Analysis Names 4 Top Underachieving Franchises Across North American Sports

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 13

Four teams — the Phoenix Suns, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Mariners — were singled out in a new analysis as the biggest underachievers in the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB.
The ranking focused on franchises that cycled through elite talent across multiple eras yet failed to win a title of significance, separating them from simply long-bad teams.
Phoenix was cited for falling short despite rosters featuring stars from Charles Barkley and Steve Nash to Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Devin Booker, with near-misses in the 1993 and 2021 Finals.
Buffalo and Minnesota were framed as chronic heartbreak cases: the Sabres never won a Stanley Cup despite talents from Dominik Hasek to Jack Eichel, while the Vikings wasted Hall of Fame-heavy eras without a Super Bowl.
Seattle was presented as the clearest MLB example, having employed Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez and Ichiro without ever winning a World Series.

Beyond bad luck, what systemic failures unite sports' most talented yet unsuccessful franchises like the Suns and Vikings?

With the Sabres breaking their 14-year curse, which legendary underachiever is poised to be the next to triumph?

Is signing Kyler Murray a genius move, or another chapter in the Vikings' long history of underachievement?