Dynasty (sports)


In sports, a dynasty is a team or individual that dominates their sport or league for an extended length of time. Some leagues maintain official lists of dynasties, often as part of a hall of fame, but in many cases, whether a team or individual has achieved a dynasty is subjective. This can result in frequent topic of debate among sports fans due to lack of consensus and agreement in the many different variables and criteria that fans may use to define a sports dynasty. Merriam-Webster describes a dynasty as a "sports franchise which has a prolonged run of successful seasons". Within the same sport, or even the same league, dynasties may be concurrent with each other.

Auto racing

NASCAR

Drivers

Drivers

Drivers

[Major League Baseball]

[National Basketball Association]

Division I Men

NCAA

International

Women

Professional

American Major League Soccer

Division I (Women)

[American football]

[National Football League]

Division I
Football Bowl Subdivision (Formerly I-A)
The problems inherent in identifying sports dynasties are exacerbated in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, where the national champion is determined, at least in part, by poll rather than through a tournament. These polls, however, are largely based on win-loss records, thereby relying on minimal subjectivity. When fans of a sport cannot agree on which team within a league or other organization should be considered as holding that organization's championship, discussing whether a team has become a dynasty is more difficult. Because of these problems, teams that consistently win their conference championship and are frequently in contention for national championships are termed dynasties more often than a similarly performing team in another sport or division might.

Thoroughbred racing

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League and the Hockey Hall of Fame officially recognize nine dynasty teams:
The Soviet Championship League is now known as the Kontinental Hockey League.

[National Lacrosse League]

International

Most disputes about dynasties relate to teams that dominated within a conference or division, but either failed to win championships or infrequently won championships. This is exacerbated in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, where the national champion is determined, at least in part, by poll rather than through a tournament.