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Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

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    Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

    West Indies, 1980-1995: 15 years unbeaten, a feat even more remarkable given low population size. Like most dominant sides, they were accused of relying on an unfair advantage: the ability to scare batsmen shitless. This accusation was based on an unfair and untrue premise that fast bowling did not require levels of extremely high skill and artistry.

    Has any other sport produced an equivalent case?

    #2
    Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

    Canadian ice hockey before the rise of the Soviets?

    Amateur teams from small towns in British Columbia defeating allcomers at the World Championships?

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      #3
      Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

      NCAA Womens Soccer Finals

      1982 North Carolina 1-0 Central Florida

      1983 North Carolina (2) 4-0 George Mason

      1984 North Carolina (3) 2-0 Connecticut

      1985 George Mason 2-0 North Carolina

      1986 North Carolina (4) 2-0 Colorado College

      1987 North Carolina (5) 1-0 Massachusetts

      1988 North Carolina (6) 4-1 North Carolina St

      1989 North Carolina (7) 2-0 Colorado College

      1990 North Carolina (8) 6-0 Connecticut

      1991 North Carolina (9) 3-1 Wisconsin

      1992 North Carolina (10) 9-1 Duke

      1993 North Carolina (11) 6-0 George Mason

      1994 North Carolina (12) 5-0 Notre Dame

      1995 Notre Dame 1-0 (3 OT) Portland

      1996 North Carolina (13) 1-0 (2 OT) Notre Dame

      1997 North Carolina (14) 2-0 Connecticut

      1998 Florida 1-0 North Carolina

      1999 North Carolina (15) 2-0 Notre Dame

      2000 North Carolina (16) 2-1 UCLA

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        #4
        Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

        ursus arctos wrote:
        Canadian ice hockey before the rise of the Soviets?
        Pah!

        "Huntingdonshire was the birthplace of the little known sport of Bandy, now an official IOC sport. It is a cross between ice hockey and association football. Records show that in 1813 the Bury Fen Bandy Club was undefeated for 100 years!"

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          #5
          Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

          Kingussie Shinty Club must be in contention here - they're in the Guinness Book of Records for having won 20 consecutive leagues.

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            #6
            Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

            evilC wrote:
            ursus arctos wrote:
            Canadian ice hockey before the rise of the Soviets?
            Pah!

            "Huntingdonshire was the birthplace of the little known sport of Bandy, now an official IOC sport. It is a cross between ice hockey and association football. Records show that in 1813 the Bury Fen Bandy Club was undefeated for 100 years!"
            A 100 year unbeaten record, all in a single calendar year? Now that's dominance.

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              #7
              Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

              I knew exactly what satchmo was going to cite before opening the thread, though.

              New York Yankees 1936ish-64ish have to have a strong case too. It's not that they were never beaten in that time (that's not how baseball works), but they were incredibly dominant, especially if you go by the yardstick of pennant victories (the Series being, inevitably, a bit of a lottery).

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                #8
                Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                I suppose the Harlem Globetrotters don't count? Boy, have they had somevwinning streaks over the years.

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                  #9
                  Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                  Wyatt, the case against the Yankees is that the American League was a chasse privee for much of that period, and clearly inferior to the National League once the latter began to take integration seriously. In particular, the Yankees used the Kansas City Athletics of the 50s as a virtual feeder club and it was widely thought that the Yankees' top farm club (the Newark Bears) would finish at least fifth in the AL.

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                    #10
                    Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                    Skonto Riga?

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                      #11
                      Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                      If I could be allowed a moment of pedantry, the 1980s Windies don't even possess the longest unbeaten record in their own sport. Australia were unbeaten between 1933 and 1953.

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                        #12
                        Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                        Since when do you ask for permission?

                        It would set a horrible precedent for a number of us . . .

                        In any event, "longest" can just as easily be applied to number of matche as number of years.

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                          #13
                          Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                          That's true, and of course you had the unfortunate gap of 6 years caused by WW2 in the middle of Australia's record. It's pretty hard to imagine them losing to anyone during those "lost" years, though, if anything those were probably the years some of the Australians themselves would have been at their peak. Don Bradman was 31 when WW2 broke out.

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                            #14
                            Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                            Would they have played as many matches, even without the war?

                            I wouldn't think so, given the relative dearth of test nations at the time.

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                              #15
                              Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                              My answer will be predictable...





                              UCLA Basketball, 1963-1975: 335-22 record, 10 championships (7 in a row from 1967-1973), 2 undefeated seasons in a row, 88 games won in a row, 38 NCAA tournament games won in a row. Home record of 149-2 between 1965-1975.

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                                #16
                                Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                                I'll never accept that bear as a Bruin.

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                                  #17
                                  Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                                  Would they have played as many matches, even without the war?

                                  I wouldn't think so, given the relative dearth of test nations at the time.
                                  No, certainly not, but they were beating all the other test-playing sides of their day (England, South Africa, New Zealand and India). I think it's unfair to downplay their record just because no-one else was up to giving them a game in their day (or that the structure of the game in those days led to less series being played than nowadays). Best in the world is best in the world, after all.

                                  However, I'm not really a cricket expert, and I'd be interested on those who are to give their views on the 1930s/40s Australians v the 1980s/90s West Indies in terms of "dominance".

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                                    #18
                                    Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                                    Red Auerbach and Bill Russell's Celtics, 11 titles in 13 years.

                                    The 1955-60 Canadiens and the 1976-1979 Canadiens as well. The notable thing about those teams was the steamrolling they indulged in during the playoffs. Only the 79 Canadiens even went to seven in a series, and then Don Cherry sent too many men out on the ice during a change. The number of good teams those two dynasties swept in four is almost embarrassing.

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                                      #19
                                      Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                                      Australia had a slightly better Win/Loss record than the Windies (4.50 v 3.86) but the 1980-95 period was surely far more competitive: WI would have faced Pakistan away, for example, at a time when Pakistan had Imran, Wasim & Waqar.

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                                        #20
                                        Most Dominant Sports Team Ever?

                                        Australia's best team was widely reckoned to be the 1948 team. Though they did go unbeaten for so long, they played several close series against England in the 1930s, in which Bradman was frequently the difference between vistory and defeat, and after the war they were greatly helped by the fact that England had been weakened by the war. So they were good - probably the best in the world at the time. But 'dominant', especially in terms of some of the teams talked about, is going a bit far. In cricket, I reckon the only team that can challenge the Windies is the Australia team of Warne and McGrath.

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