Data Handling
This page
summarizes how data and results are handled for each sport.
In general, any
league that had at least one current team that originated in that league was
included in the overall results. Franchise affiliations can sometimes be
confusing since, for example, in baseball, there are three separate Baltimore
Orioles franchises. One that played in the American Association from 1882-1891
then in the National League from 1892-1899. Another played in the American
League only two seasons, 1901 and 1902. And finally, the current Baltimore
Orioles started out as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, then the St. Louis Browns
from 1902-1953 before moving to Baltimore in 1954. Franchise affiliations are
based on historical data shown on www.sports-reference.com.
To be clear about
which season is being referred to throughout the website, this table summarizes
how the years are determined for each sport:
|
Sport |
Year Determination |
Example |
|
Year
the full season is played |
1982
= the entire season was played in 1982 |
|
|
Year
the Finals were played |
1982
= season started in 1981 and the Finals were played in 1982, many people
would refer to this as the 1981-’82 season |
|
|
Year
the season started |
1982
= season started in 1982 with the playoffs and Super Bowl played in 1983 |
|
|
Year
the Stanley Cup was played |
1982
= season started in 1981 and the Finals were played in 1982, many people
would refer to this as the 1981-’82 season |
Leagues
Included:
|
League |
Years |
Current Teams Originating From League |
First Year |
|
National
League (NL) (also
MLB) |
1876-present |
Arizona
Diamondbacks Atlanta
Braves Chicago
Cubs Colorado
Rockies Houston
Astros Miami
Marlins New
York Mets Philadelphia
Phillies San
Diego Padres San
Francisco Giants Washington
Nationals |
1998 1876 1876 1993 1962 1993 1962 1883 1969 1883 1969 |
|
American
Association (AA) |
1882-1891 |
Cincinnati
Reds Los
Angeles Dodgers Pittsburgh
Pirates St.
Louis Cardinals |
1882 1884 1882 1882 |
|
American
League (AL) (also
MLB) |
1901-present |
Athletics Baltimore
Orioles Boston
Red Sox Chicago
White Sox Cleveland
Guardians Detroit
Tigers Kansas
City Royals Los
Angeles Angels Milwaukee
Brewers Minnesota
Twins New
York Yankees Seattle
Mariners Tampa
Bay Rays Texas
Rangers Toronto
Blue Jays |
1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1969 1961 1969 1901 1903 1977 1998 1961 1977 |
Playoffs,
Championship Appearances and Championships:
Most
official records for baseball only count World Series from 1903 to the present
as championships. For the purposes of this website, we also include other
various championships prior to 1903. All summaries on this website include a
World Series Era category and therefore the traditional championship count is
still available by viewing this category.
|
Years |
Championship Determined By |
Counted as Championship Appearance (CA) |
Counted as Playoff Appearance |
|
1876-1881,
1893, 1898-1899,
1901-1902 |
best
record within league |
n/a |
n/a |
|
1882-1991 |
World
Championship Series: AA
champion vs NL champion |
If
team played in WCS |
Same
as CA |
|
1892 |
Series
between top 2 teams in NL |
If
team played in this series |
Same
as CA |
|
1894-1897 |
Temple
Cup: top
2 teams in NL |
If
team played in TC |
Same
as CA |
|
1900 |
Chronicle-Telegraph
Cup: top
2 teams in NL |
If
team played in CTC |
Same
as CA |
|
1903-1968 |
World
Series: AL
champion vs
NL
champion |
If
team played in WS |
Same
as CA |
|
1969-present |
World
Series: AL
champion vs
NL
champion |
If
team played in WS |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year (click
here for additional information) |
Time
Frames Included in Summaries:
|
Label |
Years |
|
All-Time |
1876-present |
|
World
Series Era |
1903-present |
|
Divisional
Era |
1969-present |
|
Wild
Card Era |
1994-present |
Exclusions
and Clarifications:
|
1884 |
The
American Association was treated as an 11 team league with the Richmond
Virginians and Washington Nationals playing partial seasons, both teams were
excluded |
|
1890 |
The
American Association was treated as a 7 team league with the Baltimore
Orioles and Brooklyn Gladiators playing partial seasons, both teams were
excluded |
|
1891 |
The
American Association was treated as a 7 team league with the Cincinnati
