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It is not as if Arizona has not gotten to celebrate any championships in the last few years.
Phoenix Rising is the current USL champion, after claiming the second-tier soccer title in 2023 – and is also on course to make the postseason once again this year.
And the Arizona Rattlers won the Indoor Football League championship game in August, so local sports fans should be happy.
But when it comes to the big major sports leagues, success has been a little rarer. The D-Backs were surprise winners of the National League pennant last year, of course, before being beaten quite convincingly in the World Series.
Apart from that, we have to go back 10 years for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury as the most recent Arizona champion.
So, can we start getting excited about any of our local teams any time soon?
The Arizona sports betting markets don’t seem to think so. But the Diamondbacks’ performance last year shows that anything can happen in pro sports.
Let’s take a look at the big four teams in the state and try to figure out where that next championship will come from.
Phoenix Mercury
It has been a turbulent few years for the Mercury. There was the disaster of the 2023 season when the team won just nine of its 40 regular season games, missing out on the postseason for the first time since 2012. That heralded the arrival of a new general manager and a new head coach in the hope of turning things around.
Progress has been steady rather than spectacular. But playoff action has been achieved and now the players can concentrate on trying to cause an upset against one of the more fancied teams. In all honesty, this organization is just beginning a period of transition and any kind of success should be considered an achievement in the short-term. It could take a few more years before the Mercury is realistically challenging for championships again.
Arizona Cardinals
Not a lot has gone right for the Cardinals in recent times. It might seem a long time since the team made it to the postseason and you might be surprised to learn that it has only been two years. That’s because those two years have been woeful, with only four wins apiece and consecutive fourth-place divisional finishes. It took a surprise late-season win against the Eagles to even do that well.
So, it will surely come as no surprise to learn that the chances of a Cards Super Bowl win are remote. Kyler Murray is a talented QB but is rarely given the chance to show what he can do. He will definitely need more time to get used to linking up with new WR Marvin Harrison Jr. And the less said about the Arizona defense, the better.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon has been given some more time to change things around at State Farm Stadium – and there has been some improvement to the roster – but the schedule for this season looks tough. If the Cardinals can get through the first seven or eight games without too many disasters, the win total should improve this year. But don’t get excited about a championship coming this way anytime soon.
Arizona Diamondbacks
No one expected a World Series between the D-Backs and the Rangers last year. Not even the most one-eyed Arizona fan. But, after beating the Phillies in their own ballpark, there was a chance of a second Fall Classic victory in just 26 years. Just ask how that would feel to any Milwaukee, San Diego, or Seattle fan. In the end, it wasn’t to be. But could we expect another title soon?
The Major League Baseball season is a long one but the D-Backs started the current one off with a bang. A 16-1 blowout win over the Rockies (also with no championships in their history, by the way) felt good and got everyone eager to see what the year would bring. Winning the NL West is always tough with the Dodgers to contend with but second place seemed to work just fine last year, so who knows?
Unless there is a really bad run to end the regular season, the D-Backs should make the playoffs through the Wild Card and then we will have to wait to see what comes next. There are some very good teams in the National League though, so another championship would be a longshot.
Phoenix Suns
Finally getting the “Big Three” together should have been the move that turned the Suns into real contenders last season. But it took a while to see them all in action at the same time and then there was the debacle of the first round playoff series against the Timberwolves where everything fell apart.
Getting Beal, Booker, and Durant on the court should have taken the Suns much deeper into the playoffs but there had been warning signs throughout the regular season even before the T-Wolves turned up ready to play. A terrible record in fourth quarter play always puts the team at risk and so it came to pass.
But this year looks hopeful for Suns fans. Another new head coach – the third in three years – is a worrying trend but bringing in Tyus Jones could be the masterstroke this organization needs. He turned down other, bigger offers for a chance to start as point guard for the Suns and his ability at both ends of the floor should see a sixth straight trip to the postseason.
Not only will Jones be able to become the focal point of an already hugely talented roster, he will also be able to take some of the pressure off of the other big names – and that should work for everyone.
If there is one Arizona team that could bring a championship home sooner rather than later, it has to be the Suns.
