10 Most Storied Franchises in History (Updated)

In sports there is always a debate about who is the best. This is something that is so hard to define and determine a true "best" because of the roles and impacts that so many players make on their respective sports. Not only do fans argue about who the best players are, but even more so about which team is better. Fan's pride for their team plays a role in their opinions. People take a few specific factors in to their point, such as the amount of times a team has won a championship, the number of appearances, the athletes who play in these games, and also how long their franchise has been around. This list will be comprised of solely 3 of the 4 major North American sports, simply because, I do not know enough about hockey to judge their franchises. (If I were to include hockey, I'd choose the hometown boys. Go WINGS!) Leaving out this tremendous sport for hockey, I will be picking 10 teams from baseball, basketball, and football.

"Big Ben"

10) Pittsburgh Steelers: The Pittsburg Steelers are a franchise that every fan hates, and every player wants to play for. At one point in time, they had the nastiest defense in all of sports. They were referred to by the name of the Iron Curtain. The Steelers have won 6 NFL Championship/Superbowl in their franchise's history. Some of the best players they have had play for them were Mean Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Rod Woodson, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Franco Harris, and Chuck Noll. To highlight some of these players - Big Ben is the all-time leading passer, Hines is the all-time leading receiver, Harris is the all-time leading rusher, and Noll is the winningest coach in their history. These players and coaches have all contributed to why the Steelers are on this list. Their all time record is 580-524-20. They have a record of 6-2 in the final game of the season.

9) Chicago Bulls: 23. 23 is basically all that I have to write for this franchise. Alone Michael Jordan, #23, made this franchise who they are today. Yes, there were other players that were critical to their success, i.e. Scottie Pippen, Bill Cartwright, Steve Kerr, and especially Dennis Rodman. Scottie was the only player on any of the championship teams to be there for more than three of them. He was with Jordan for all 6 of the Bulls's Titles. Every time a player becomes a superstar in the NBA and people wonder, "GOAT" (Greatest of All Time), they must be compared to Jordan. Some of these players who have been linked to Jordan have been Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Anytime that a discussion can be linked to your player, and your franchise, you will be a relevant and outstanding franchise. They did only win 6 Championships in their history, but that actually is third most all time, behind two other teams on this list. Also, he won those 6 titles in an 8 year span. Michael had a few famed dunks he performed in his career and in dunk contests.

Dunk Contest Jordan v. Wilkins

Red Sox Founding Fathers

8) Boston Red Sox: The Boston Red Sox rank at number 8 because of their history, longevity, and success in the post season. Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, is the oldest MLB stadium in the Majors right now. It opened in 1912 and is now considered a jewel box stadium. A jewel box stadium is one that is a major foundation of the MLB history. Some of the greats to play for the Red Sox are Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Carl Yastrzemski, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Cy Young, Roger Clemens, and Jim Rice - the list could go on for days. The Red Sox had a drought in their history where they did not win a World Series and this was known as the "Curse of the Bambino". This curse was when the Red Sox sold Ruth to the New York Yankees. This turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes in sports history. The curse was broken in 2004 when the Red Sox did something no one else in the baseball world had ever done. They came back from down 0-3 to beat the New York Yankees to advance to the World Series. This is one of the greatest feats in sports; it lead the Sox to their 6th of 8 World Series.

Young, Rice, Montana

7) San Francisco 49ers: The San Francisco 49ers had 2 of the greatest players of all-time. Jerry Rice and Joe Montana. The 49ers not only had one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, but they also had a replacement lined up to take his place. In sports, replacing a legend is the hardest thing to do. The 49ers did not have much of a problem doing this because Montana had Steve Young to replace him. Young came in and slung the pigskin around almost as good as Montana. Not only could they throw the ball, but they had one of the most physical teams in the NFL. This lead to the evolution and franchise style that would be put in place for years to come. The 49ers have won 5 of their 6 Superbowl appearances.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Audition Show

6) Dallas Cowboys: Either you love them, or you hate them, there's no in between. The Cowboys have been known as "America's Team". They were given this name by the Vice President and editor-in-chief of the NFL Films, Bob Ryan. He gave them this nickname on account of that the Cowboys were always televised nationally and that wherever they played, fans had a 'Boys jersey on. The Cowboys can most commonly be remember by their "Big 3", similar to what type of roster they sported this year. Their Big 3 consists of a quarterback, a running back, and a wide receiver. Back in the late 80's-90's, the Cowboys Big 3 consisted of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith,and Michael Irvin. Currently, the Cowboys Big 3 consists of Tony Romo, Demarco Murray,and Dez Bryant. The Dallas Cowboys are also known for their cheerleaders. The DCC is one of the hardest NFL cheer teams to make. The Cowboys have a record of 5-3 in their 8 Superbowl Appearances.

