Baseball has a long memory, and no sport clings to nostalgia quite like MLB. Some fanbases love to remind you about their glory days—whether those days were last decade or last century.
Whether it’s constant references to past legends, ancient dynasties, or the good ol’ days before social media, these fanbases just can’t seem to move on. Here are 15 MLB fanbases that live in the past—ranked by just how stuck they really are.
15. San Francisco Giants
Three titles in the 2010s bought them a lifetime pass to bring it up. And trust us, they do—early and often.
14. Chicago Cubs
That 2016 World Series will be mentioned for the next 100 years. Which is fair… but also, that was almost a decade ago now.
13. Atlanta Braves
Yes, they won recently—but Braves fans still love to talk about the ’90s. Even with current success, they keep one foot firmly in the past.
12. St. Louis Cardinals
Every season is treated like it’s still 2011. And somehow, every new player is compared to someone from a decade ago.
11. New York Mets
The 1986 team gets talked about like they just wrapped up their victory parade. It’s either that or dreaming about what should’ve happened in 2006.
10. Oakland Athletics
They cling to the Moneyball era like it was yesterday. Unfortunately, that nostalgia doesn’t help with the attendance today.
9. Detroit Tigers
They talk about the early 2010s rotation like it was the best in history. It was fun—until it wasn’t.
8. Philadelphia Phillies
The 2008 title team is still the gold standard for every season. Even in a playoff run, they’re referencing Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.
7. Boston Red Sox
For a team with recent success, they sure do bring up 2004 a lot. It’s like that one title erased 86 years of therapy, and now they can’t stop reliving it.
6. Kansas City Royals
That two-year window in the mid-2010s is treated like a full-blown dynasty. You’d never guess how long the rebuilds before and after really were.
5. Cincinnati Reds
Big Red Machine references? Guaranteed. Sometimes it feels like they’re still waiting for Pete Rose to come out of the dugout.
4. Seattle Mariners
They’ve got one of the greatest players ever in Ken Griffey Jr.—and they bring him up in every conversation. Never mind that he left the team before dial-up internet went out of style.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
You’ll hear about the “We Are Family” era and Roberto Clemente like it was yesterday. Pirates fans have every right to be nostalgic—because the present doesn’t give them much to work with.
Read More: Ranking the 15 Most Toxic MLB Fanbases
2. New York Yankees
There’s no bigger collection of rings and relics in sports. And while the fanbase is proud of it, they’ll remind you about 27 titles no matter how long it’s been since the last one.
Read More: Ranking the 15 Most Loyal MLB Fanbases
1. Chicago White Sox
The 2005 World Series is still treated like it happened last season. Meanwhile, the team keeps changing, but the conversations never do.
Read More: Ranking the 15 Smartest MLB Fanbases
