when other states have enjoyed so much more success.
Still, there’s no need to worry. Success goes around in cycles, so perhaps your state is the next to enjoy some golden years across the next couple of decades.
