The North American Sports Almanac: Columbus Blue Jackets

It would be inaccurate to say casual sports fans forget the Columbus Blue Jackets exist. That’s because all sports fans forget they exist. The “Jackets” are objectively the least successful franchise in the smallest of the “big four” North American leagues. They have the lowest lifetime “points percentage” of all 32 NHL clubs save for the recently-christened Kraken, and have won 15 playoff games in 26 years. Their uniform and logo were AI generated decades before that was even possible, and their hometown is arguably the least-known major metropolitan area in the United States. (Emphasis on "major." I'm admitting it's major!) Their nickname “makes sense” after you’ve done a Wikipedia deep dive, but mostly just conjures confusion if you are unwilling to get out your phone and get to googlin’. Many franchises toil through lean years and anonymity before eventually going on to great things. By the law of averages, the Columbus Blue Jackets will one day be relevant. That day is not now. Whenever it eventually comes, we’ll just pretend these first few decades didn’t happen.

The North American Sports Almanac: Baltimore Orioles

The history of sports in America is now long enough that more of it is forgotten than remembered. The Baltimore Orioles were once the St. Louis Browns. St. Louis, like Philadelphia and Boston, was once a two-team town. Even “back then” the economics of it didn’t really make

The North American Sports Almanac: New York Giants

The New York Giants have played in New Jersey since 1976. If that seems like a rather rude way to greet you, it’s by design. Although the Maras and Tisches who have long owned this franchise have always tried to project a more cultured manner, there’s something a

The North American Sports Almanac: Charlotte Hornets

When I think of the Charlotte Hornets, I think of T-shirts. Maybe with a giant, funky wasp, or perhaps an airbrushed Alonzo Mourning. Before the internet and social media, we had fewer outlets to express ourselves, and corporate T-shirts were just one of the ways you did it

The North American Sports Almanac: The Athletics

Slowly circumnavigating the United States, the “Athletics” are our most vagabond franchise. Originally from the northeast in Philadelphia, there have been waystations in the midwestern plains (Kansas City) and Pacific expanse (Oakland). They plan to soon begin the long journey back eastward with a decades-long residency in Las Vegas’

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The North American Sports Almanac: Baltimore Orioles

The North American Sports Almanac: New York Giants

The North American Sports Almanac: Charlotte Hornets

The North American Sports Almanac: The Athletics