Just wanted to make this article real quick to clarify what my favorite teams and drivers are for each league that I follow, as well as some brief background information if you aren’t familiar with the teams/drivers.
Also the ‘Year Started’ refers to the year that the team joined the league that I am speaking of.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series- Matt Tifft
Year Started: 2019
Championships: N/A
Tifft will begin his first-ever full-time season in the Cup Series in 2019, driving the new #36 car for Front Row Motorsports.
NASCAR Xfinity Series- Chase Briscoe
Year Started: 2018
Championships: N/A
Briscoe started roughly half the schedule in the Xfinity Series in 2018, earning his first career Xfinity win in the process, however this year he will likely be running the full schedule for the #98 team of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing.
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series- Ben Rhodes
Year Started: 2016
Championships: N/A
Rhodes started racing full-time in the Truck Series in 2016, with two wins, 17 top fives and 33 top 10’s over the course of three seasons with a best points finish of fifth. In 2019, Rhodes will continue racing in the #41 truck for ThorSport Racing.
ARCA Racing Series- Mike Basham
Year Started: 2016
Championships: N/A
Basham began racing nearly the full schedule in 2016 at age 48, albeit using underfunded equipment for most of his full-time racing career, with only one top 10 in three seasons. In 2019, Basham will continue racing for his father’s team in the #34 car.
National Football League- Cincinnati Bengals
Year Started: 1970
Championships: N/A
After the Bengals joined the NFL in 1970, the team has been unable to bring home a championship, however they did go to the Super Bowl in the 1981 and 1988 seasons, but lost in both of those games.
Alliance of American Football- Atlanta Legends
Year Started: 2019
Championships: N/A
The Legends, a brand new team, will join a brand new league in the AAF, for the inaugural 2019 season.
Arena Football League- Washington Valor
Year Started: 2017
Championships: 1 (2018)
The Valor are coming into the 2019 season as the reigning ArenaBowl champions, recovering from a difficult 2017 campaign that saw them finish dead last with a 3-11 record. The Valor are standing in as my favorite team at the moment due to the Cleveland Gladiators’ hiatus, which is due to end in 2020.
Indoor Football League- Quad City Steamwheelers
Year Started: 2019
Championships: N/A
The Steamwheelers move over into the IFL after spending a season as a part of the Champions Indoor Football league, with this set to be their first season in IFL competition.
National Hockey League- Columbus Blue Jackets
Year Started: 2000
Championships: N/A
The Blue Jackets joined the NHL as an expansion team in the 2000-01 season, however they have also not yet made it to a Stanley Cup Final, appearance or victory.
American Hockey League- Cleveland Monsters
Year Started: 2001
Championships: 1 (2016)
The Monsters were originally known as the Utah Grizzlies in the AHL from 2001 to 2005, before taking a one-year hiatus and relocating to Cleveland in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters. Since then the team won its first championship in 2016 and renamed itself to the Cleveland Monsters at the start of the 2016-17 season. They are affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL.
East Coast Hockey League- Cincinnati Cyclones
Year Started: 1995
Championships: 2 (2008, 2010)
While the name ‘Cincinnati Cyclones’ has been used for three different franchises, I’m referring to the current team here. After relocating to Miami as the Louisville Riverfrogs from 1995 to 1998, and then relocating to Cincinnati for the 2001-02 season after a one year stint as the Miami Matadors, the team has had a successful run with two championships and a third Kelly Cup appearance in 2014. They are affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL.
Federal Hockey League- Mentor Ice Breakers
Year Started: 2018
Championships: N/A
The Ice Breakers joined for this season as an expansion team for the FHL in 2018, however the team has struggled so far in its inaugural season, falling to last in points as of this article.
Major League Baseball- Cincinnati Reds
Year Started: 1903
Championships: 5 (1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990)
The Reds became part of the MLB prior to the 1903 season, and as one of the oldest MLB franchises have won five World Series championships along with four other World Series appearances.
Triple-A Baseball- Columbus Clippers
Year Started: 1977
Championships: 2 (2010, 2011)
The Clippers won two out of the four overall AAA championship games/series that they have been a part of since becoming a minor league team in 1977. They are affiliated with the Cleveland Indians in the MLB.
Eastern League- Akron RubberDucks
Year Started: 1997
Championships: 6 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016)
The RubberDucks have had a good run over the course of their relatively short time thus far, despite being called the Akron Aeros until the 2014 season, when they assumed the RubberDucks name. They are affiliated with the Cleveland Indians in the MLB.
Southern League- Tennesee Smokies
Year Started: 1972
Championships: 2 ½ (1974, 1978, Co-champ in 2004)
The Smokies found success early on, but have been shut out since the 1978 season, except for a co-championship in 2004 when the rest of the playoffs was cancelled due to Hurricane Ivan. They are affiliated with the Chicago Cubs in the MLB.
Texas League- Springfield Cardinals
Year Started: 2005
Championships: 1 (2012)
The Cardinals again have found success with a 2012 championship in just 13 years as being a part of the Texas League. As the name suggests, they are affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB.
California League- Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Year Started: 1993
Championships: 3 (1994, 2015, 2018)
The Quakes have found their way to three championships, breaking a 21-year long championship drought in the process, and play in a city that has a very fun name to say. They are affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB.
Carolina League- Salem Red Sox
Year Started: 1968
Championships: 6 (1972, 1973, 1974, 1987, 2001, 2013)
The Red Sox have had a strong run in the Southern League, winning championships and making championship appearances on a consistent basis. Not surprisingly, they are affiliated with the Boston Red Sox in the MLB.
Florida State League- Daytona Tortugas
Year Started: 1993
Championships: 5 ½ (1995, 2000, Co-champ in 2004, 2008, 2011, 2013)
The Tortugas were initially known as the Daytona Cubs as they joined the Florida State League in 1993, which is the moniker that they have won all five and a half championships under. However, when their affiliation shifted from the Chicago Cubs to the Cincinnati Reds in 2015, they switched to their current name.
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