Kellys Killers and Milwaukee Brewers playing partial seasons, both teams were
excluded |
|
1904 |
Since
this season is part of the World Series Era and no World Series was played,
no team was credited with a championship, championship appearance or playoff
appearance and the probability of achieving any of those categories was zero
(0). |
|
1994 |
In
a strike shortened season, no World Series was played and therefore no team
was credited with a championship, championship appearance or playoff
appearance and the probability achieving any of those categories was zero
(0). |
Sources:
Chronicle
Telegraph Cup (1900)
Leagues
Included:
|
League |
Years |
Current Teams Originating From League |
First Year |
|
Basketball
Association of America (BAA) |
1947-1949 |
Boston
Celtics Detroit
Pistons Golden
State Warriors Los
Angeles Lakers New
York Knicks Sacramento
Kings |
1947 1949 1947 1949 1947 1949 |
|
American
Basketball Association (ABA) |
1968-1976 |
Brooklyn
Nets Denver
Nuggets Indiana
Pacers San
Antonio Spurs |
1968 1968 1968 1968 |
|
National
Basketball Association (NBA) |
1950-present |
Atlanta
Hawks Charlotte
Hornets Chicago
Bulls Cleveland
Cavaliers Dallas
Mavericks Houston
Rockets Los
Angeles Clippers Memphis
Grizzlies Miami
Heat Milwaukee
Bucks Minnesota
Timberwolves New
Orleans Pelicans Oklahoma
City Thunder Orlando
Magic Philadelphia
76ers Phoenix
Suns Portland
Trail Blazers Toronto
Raptors Utah
Jazz Washington
Wizards |
1950 1989 1967 1971 1981 1968 1971 1996 1989 1969 1990 2003 1968 1990 1950 1969 1971 1996 1975 1962 |
Playoffs,
Championship Appearances and Championships:
|
Years |
Championship Determined By |
Counted as Championship Appearance (CA) |
Counted as Playoff Appearance |
|
1947-1949 |
Finals: 2
teams that reached the Finals |
If
team played in Finals |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year (click here for
additional information) |
|
1950-1970 |
Finals: Eastern
Division champion vs
Western
Division champion |
If
team played in Finals |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year (click here for
additional information) |
|
1968-1975
(ABA) |
Finals: Eastern
Division champion vs
Western
Division champion |
If
team played in Finals |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year |
|
1976
(ABA) |
Finals: 2
teams that reached the Finals |
If
team played in Finals |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure |
|
1971-2019 |
Finals: Eastern
Conference champion vs Western
Conference champion |
If
team played in Finals |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year (click here for
additional information) |
|
2020-present |
Finals: Eastern
Conference champion vs Western
Conference champion |
If
team played in Finals |
Any
team that played in the Conference Quarterfinals; teams eliminated when
playing in play-in games are not credited with a playoff appearance (click here for
additional information) |
Time
Frames Included in Summaries:
|
Label |
Years |
Note |
|
All-Time |
1947-present |
BAA
and NBA only |
|
All-Time
Including ABA |
1947-present |
BAA,
NBA and ABA |
|
NBA/ABA
Merger Era |
1977-present |
|
|
30
Team Era |
2003-present |
|
Exclusions
and Clarifications:
|
2020-present |
Play-in
games/series were played in various formats which resulted in the potential
of a 9th and/or 10th place team from the regular season
to make the playoffs while a 7th and/or 8th place team
does not make the playoffs. This is a byproduct of the format. |
Sources:
Leagues
Included:
|
League |
Years |
Current Teams Originating From League |
First Year |
|
American
Professional Football Association (APFA) |
1920-1921 |
Arizona
Cardinals Chicago
Bears Green
Bay Packers |
1920 1920 1921 |
|
National
Football League (NFL) |
1922-present |
Atlanta
Falcons Baltimore
Ravens Carolina
Panthers Dallas
Cowboys Detroit
Lions Houston
Texans Indianapolis
Colts Jacksonville
Jaguars Los
Angeles Rams Minnesota
Vikings New
Orleans Saints New
York Giants Philadelphia
Eagles Pittsburgh
Steelers Seattle
Seahawks Tampa
Bay Buccaneers Washington
Commanders |
1966 1996 1995 1960 1930 2002 1953 1995 1937 1961 1967 1925 1933 1933 1976 1976 1932 |
|
All-America
Football Conference (AAFC) |
1946-1949 |
Cleveland
Browns San
Francisco 49ers |
1946 1946 |
|
American
Football League (AFL) |
1960-1969 |
Buffalo
