Philly ranks 7th -- among cursed sports cities

Philadelphia sports are cursed, according to The Upshot blog of the New York Times, which ranked the city at No. 7 on its list of the 13 Most Cursed Sports Cities in America.

But this news can't come as a huge surprise to the city's fans. It has been 27 individual sports seasons since Philly won its last title (Phillies, 2008), and the city has won championships in only 3 percent of its seasons since 1965, according to the post. The 2008 World Series marked Philly's first crown since 1983.

For the rankings, the blog counted every season of the four major pro sports since 1965, focusing on cities with at least two teams that have existed for decades.

Much to the dismay of Philly fans, The Upshot recognized that the city's teams have a knack for coming up short, despite reaching "final four" stages in 22 percent of their seasons over the last half-century.The blog said that 19 percent of the city's seasons ended with a "close call" -- an appearance in the final four but no championship.

What's worse, it's not going to get better anytime soon, the blog predicted. The Upshot detailed Philadelphia's reputation for having the four worst combined pro teams, as the Eagles and Flyers each missed the playoffs in their most recent season. The Sixers won only 22 percent of their games this season and the Phillies are making a home in last place spot of their division, according to The Upshot.

Cleveland took the top spot on the list. It has been 147 seasons since the city's last title. None of Cleveland's four major pro teams have won a championships since 1965, and there have been close calls in only 10 percent of seasons, the blog reported.

But Philadelphia is certainly winning in one aspect — at not winning, that is.

[Read the full report on The Upshot]