Detroit Named Among List Of Winningest Sports Regions

I don't think that anyone likes losing. You'll rarely find someone who will be excited about a team they support losing (unless you're a Cleveland Browns fan, in which case it's been a long time since you've had anything to root for).

But if you live in a place like New York/New Jersey or California, winning is almost expected these days. The LA Dodgers just won the World Series, and the Boston Celtics returned to the top of basketball glory in 2024 with an NBA Championship of their own.

However, this is recent history, and the US has had nearly 100 years of sports. So, which regions of the country have historically dominated sports? ESPN recently conducted some research, and it turns out that Detroit is one of those especially dominant regions.

The 5 Winningest Regions In Sports

Following the Dodgers' win, ESPN broke down the regions where winning is normal, with the New York/New Jersey coming on top with a big lead of 58 total championships, followed by Boston (40), Los Angeles (37), Chicago (29), and then Detroit with 25 championships. 

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These most recent championship wins come from the Red Wings in 2008 and the Pistons in 2004. Then things take a rather depressing forty-year gap to the 1984 Tigers, followed by the Detroit Lions' last championship in 1957 (before the Super Bowl era, which is very depressing.) The Red Wings are by far the most successful Detroit team, with 11 Stanley Cup championships.

The ESPN article includes WNBA championships, but notably does not mention the Detroit Shock's three championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008. It could be because the team is defunct, but it would put Detroit at 28 instead of 25.

Given the Detroit Lions' recent performance over the last couple of seasons, which included reaching the NFC Championship in 2023 and winning the NFC North last year, it could only be a matter of time before Detroit adds to its championship count.