America’s Greatest Sporting States

Home to some of the world’s most successful athletes and sporting franchises, Americans enjoy entertainment of the highest quality on a weekly basis. But which states and major league teams can truly claim to be the best? We decided to find out!

Investigating the win rates of every NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB team from the last ten years, we’re able to reveal which U.S. states boast the best-performing franchises, as well as which teams top the charts in their respective leagues. 

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Revealed: The Most Successful Sporting States

Taking top spot as the number one U.S. state for sporting success is Kansas, with a 59.46% average win rate over the past decade. Though the state doesn’t have too much representation at the major league level, the Kansas City Chiefs’ recent on-field achievements have truly put the region on the map. 

Next up, Massachusetts takes second, with its teams’ win rates averaging out at 57.09%, followed by Wisconsin (56.47%) and Washington (56.06%). 

In fifth—though more of an NHL and MLB state than basketball or football—Missouri has a win rate of 55.99%, followed by Utah (54.47%) and Oklahoma (53.84%).

Oregon, Louisiana, and Indiana round out our list of the ten most successful sporting states, with average win rates all exceeding 50%.

Interestingly, you may have noticed that there are some seriously notable names missing from our list! Not least, ranking in No. 22, California (47.43%): home to the likes of the Golden State Warriors (who’ve won the NBA Finals four times in the last decade) and Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams.

Likewise, New York (46.4%) can only rank 25^th, despite being home to multiple sporting powerhouses—a similar story to Florida (45.18%)—while Colorado (49.67%) also ranks outside the top ten even with the Denver Nuggets’ recent NBA success.

The Most Successful NBA Teams of the Last Decade

Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering their four recent NBA triumphs, San Francisco’s Golden State Warriors are officially the best-performing basketball team of the last decade, with an average win rate of 64.79%. 

They’re followed by the Los Angeles Clippers, who, despite not having any tangible prize to show for their efforts, have maintained an impressive average win rate of 61.17% since 2014. 

Next up, the Toronto Raptors take third (61.01%), ahead of the Boston Celtics (57.67%), San Antonio Spurs (57.26%), and Milwaukee Bucks (56.01%). Curiously, despite being the second-most successful NBA team of all time, the Celtics are the only team of the four to have failed to win the championship in the last decade, losing out in 2022 and last tasting victory in 2008. 

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat take seventh, with an average win rate of 55.49%, ahead of the Utah Jazz (54.47%), Denver Nuggets (54.29%), and Oklahoma City Thunder (53.84%), who round out our top ten. 

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The Most Successful NFL Teams of the Last Decade

With a couple of Super Bowl wins in the last decade, a feat beaten only by Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, the Chiefs, led by QB Patrick Mahomes, are the NFL’s best-performing team of recent seasons, with a win rate of 72.19%.

They’re followed by the Green Bay Packers, who, despite not winning a Super Bowl title since 2010, have recorded consistently strong league performances, with an average win rate of 62.37%.

Next up, the Seattle Seahawks take third (62.24%), ahead of Massachusetts-based Patriots, whose six Super Bowl titles since 2001 is a league record, the New Orleans Saints (58.81%), and Minnesota Vikings (58.63%). 

Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys take seventh (57.88%), even without reaching a Championship game since 1995, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles(57.61%), the Baltimore Ravens (57.48%), and the Buffalo Bills (57.12%). 

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Methodology

To determine the most successful states, we ranked each NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB team according to their win percentage since 2014. For each state, all the local teams’ win rates were averaged to provide an overall figure. 

All win percentage data was sourced from Sports Reference. Only teams who have been active for the past 10 years have been considered for this ranking (for example, the Seattle Kraken were not considered, as they were founded in 2018).

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