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basically, it sucks in St Louis.
Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ShaneGmoSTLRams.
In the end, an NFL franchise – like a franchise of any professional sport – is primarily judged by its historical performance related to postseason play.
For example, the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers are widely revered as the crown-jewel organizations of Major League Baseball due in large part to their extensive resumes of postseason success.
In terms of fueling the fan base, punching tickets to the playoff party gives supporters a chance to take pride in the team they love. Oftentimes, it is a team that represents the city and/or state that one calls home. Consistently qualifying for postseason action helps organizations build loyal, multi-generational fan bases. Furthermore, it gives fans a chance to revel in legitimate title dreams.
If qualifying for the playoffs is where the chase for a championship really kicks into go mode, then those failing to secure postseason berths were never truly in the race to begin with.
Sure, they took part in the regular-season festivities, but not one regular-season win – no matter how spectacular or meaningful it may have been – has ever advanced anyone through a single postseason round.
As one can see below, playoff appearance records would suggest that the only city that has endured worse football than St. Louis fans have since the NFL’s inception in 1920 is Phoenix. Ironically, it hosts the franchise that spent 28 years in St. Louis: the current Arizona Cardinals.
With St. Louis’ NFL tenure beginning in 1960, postseason qualifications from 1960 and beyond are listed for each city whose pro football affiliation goes back prior to that year for easier comparisons to St. Louis’ playoff resume.
Atlanta (1966-2013): 12
Arizona (1987-2013): 3
Baltimore
(1953-1983, Colts): 10
(1996-2013, Ravens): 9
(1960-2013): 17
(Total): 19
Buffalo (1960-2013): 17
Carolina (1995-2013): 5
Chicago (1922-2013): 25; (1960-2013): 15
Cincinnati (1968-2013): 12
Cleveland (1946-1995 & 1999-2013): 28; (1960-2013): 16
Dallas (1960-2013): 30
Denver (1960-2013): 20
Detroit (1930-2013): 15; (1960-2013): 10
Green Bay (1921-2013): 32; (1960-2013): 24
Houston (1960-1996, Oilers): 15; (2002-2013, Texans): 2; (1960-2013): 17
Indianapolis (1983-2013): 16
Jacksonville (1995-2013): 6
Kansas City (1960-2013): 17
Los Angeles
(1960, Chargers): 1;
(1982-1994, Raiders): 7;
(1945-1994, Rams): 21; (1960-1994): 16
(1960-2013): 24
(Total): 29
Miami (1966-2013): 22
Minnesota (1961-2013): 27
New England (1960-2013): 21
New Orleans (1960-2013): 10
New York Giants (1925-2013): 32; (1960-2013): 18
New York Jets (1960-2013): 14
Oakland (1960-1981 & 1995-2013): 14
Philadelphia (1933-2013): 24; (1960-2013): 21
Pittsburgh (1933-2013): 27; (1960-2013): 26
San Diego (1960-2013): 17
San Francisco (1946-2013): 26; (1960-13): 24
Seattle (1976-2013): 13
St. Louis
(1960-1987, Cardinals): 3 (none at home, with one of those occurring during a strike-shortened season)
(1995-2013, Rams): 5
(1960-2013): 8
Tampa Bay (1976-2013): 10
Tennessee (1997-2013): 6
Washington (1937-2013): 23; (1960-2013): 17
-Greatest to fewest playoff appearances by city and/or franchise, in order, since 1960 (some cities, obviously, have many more if going back prior to 1960):
Dallas, (30); Minnesota, (27); Pittsburgh, (26); Green Bay, L.A. (Chargers, Raiders, Rams) & San Francisco, (24); Miami, (22); New England & Philadelphia, (21); Denver, (20); New York Giants, (18); Baltimore (Colts/Ravens), Buffalo, Houston, Kansas City, San Diego & Washington, (17); Cleveland & Indianapolis, (16); Chicago, (15); New York Jets & Oakland, (14); Seattle, (13); Atlanta & Cincinnati, (12); Detroit, New Orleans and Tampa Bay, (10); St. Louis (Cardinals/Rams), (8); Jacksonville & Tennessee, (6); Carolina, (5); Arizona, (3).
