The Falcons are a legitimate Super Bowl contender and the Braves have a huge lead in the NL East, but Atlanta still can't distance itself from its long-time title of "Loserville", according to Forbes magazine.


Tom Van Riper, who covers the business of sports for Forbes, has ranked our city as the second-most miserable sports city, only trailing Seattle.

Forbes cites the fact that Atlanta has twice lost a hockey franchise and also points to the Braves' post-season failures. He also calculated hard numbers, pointing out Atlanta teams are 1-5 in championship games, 6-10 in semifinals, and have just one championship in 159 seasons.

But Van Riper also uses this criteria: "Misery as defined by sheer futility – losing records, long championship droughts – isn’t what we’re going for. ...  This is about misery in the heartbreak sense – cities whose teams have been good enough over the years to win games and make championship runs, only to disappoint in the end more often than not."

Sound familiar?

Phoenix, Buffalo and San Diego round out the top five.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia State head coach Jonas Hayes greets Kennesaw State head coach Antoine Pettway before their game at the Georgia State Convocation Center, Friday, December 6, 2024, in Atlanta. The game between Kennesaw State and Georgia State is referred to as the I-75 Challenge. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Managing Partner at Atlantica Properties, Darion Dunn (center) talks with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during a tour following the ribbon cutting of Waterworks Village as part of the third phase of the city’s Rapid Housing Initiative on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
(Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez