January 2, 2015 9:00 a.m.

2014 Was Not New York’s Worst Sports Year Ever

1966Worst Year

The Yankees’ first deep slump in decades was under way and the Mets’ ascent hadn’t begun, but it was the Giants’ 1-12-1 season that really dragged the average down.

1994Best Year

After a nearly perfect spring (the Rangers’ drought ended; the Knicks finished in first place), the Yankees were on top when a strike curtailed the baseball season.

2014Twelfth-Worst

Not as bad as you might think, thanks to lots of mediocrity and a Rangers squad that finished second before advancing to the Stanley Cup final.

1968

The Jets’ only championship kicked off several great years: Titles for the Mets and Knicks would soon follow.

1972

No championships, but it’s the only year since 1962 in which every local team (there were seven then) finished at or above .500.

1977

Under George Steinbrenner, the Yankees were winning again, but the Mets, Jets, Giants, Rangers, and Nets all finished last in their respective divisions.

1986

Best single-season record: 14-2.

1996

The Jets’ 1-15 mark was the worst season for any local team in this span.

2005

Hockey lockout: no season.

2011

New York’s most recent title (the Giants’ fourth Super Bowl), in a middling year for almost everyone else.

It may feel that way, but the numbers say otherwise. Here, a timeline of our local teams' best and worst years.

Methodology: All teams’ regular-season winning percentages, averaged, are indicated by the bold black line. (For hockey, points percentages were used.) NBA and NHL records were counted in the year in which they end: That is, the 2013–2014 season is under 2014.

*This article appears in the December 29, 2014, issue of New York Magazine. Article updated January 2, 2014, for clarity.

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