The State of Local Sports

Welcome to an ongoing evaluation of the local sports scene. A fair starting point appears to be 1996, coinciding with the founding of D.C. United and the creation of the Baltimore Ravens after their move from Cleveland. The records and playoff appearances listed below begin in 1996, but the list of championships is for the entire history of the franchise.

The records do not reflect any ongoing season and take into account all of the rule changes and labor strikes by the appropriate leagues. The teams are listed in order of winning percentage (wins divided by total games; ties are counted as half a win; in hockey, it's earned points divided by possible points).

Check out the end of this post for a list of all the updates.

1. D.C. United (188-152-58, .545)
Nine playoff appearances (1996-1999, 2003-2007)
Championships (4): 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2004 MLS Cup
Founded: 1995 (first season 1996)

2. Baltimore Ravens (107-100-1, .517)
Five playoff appearances (2003 and 2006 AFC North champs; 2000, 2001 and 2008 Wild Card)
Championship (1): Super Bowl XXXV (following the 2000 season)
Founded: 1996 (moved from Cleveland after 1995 season)

3. Washington Capitals (440-414-78-59, .513)
Five playoff appearances (1997-98 Eastern Conference champs; 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2007-08, 2008-09 Southeast Division champs; 2002-03)
No Stanley Cups
Founded: 1974

4. Washington Redskins (105-108-1, .493)
Three playoff appearances (1999 NFC East champions; 2005 and 2007 Wild Card)
Championships (5): 1937 and 1942 NFL titles; Super Bowls XVII (1982 season), XXII (1987), XXVI (1991)
Founded: 1932

5. Baltimore Orioles (977-1,157, .458)
Two playoff appearances (1996 AL Wild Card; 1997 AL East champions)
Championships (3): 1966, 1970, and 1983 World Series titles
Founded: 1954

6. Washington Wizards (496-597, .454)
Five playoff appearances (1996-97, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08)
Championship (1): 1977-78 NBA title
Founded: 1961

7. Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos (902-1,154, .439)
No playoff appearances
No World Series titles
Founded: 1969

8. Washington Mystics (157-220, .416)
Four playoff appearances (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006)
No WNBA titles
Founded: 1998

UPDATE (June 22, 2007): The Redskins were added to the rankings.

UPDATE (June 25, 2007): Corrected fallacies in calculations for winning percentage.

UPDATE (Aug. 27, 2007): Added results from the Mystics' 2007 season.

UPDATE (Oct. 12, 2007): Added results from the Orioles' and Nationals' 2007 season and included the Baltimore Ravens on the list.

UPDATE (Nov. 20, 2007): Added results from D.C. United's 2007 season.

UPDATE (Jan. 7, 2008): Added results from the Redskins' 2007 season.

UPDATE (May 4, 2008): The 2007-08 seasons of the Caps and Wizards were added.

UPDATE (Nov. 12, 2008): The 2008 seasons of the Mystics, Orioles, Nationals and D.C. United were added.

UPDATE (Feb. 9, 2009): The standings now reflect the 2008 NFL season.

UPDATE (April 24, 2009): The Wizards' 2008-09 campaign was added.

UPDATE (May 14, 2009): The Caps' 2008-09 season made the list.