Cleveland Cavaliers

A couch player: The Cavaliers opened their inaugural season losing their first 15 games and struggled in their early years, placing no better than sixth in the Eastern Conference during their first five seasons. The team won their first Central Division title in 1976, which also marked the first winning season and playoff appearance in franchise history, where they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Miami Heat

A couch player: The Heat hold the record for the NBA's third-longest winning streak, 27 straight games, set during the 2012–13 season. Four Hall of Famers have played for Miami, while James won two consecutive NBA MVP Awards while playing for the team.

Philadelphia Eagles

A couch player: The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. In the 2017 season, the team won Super Bowl LII, their first Super Bowl win in franchise history and their fourth NFL title overall, after winning the championship game in 1948, 1949, and 1960. The team ranked among the best in the league in attendance and sold out every game since the 1999 season. The team's fanbase have been cited as one of the most intimidating in the NFL and possibly all sports.

Seattle Seahawks

A couch player: The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Seahawks joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team. They have played their home games at Lumen Field (formerly CenturyLink Field) in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood since 2002.

Los Angeles Chargers

A couch player: The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The Chargers play their home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which the club shares with the Los Angeles Rams.

New Orleans Saints

A couch player: The Saints were among the NFL's least successful franchises in their first several decades, where they went 20 consecutive seasons without a winning record or qualifying for the playoffs. They earned their first winning record and postseason berth in 1987, while their first playoff win would not occur until 2000, their 34th season. The team's fortunes improved amid the 21st century, which saw them become more consistent postseason contenders. Their greatest success to date came in the 2009 season, when they won Super Bowl XLIV, the team's first Super Bowl appearance. The Saints are one of two NFL franchises to win their sole Super Bowl appearance, along with the New York Jets, and the most recent to do so.

Portland Trail Blazers

A couch player: The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division.

Oklahoma City Thunder

A couch player: The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division.

Houston Texans

A couch player: While the team mainly struggled in their first decade of play, they found success in the 2011 season, winning their first division championship and clinching their first playoff berth. The Texans have gone on to win five more AFC South championships in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. As of the 2020 season, they are the only franchise to have never appeared in a conference championship game.

Indianapolis Colts

A couch player: The Colts played in two Super Bowl games while they were based in Baltimore, losing to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III and defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V. The Colts relocated to Indianapolis in 1984 and have since appeared in the playoffs 16 times, won two conference championships, and won one Super Bowl, in which they defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Minnesota Vikings

A couch player: The Vikings have an all-time overall record of 516–442–11,[a] the highest regular season and combined winning percentage among NFL franchises who have not won a Super Bowl, in addition the most playoff runs, division titles, and (tied with the Buffalo Bills) Super Bowl appearances.[6][7] They also have the most conference championship appearances of non-winning Super Bowl teams, with them being one of three (along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams) to appear in a conference championship every decade since the 1970s. The only NFL franchise with winning regular season and combined records to not win a Super Bowl, the Vikings hold the most playoff losses in league history at 30.

Houston Rockets

A couch player: Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, and James Harden have been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player while playing for the Rockets, for a total of four MVP awards. The Rockets, when piloted by Morey, have been renowned for popularizing the use of advanced statistical analytics (similar to sabermetrics in baseball) in player acquisitions and style of play.

Phoenix Suns

A couch player: The Suns own the NBA's seventh-best all-time winning percentage, and have the second highest winning percentage of any teams to have never won an NBA championship.10 Hall of Famers have played for Phoenix, while two Suns, Barkley and Nash, have won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award while playing for the team.