In perspective:
-Chicago (15), Detroit (10), New Orleans (10), the New York Jets (14) and Oakland (14) are the only cities with a team or teams dating back to 1960 that have not at least doubled the number of playoff-reaching seasons that St. Louis has in that time (eight). Every other franchise/city dating back to 1960 has at least doubled, tripled or nearly quadrupled the number of postseason berths that St. Louis teams have generated.
-All but four cities in NFL history (Arizona, Carolina, Jacksonville and Tennessee) have more playoff appearances than St. Louis. However, each of those cities began their NFL tenures much later than St. Louis (1960) and has had far fewer seasons to amass postseason appearances.
Arizona – which became the home of the Cardinals in 1987 following the move from Missouri – has three. Carolina, which initiated with the Panthers in 1995, has five. Jacksonville’s Jaguars have six since 1996. Finally, the Titans of Tennessee have six since 1997.
-Remarkably, other than the franchise that left St. Louis (the Cardinals), each aforementioned team (the Panthers, Jaguars and Titans) projects to have excessively more success in terms of reaching the postseason than St. Louis has in the combined 47 years that the Cardinals and Rams played here.
-Astoundingly, St. Louis did not host a single playoff game from 1960 until 2000. It was the Super Bowl-winning 1999 Rams season that finally brought the Gateway City a home playoff contest in the winter of 2000. This streak without a home postseason contest stretched through four decades (60s, 70s, 80s and 90s). Even if the Cards had remained here from 1987 through 1994, that streak would not have changed as they failed to reach the playoffs during any of those years in the desert.
-As touched on indirectly above, the St. Louis Cardinals (1960-1987) never hosted a playoff game at Busch Stadium.
-One of the three Cardinals playoff appearances in St. Louis was in a watered-down, strike-shortened season (1982).
-The Rams have not reached the postseason in nine years (2005-2013). Their most recent playoff qualification came in 2004 via an 8-8 finish.
In the end, an NFL franchise – like a franchise of any professional sport – is primarily judged by its historical performance related to postseason play.
For example, the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers are widely revered as the crown-jewel organizations of Major League Baseball due in large part to their extensive resumes of postseason success.
In terms of fueling the fan base, punching tickets to the playoff party gives supporters a chance to take pride in the team they love. Oftentimes, it is a team that represents the city and/or state that one calls home. Consistently qualifying for postseason action helps organizations build loyal, multi-generational fan bases. Furthermore, it gives fans a chance to revel in legitimate title dreams.
If qualifying for the playoffs is where the chase for a championship really kicks into go mode, then those failing to secure postseason berths were never truly in the race to begin with.
Sure, they took part in the regular-season festivities, but not one regular-season win – no matter how spectacular or meaningful it may have been – has ever advanced anyone through a single postseason round.
As one can see below, playoff appearance records would suggest that the only city that has endured worse football than St. Louis fans have since the NFL’s inception in 1920 is Phoenix. Ironically, it hosts the franchise that spent 28 years in St. Louis: the current Arizona Cardinals.
With St. Louis’ NFL tenure beginning in 1960, postseason qualifications from 1960 and beyond are listed for each city whose pro football affiliation goes back prior to that year for easier comparisons to St. Louis’ playoff resume.