Vintage Ozzie Backflip

5) St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals are a perennial World Series contender, but they always fly so low under everyone's radar. They are not a flashy team that needs media attention, or massive contracts. This was displayed especially when Albert Pujols contract came to an end a few years ago, and they did not resign him to a longterm deal. Everyone thought that they would be irrelevant after his departure, but they did intact remain stellar. They have been to the Championship series the last 3 seasons and to the World Series once in those three. They lost in the other 2 Championship Series to the future winners of the World Series, the San Francisco Giants. In their history the Cardinals have won the second most titles, 11. Some great Cardinals are: Chris Carpenter, Ozzie Smith, Stan Musial, Tony La Russa (manager), Albert Pujols, and Bob Gibson. 

4) Los Angeles Lakers: The LA Lakers are the 2nd basketball team ranked so far. They are on of the winningest teams in all of sports. They have won 16 NBA Championships. This number is slightly misleading. The LA Lakers have won 11 Championships, and the Minnesota Lakers won 5. All of these wins are credited to the Lakers franchise. Even if you only count the Los Angeles wins, they still rank second most all-time in franchise Championships. One thing that sets the Lakers apart from all of the other teams in sports is their big name players over the years. LA is one of the most desired places to play, as shown in who signs with them. The list of LA greats is rather long, so here is a condensed version of the greatest: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, James Worthy, Kareem Abdull-Jabbar, and Jerry West. These players all lead their teams to title wins and they are also ranked as some of the best NBA players in the history of the league!

3) Green Bay Packers: The Packers are the 4th and Final NFL team on this outstanding list. They rank at number 3 because of tremendous history, and current powerhouse rankings in the NFL. The Packers have returned to greatness with their dominant team that they send out every week. Overall, the Packers have a 4-1 record in the Superbowl. This is not the most wins or appearances in the Superbowl, but they are close to the others and they currently have a better team, which lands them this high. The Packers were one of the first teams to play in the NFL Championship game. Some of the best Packers have come from the quarterback position. The top three Packer Qb's are Bart Starr (won the 1st and 2nd ever Championship in NFL history), Brett Favre (the gunslinger), and current quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Favre's replacement). Not only do the Packers have some of the best players, they also have some of the best fans. Their fan base is also known as "Cheeseheads" and they have a patented touchdown celebration, "The Lambeau Leap", where the scoring player jumps into the stands.

A Ring for Every Finger

2) Boston Celtics: The Boston Celtics historically have been one of the most decorated Champions in all of sports. They have won the NBA Championship 17 times. This franchise is ranked so highly because of the streak that they had in the 60's. At one point in time, the Celtics won 10 straight titles! This is unheard of in the world of sports and is almost guaranteed to never be repeated. The amount of teams in the league was much smaller than it is now, but that is still no excuse for a decade of excellence. The key piece to this franchise can be tied down to one 6'10" giant, Bill Russell. Russell is possibly the greatest champion in all of sports. In all but 2 of his seasons of playing in the NBA, Russell won the Championship every season. Along with Russell, a few other stand-out Celtics would have to be (recent great) Paul Pierce, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, and Larry Bird. The Celtics franchise is most glorified for their success a few decades ago, but they did hoist the trophy in the 2008 season.

1) New York Yankees: The Bronx Bombers, The Pinstripers, The Evil Empire, Murderer's Row, The New York Yankees. Regardless of what you refer to that one team from the Bronx as, there is no other way to identify them as than as winners. This franchise has won the World Series 27 times! That is more than DOUBLE what any other team has won! The Yankees a lot of time were considered the bad guys because of the players on their team. They were called dirty players, cheaters, and straight up bad guys. Some people feel this way just because of how good the Yankees were. Their teams are always poised to strike for a title. Some of the all-time greatest players have worn the pinstripes. If I were to try and list the number of great players on their team, would would be here for days. A few of the ones that really attract the eye were: Ruth, Jeter, Rivera, Mantle, Gehrig, Berra, DiMaggio, Posada, Clemens, and R. Jackson. WOW! What a list. The Yankees even have a site for your personal "Greatest Yankees". This is a fun and interactive site. The Yankees are, and probably will be regarded as the best franchise is all of sports for a long time. They are leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else in the Championship category.

Retired Yankees Numbers