Bills Cincinnati
Bengals Denver
Broncos Kansas
City Chiefs Las
Vegas Raiders Los
Angeles Chargers Miami
Dolphins New
England Patriots New
York Jets Tennessee
Titans |
1960 1968 1960 1960 1960 1960 1966 1960 1960 1960 |
Playoffs,
Championship Appearances and Championships:
|
Years/Team |
Championship Determined By |
Counted as Championship Appearance (CA) |
Counted as Playoff Appearance |
|
1920-1932 |
best
record within league or league vote |
n/a |
n/a |
|
1933-1965 |
Championship
Game: East
champion vs
West
champion |
If
team played in CG |
Same
as CG |
|
1960-1965
(AFL) |
Championship
Game: East
champion vs
West
champion |
If
team played in CG |
Same
as CG |
|
1966-1969 |
Super
Bowl: AFL
champion vs
NFL
champion |
If
team played in SB |
If
team played in either the AFL or NFL playoffs |
|
1970-present |
Super
Bowl: AFC
champion vs
NFC
champion |
If
team played in SB |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year (click
here for additional information) |
Time
Frames Included in Summaries:
|
Label |
Years |
Note |
|
All-Time |
1920-present |
Includes
NFL and also AFL for the 1966-1969 seasons only |
|
All-Time
including AFL |
1960-present |
NFL
and AFL |
|
Super
Bowl Era |
1966-present |
NFL
and AFL |
|
32
Team Era |
2002-present |
|
Exclusions
and Clarifications:
In
the early years of the APFA and NFL, there was no set schedule or fixed number
of games. Although there was no official criteria regarding a minimum number of
games played to be considered for the championship, the league tended to award
the championship to a team that had played a substantial number of games. The
fewest games played by a championship team between 1920-1932 was 9 games.
Therefore any team that played 6 or less games (a somewhat arbitrary cutoff) is
excluded and their probability of winning a championship was set to zero (0)
while the probability of a championship for the rest of the teams was 1 ÷ # of
teams with 7 or more games played.
|
1920 |
The
APFA was treated as a 13 team league with the Muncie Flyers playing 1 game,
they were excluded |
|
1921 |
The
APFA was treated as a 10 team league with 11 teams playing 6 games or less, all of which were
excluded |
|
1922 |
The
NFL was treated as a 13 team league with 5 teams playing 6 games or less, all of which were
excluded |
|
1923 |
The
NFL was treated as an 18 team league with the Louisville Brecks and Rochester
Jeffersons playing 4 games or less each, both teams were excluded |
|
1924 |
The
NFL was treated as a 14 team league with 4 teams playing 6 games or less, all of which were
excluded |
|
1925 |
The
NFL was treated as a 17 team league with 3 teams playing 6 games or less, all
of which were excluded |
|
1926 |
The
NFL was treated as a 18 team league with 4 teams playing 6 games or less, all of which were
excluded |
|
1927 |
The
NFL was treated as an 11 team league with the Buffalo Bisons playing 5 games,
they were excluded |
|
1928 |
The
NFL was treated as an 9 team league with the Chicago Cardinals playing 6
games, they were excluded |
|
1929 |
The
NFL was treated as an 11 team league with the Dayton Triangles playing 6
games, they were excluded |
|
1934 |
The
NFL was treated as a 19 team league with the St. Louis Gunners playing 3
games, they were excluded |
|
1966-1969 |
The
AFL had not yet merged with the NFL, but the AFL is treated as being part of
the NFL when including these years in summaries since it is part of the Super
Bowl Era which the AFL played in |
|
Cleveland
Browns |
The
owner, players and coaches of the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996
and became the Baltimore Ravens. However, the Browns negotiated an agreement
where Cleveland would retain the Browns’ colors, logos and history when the
city would get a new expansion team in 1999. |
Sources:
Leagues
Included:
|
League |
Years |
Current Teams Originating From League |
First Year |
|
National
Hockey Association (NHL) |
1918-present |
Anaheim
Ducks Boston
Bruins Buffalo
Sabres Calgary
Flames Carolina
Hurricanes Chicago
Blackhawks Columbus
Blue Jackets Dallas
Stars Detroit
Red Wings Florida
Panthers Los
Angeles Kings Minnesota
Wild Montreal
Canadiens Nashville
Predators New
Jersey Devils New
York Islanders New
York Rangers Ottawa
Senators Philadelphia
Flyers Pittsburgh
Penguins San
Jose Sharks Seattle
Kraken St.
