(670 The Score) For the first time in 15 years and only the fourth time ever, Chicago's five major professional sports teams have been shut out of the playoffs in the same season.
That fate was sealed Sunday, when the Bears were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention soon after suffering a 21-13 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field. The Bears were the city's last playoff hope for 2019 after the Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox earlier missed out. It made 2019 a cruel rarity in our city's sports scene.
Chicago had previously had at least one of its five major teams make the playoffs every year since 2004. (Note: This calculated the standings of the Blackhawks and Bulls for the year in which their regular seasons ended.)
Since the Bulls were founded in 1966 -- giving Chicago its five major professional teams -- this city has been shut out of the playoffs only four times: in 1969, 1999, 2004 and now 2019.
Chicago's run good playoff fortunes were partially the byproduct of the Blackhawks and Bulls enjoying success during the late 1960s and '70s, when the majority of teams in their respective leagues made the postseason. But the city did enjoy 30 consecutive years of having a playoff team before 1999, with that streak including years of expanded leagues.
The Bears stand at 7-7 after their loss Sunday, and winning their final two games still wouldn't be enough to earn a wild-card berth. The Blackhawks were 36-34-12 in their 2018-'19 season, missing the playoffs for the second straight year. The Bulls had the worst record of any major Chicago team by going 22-60 in 2018-'19, marking two straight years out of the postseason. The Cubs stumbled down the stretch in September, finishing 84-78 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The White Sox were 72-89 and have missed the playoffs for 11 straight years.
During the prior 15 straight years of Chicago having a playoff team, the city enjoyed five championship parades. The White Sox won the World Series in 2005, the Blackhawks claimed Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and the Cubs ended their 108-year drought with the World Series victory in 2016.
If there's a silver lining to this disappointing year for Chicago's five major teams, the White Sox won the World Series a year after this last happened.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
