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5 sports, winning teams boost DC to top

Noah Frank | nfrank@wtop.com

February 21, 2017, 2:38 AM

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Washington Nationals fans cheer at the start of Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Nationals Park, Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON — With Cleveland finally ending its championship drought last summer, Washington continues to creep up the list of cities that have gone the longest without a Big Four pro sports title. But from a regular season standpoint, being a D.C. sports fan has been a pretty enjoyable day-to-day experience as of late. If both the Caps and Wizards finish out winning campaigns (likely on both fronts), every major sports team in the D.C. area will have logged consecutive .500 or better seasons. If you look at the professional sports landscape from the perspective of Big Four teams, Boston also has all winning clubs, after the Bruins inched above .500 with a win Sunday. But if you include MLS, Washington is the only metro area currently with a winning team in all five major professional sports. To compare metro areas, we averaged the winning percentage from each major professional league. If there was more than one team in any sport, their winning percentages were averaged before factoring them into the final equation. Overtime losses in hockey were simply counted as losses to help calculate winning percentage. Ties in soccer or football were also factored into percentages. These rankings are obviously very fluid, but nevertheless are a good barometer for general sports happiness in the current moment. We’ve included 12 total metro areas, nine of which have representatives in all five leagues, with the three Big Four-only cities denoted by an asterisk. Numbers current for games played through Sunday, Feb. 19. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
An Arizona Cardinals fan cheers during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
12. Phoenix* | .390 Phoenix continues to be one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country and is a worthy home for each of the Big Four leagues, but that hasn’t meant much in terms of on-field success, with every team checking in below .500. That present reality is even more bittersweet considering the high hopes the Cardinals had as a trendy Super Bowl pick and the big splashes the Diamondbacks made last offseason before losing 93 games. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
A Philadelphia 76ers fan wears a bag over his head and holds up a placard while watching his team face the Denver Nuggets in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 23, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
11. Philadelphia | .436 The City of Brotherly Love is also a member of the all-sub .500 club, and the only city to manage the feat with the inclusion of an MLS team as well. A strong finish from the Flyers could spare Philadelphians the ignominy of being the inverse Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
The Chicago skyline is lit with supportive window messages for Chicago Cubs fans after an earlier rally in Grant Park honoring the World Series baseball champions, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
10. Chicago | .449 After the Cubs won the most games in baseball and finally broke the curse, it’s surprising to find Chicago this low on the list. But the White Sox and Bulls are middling, and the Bears and Fire were both terrible last season. Even a strong Blackhawks team couldn’t pull the Windy City any higher. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
A Los Angeles Rams fans talks a group picture in the parking lot before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
9. Los Angeles | .471 The Dodgers and Galaxy continue to be strong, but the L.A. Rams proved to be subtraction by addition when it comes to the city’s winning percentage (would have been .527 without them). A particularly strong or weak NFL season can have an outsized impact on the model, which seems fair given its popularity, though the residents of Los Angeles may disagree. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
A fan takes a photo at the Denver Broncos display at the NFL Experience on Sunday, January 29, 2017 in Houston, TX. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
8. Denver | .477 There may be no city with a more appropriately named collection of teams than Denver’s own, but that hasn’t translated to recent success. The Rapids and Broncos were the only two above .500 and the dreadful Avalanche are really dragging the Mile High City’s score down. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
AP Photo/Gregory Payan
New York Yankees fans watch Yankees players warm up prior to a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
7. New York | .492 Mathematically, it’s no surprise that with the most teams of any metro area (two in each of the five sports), New York is one of the closest to .500 in weighted combined record. But all the teams have actually been at or above .500 except for the dreadful state of affairs on the hardwood, where the 23-34 Knicks look downright decent compared to the 9-47 Nets. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
Fans celebrate a goal by Detroit Red Wings' Justin Abdelkader during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, in San Jose, Calif. Detroit won 2-1. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