Louis Blues Tampa
Bay Lightning Toronto
Maple Leafs Utah
Hockey Club Vancouver
Canucks Vegas
Golden Knights Washington
Capitals Winnipeg
Jets |
1994 1925 1971 1973 1980 1927 2001 1968 1927 1994 1968 2001 1918 1999 1975 1973 1927 1993 1968 1968 1992 2022 1968 1993 1918 2025 1971 2018 1975 2000 |
|
World
Hockey Association (WHA) |
1973-1979 |
Colorado
Avalanche Edmonton
Oilers |
1973 1973 |
Playoffs,
Championship Appearances and Championships:
|
Years |
Championship Determined By |
Counted as Championship Appearance (CA) |
Counted as Playoff Appearance |
|
1918-1922 |
Stanley
Cup: NHL
champion vs
PCHA
champion |
If
team played in SC |
|
|
1923-1926 |
Stanley
Cup: WCHL
champion |
If
team played in SC |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year (click here
for additional information) |
|
1927-present |
Stanley
Cup: Various
formats of determining the two teams that played |
If
team played in SC |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year (click here
for additional information); for 2020, teams eliminated when playing in
play-in series are not credited with a playoff appearance |
|
1972-1979
(WHA) |
Avco
Cup: Various
formats of determining the two teams that played |
If
team played in AC |
Any
team that played in the playoffs as determined by the playoff structure each
year (click here
for additional information) |
Time
Frames Included in Summaries:
|
Label |
Years |
Note |
|
All-Time |
1918-present |
NHL
only |
|
All-Time
Including WHA |
1918-present |
NHL
and WHA |
|
NHL/WHA
Merger Era |
1980-present |
|
|
30+
Team Era |
2001-present |
NHL
increased to 30 teams in 2001 and 32 teams in 2014 |
Exclusions
and Clarifications:
|
1918 |
The
NHL was treated as a 3 team league with the Montreal Wanderers withdrawing
from the league after 6 games, they were excluded |
|
1919 |
Since
the Stanley Cup was not played due to the flu epidemic. no team was credited
with a championship and the probability of achieving a championship was zero
(0). Teams did play playoff games leading up to the Stanley Cup and teams
were credited with championship appearances if they won their semifinal
series and credited with playoff appearances if they played in the playoffs. |
|
1976 |
The
WHA West Division was treated as a 3 team division with the Minnesota
Fighting Saints and Denver Spurs playing partial seasons, both teams were
excluded |
|
1977 |
The
WHA East Division was treated as a 5 team division with the Minnesota
Fighting Saints playing a partial season, they were excluded |
|
1978 |
The
WHA was treated as an 8 team league with International teams (Soviet
All-Stars and Czechoslovakia) playing 8 games each, both were excluded |
|
1979 |
The
WHA was treated as a 6 team league with International teams (Soviet
All-Stars, Czechoslovakia and Finland) playing few games and the Indianapolis
Racers withdrawing from the league mid-season , all four teams were excluded |
|
2005 |
Since
the NHL season and Stanley Cup was not played due to a lockout. no team was
credited with a championship, championship appearance or playoff appearance
and the probability of achieving any of those categories was zero (0). |
|
2020 |
Play-in
series were played to determine the 16 playoff teams. Teams playing in the play-in
series were not credited with a playoff appearance. |
|
Hurricanes |
Contradiction:
hockey-reference.com shows the
New England Whalers as a separate franchise from 1972-1979, however, the Carolina Hurricanes
Wikipedia page shows the New England Whalers were clearly the originating
team of the Carolina Hurricanes. Therefore the New England Whalers are
included as part of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise for the purposes of
this website. |
Sources:
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