2. Boston, MA
Pro Teams: Braves 1871-1952 (MLB), Red Sox 1901-present (MLB), Bruins 1924-present (NHL), Redskins 1932-36 (NFL), Celtics 1946-present (NBA), New England Patriots 1960-present (NFL), New England Whalers 1972-74 (WHA)
Championships: 34 (7)Red Sox (1903,1912,1915,1916,1918,2004,2007), (1)Braves (1914), (5)Bruins (1929,1939,1941,1970,1972), (17)Celtics (1957,1959-66,1968,1969,1974,1976,1981,1984,1986,2008), (1)Whalers (1973), (3) Patriots (2001,2003,2004)
History: Before they moved to Milwaukee and Atlanta...and even before they were named the Braves, they had quite a few nicknames. In no particular order the Red Stockings, Red Caps, Beaneaters, Doves and Rustlers. And somewhere in between the Bees. Historically, this was Babe Ruth's final pro team until he retired. Also, they were the first team to sweep a World Series (against the A's), Babe Ruth's first team, the Red Sox, were historic in their own right. They won the first World Series in 1903. It wasn't until the Great Bambino arrived in 1914, that the team would be a force in the AL. But in 1919, he was sold to the Yankees and after 86 years, the Sox got their first World Series title with another one 3 seasons later.
The Bruins haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1972. They haven't been back to a final since 1990. At any rate, if you leave out most of the 60's and the early part of the 80's, the Black and Gold have been a near lock to make a playoff series. And that includes this season's run.
Boston's first pro team would eventually head out to the Washington DC area where they've been a staple since. In their first season they were known as the Braves. After that, they changed to the Redskins and with no postseason appearances to show for their efforts, then it would be around a 23-24 year wait for another football team.
The Celtics have won an NBA best 17 World Championships. And while their reign as the only number one (by number of championships)is being threatened, they have had one of the most consistent championship runs in NBA history. From the late 1950's to the late 1960's, the Celtics won the finals an impressive 11 times out of 13 seasons. Their only series losses were to the Bob Pettit and the Hawks in the 1958 Finals in 6 and to Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers (eventual champions)in 5 in the divisional finals.
The Pats started out with the Boston name at first. But after moving to nearby Foxborough they opted for the New England one instead. Before Robert Kraft owned the team in 1994, the Pats had some moderate success making it to the Super Bowl just once (lost to the Bears in Super Bowl XX). After that, the team was close to leaving the Boston area for St. Louis until Kraft bought the team. And the rest is history.
Yes, Boston had an WHA, but just for a couple of seasons. And yes they played in Boston. After winning the Avco Trophy, the team would move to Hartford. They still held the New England name until the merger with the NHL in 1979, when the Bruins made a stipulation for the Whalers to drop their name. Before becoming the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina, they had their greatest success in the mid 80's to early 90's making the Stanley Cup playoffs 7 consecutive seasons.
Interesting facts: The Boston Common is the oldest city park in the US. The Boston Marathon is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Staples is based in nearby Framingham .
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