6. Detroit* | .493 Detroit does have a popular lower-tier pro soccer team in Detroit City FC, but it’s still a four-sport city for now for our purposes. Surprisingly, the most historically successful of those teams, the Red Wings, are the ones keeping the city under .500 while the rest of the squads are hovering around or above the even-water mark. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Basketball fans line up outside the American Airlines Arena before the start of Game 5 of an NBA basketball playoffs first-round series between the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets, Wednesday, April 27, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
5. Miami* | .506 The Dolphins are actually the only winning squad on South Beach these days, but every other club kept close enough to .500 to buoy the overall score into positive territory. The ageless Jaromir Jagr has led the Panthers (yes, the Miami area has a hockey team) to seven wins in their past eight games as they flirt with a potential playoff spot and a winning record, while the Heat’s recent 13-game winning streak pulled them — and the city — out of the doldrums. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) gestures as fans cheer a score against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
4. San Francisco Bay Area |. 557 The only way to try to classify the sprawling Bay Area was to include all of its teams, especially now that the 49ers play far closer to the Sharks in San Jose than to the Giants in San Francisco. Fittingly, the spread of teams also includes one of the very best (Warriors) and very worst (49ers) winning percentages in the field. The strength of Golden State and a strong season from the Sharks nearly gets the Bay into the top three. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
AP Photo/Ben Margot
A Dallas Cowboys fan holds up a sign referring to quarterback Dak Prescott and the Thanksgiving holiday during an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
3. Dallas | .562 Despite a classic Dallas one-and-done playoff appearance, the regular season excellence of the Cowboys led a charge of three teams that finished with the best record in their respective leagues/conferences. FC Dallas led the Western Conference in points, while the Rangers logged the most wins in the American League last year. A late push from the Mavericks could boost Big D even higher, though the Stars appear to be a lost cause. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
AP Photo/Ron Jenkins
Washington Capitals fan hold signs for their team in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014, in Washington. The Sabres won 2-1 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
2. Washington | .585 Despite having five winning teams, Washington comes up just shy of the top spot. The Caps lead the way, with the Wizards also checking in above 60 percent. The way each of those teams are playing, there’s decent reason to believe they could combine to pull this number even a bit higher by the end of their respective regular seasons. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Fans hold signs during ceremonies ton honor Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Boston, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
1. Boston | .613 It truly is the gilded age of Boston sports. Every big four team has won a title since 2008, and though the Patriots may be nearing the end of their dynasty, the Red Sox and Celtics are both full of young stars poised for future success. If you’re already sick of Boston sports success (and really, who isn’t), brace yourself. It may not be going anywhere for a while. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
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Washington Nationals fans cheer at the start of Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Nationals Park, Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
An Arizona Cardinals fan cheers during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A Philadelphia 76ers fan wears a bag over his head and holds up a placard while watching his team face the Denver Nuggets in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 23, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Chicago skyline is lit with supportive window messages for Chicago Cubs fans after an earlier rally in Grant Park honoring the World Series baseball champions, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
A Los Angeles Rams fans talks a group picture in the parking lot before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A fan takes a photo at the Denver Broncos display at the NFL Experience on Sunday, January 29, 2017 in Houston, TX. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
New York Yankees fans watch Yankees players warm up prior to a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Fans celebrate a goal by Detroit Red Wings' Justin Abdelkader during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, in San Jose, Calif. Detroit won 2-1. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Basketball fans line up outside the American Airlines Arena before the start of Game 5 of an NBA basketball playoffs first-round series between the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets, Wednesday, April 27, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) gestures as fans cheer a score against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
A Dallas Cowboys fan holds up a sign referring to quarterback Dak Prescott and the Thanksgiving holiday during an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
Washington Capitals fan hold signs for their team in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014, in Washington. The Sabres won 2-1 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Fans hold signs during ceremonies ton honor Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Boston, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Washington may have seen more than its fair share of playoff heartbreak, but few cities can compare to its recent regular season success.

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