Atlanta (1966-2013): 12
Arizona (1987-2013): 3
Baltimore
(1953-1983, Colts): 10
(1996-2013, Ravens): 9
(1960-2013): 17
(Total): 19
Buffalo (1960-2013): 17
Carolina (1995-2013): 5
Chicago (1922-2013): 25; (1960-2013): 15
Cincinnati (1968-2013): 12
Cleveland (1946-1995 & 1999-2013): 28; (1960-2013): 16
Dallas (1960-2013): 30
Denver (1960-2013): 20
Detroit (1930-2013): 15; (1960-2013): 10
Green Bay (1921-2013): 32; (1960-2013): 24
Houston (1960-1996, Oilers): 15; (2002-2013, Texans): 2; (1960-2013): 17
Indianapolis (1983-2013): 16
Jacksonville (1995-2013): 6
Kansas City (1960-2013): 17
Los Angeles
(1960, Chargers): 1;
(1982-1994, Raiders): 7;
(1945-1994, Rams): 21; (1960-1994): 16
(1960-2013): 24
(Total): 29
Miami (1966-2013): 22
Minnesota (1961-2013): 27
New England (1960-2013): 21
New Orleans (1960-2013): 10
New York Giants (1925-2013): 32; (1960-2013): 18
New York Jets (1960-2013): 14
Oakland (1960-1981 & 1995-2013): 14
Philadelphia (1933-2013): 24; (1960-2013): 21
Pittsburgh (1933-2013): 27; (1960-2013): 26
San Diego (1960-2013): 17
San Francisco (1946-2013): 26; (1960-13): 24
Seattle (1976-2013): 13
St. Louis
(1960-1987, Cardinals): 3 (none at home, with one of those occurring during a strike-shortened season)
(1995-2013, Rams): 5
(1960-2013): 8
Tampa Bay (1976-2013): 10
Tennessee (1997-2013): 6
Washington (1937-2013): 23; (1960-2013): 17
-Greatest to fewest playoff appearances by city and/or franchise, in order, since 1960 (some cities, obviously, have many more if going back prior to 1960):
Dallas, (30); Minnesota, (27); Pittsburgh, (26); Green Bay, L.A. (Chargers, Raiders, Rams) & San Francisco, (24); Miami, (22); New England & Philadelphia, (21); Denver, (20); New York Giants, (18); Baltimore (Colts/Ravens), Buffalo, Houston, Kansas City, San Diego & Washington, (17); Cleveland & Indianapolis, (16); Chicago, (15); New York Jets & Oakland, (14); Seattle, (13); Atlanta & Cincinnati, (12); Detroit, New Orleans and Tampa Bay, (10); St. Louis (Cardinals/Rams), (8); Jacksonville & Tennessee, (6); Carolina, (5); Arizona, (3).
In perspective:
-Chicago (15), Detroit (10), New Orleans (10), the New York Jets (14) and Oakland (14) are the only cities with a team or teams dating back to 1960 that have not at least doubled the number of playoff-reaching seasons that St. Louis has in that time (eight). Every other franchise/city dating back to 1960 has at least doubled, tripled or nearly quadrupled the number of postseason berths that St. Louis teams have generated.
-All but four cities in NFL history (Arizona, Carolina, Jacksonville and Tennessee) have more playoff appearances than St. Louis. However, each of those cities began their NFL tenures much later than St. Louis (1960) and has had far fewer seasons to amass postseason appearances.
Arizona – which became the home of the Cardinals in 1987 following the move from Missouri – has three. Carolina, which initiated with the Panthers in 1995, has five. Jacksonville’s Jaguars have six since 1996. Finally, the Titans of Tennessee have six since 1997.
-Remarkably, other than the franchise that left St. Louis (the Cardinals), each aforementioned team (the Panthers, Jaguars and Titans) projects to have excessively more success in terms of reaching the postseason than St. Louis has in the combined 47 years that the Cardinals and Rams played here.
-Astoundingly, St. Louis did not host a single playoff game from 1960 until 2000. It was the Super Bowl-winning 1999 Rams season that finally brought the Gateway City a home playoff contest in the winter of 2000. This streak without a home postseason contest stretched through four decades (60s, 70s, 80s and 90s). Even if the Cards had remained here from 1987 through 1994, that streak would not have changed as they failed to reach the playoffs during any of those years in the desert.
-As touched on indirectly above, the St. Louis Cardinals (1960-1987) never hosted a playoff game at Busch Stadium.
-One of the three Cardinals playoff appearances in St. Louis was in a watered-down, strike-shortened season (1982).
-The Rams have not reached the postseason in nine years (2005-2013). Their most recent playoff qualification came in 2004 via an 8-8 finish.