THE MOST IRRELEVANT FRANCHISES IN SPORTS

There was a recent discussion on the BookIt stream about the most “irrelevant” teams across the four major leagues. I decided it was the perfect time to evaluate what the top teams should be in a field where there is no shortage of candidates. The toughest sport to pick a team out of was baseball, but nevertheless, there is an argument made below. We’ll start there and work our way down to the kings of irrelevance.

While the Rockies are easy bait to pick on, the Angels deserve some criticism. Situated in a city with eight teams (including themselves) across the four major sports, the Angels have simply not kept up. LAA definitely has some talent and remained competitive for portions of last year, to be sure. They also show an unusual amount of heart during their Super Bowl, the Freeway series against the Dodgers.

At the end of the day, they are still playing in the shadow of Dodger blue, more so now that they are back-to-back champions. In 2025, the Angels ranked near the bottom of the league in runs scored. Trout, bless his heart, is never healthy. Their bullpen had an atrocious 4.86 ERA and they ended their season at the bottom of their division in wins. Looking at the past, the Angels have averaged 87 defeats per year the past 10 seasons, excluding the COVID year. The fact that the greatest player on the planet left them to go across town is probably the biggest indictment about their relevance. In a market where Lebron, Stafford, McVay, and Jim Harbaugh reside, it is hard to argue that the Angels are not at the bottom of the list of priorities for good people of California.

This team is not only arguably irrelevant, but they are also boring. A quick glance at their uniforms confirms this. 

Not to mention their bone chilling mascot, Gritty, a character whose appearance that would raise the eyebrows of Chucky himself.

In terms of puck, don’t let their limited success this year fool you. They have been a bad franchise for some time. The last time Philadelphia found some modicum of success was before COVID-19 existed. Since then, they have had one season above .500. Not the best place to be when they are surrounded by the Eagles, who have won multiple titles, and the Phillies who have contended every year recently. Even the Sixers have found more success on a consistent basis. It is truly puzzling why anyone would bother to wear the unoriginal gear of the flyer “P”

The Jets are no shock to see here. Anyone that has followed the NFL at the most rudimentary level knows this team is at the bottom of the barrel. For reference, they have won fewer games in the past three seasons than the team plays in one entire season, a grand total of fifteen. As usual, they are aimless at QB entering 2026 and have a coach that reportedly lost the locker room late in the year. The defense, an expected high point for the team, did not live up to expectations all the while the playoff drought entered year fifteen. 

They, too, face the challenge of living in a saturated market like the Angels. The Knicks, frustrating as they are, have found increased success. The Giants have high hopes with John Harbaugh and Joe Dart leading the way while even the Islanders are keeping things interesting in the Metropolitan division. Hard to see how the Jets manage to climb out of irrelevance. Their saving grace? The fact another team in that city takes the actual crown of irrelevance across the four major leagues: the New York Nets.

The fact the Nets were bad was evident early in the season. But their recent performances have been worse than anticipated. They are tied for last place in the East, sandwiched between the Pacers in a down year and the lowly Wizards. Since the calendar turned to the year 2026, the Nets have won five games. Most of these have been easy double-digit victories for their opponents. One defeat was already previously covered in these blogs, a 54-point blowout against the Knicks. When thinking of irrelevance, one can peek at ticket prices. Not a good sign when you can be close enough to the action to hear the player grunts, in the New York market, for $136 (shout out Seat Geek, use “BookIt10” at checkout). The past three years have simply been bad product, no matter who laces up the Nikes or who coaches on the sideline. Like their football cousins, getting past the .500 mark has been a Herculean lift, especially since the 2022 season.

Congratulations Nets! You are the kings of irrelevance across the sports world.