This isn't the first time that the Lakers and Dodgers have been champions at the same time, though. They also both won titles in 1988. In fact, this is the 12th time in the Super Bowl Era that one city/metropolitan area has two Major League champions simultaneously. And, if the Rams or Chargers can win the Super Bowl, LA will become the first three-champion city.
But where does LA's unusual 2020 double rank in the pantheon of two-champion seasons? I'd argue that it's pretty high, not just because they both entered the playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed, but because of the circumstances surrounding the season. All that talk about asterisks is nonsense! After everything they had to go through, there's nothing illegitimate about either championship!
Was it the best combined season by two Major League sports champions in the same city, though? No, I don't think it was. So where does it rank? Let's find out. (Since the Super Bowl is either the first or last championship of the season depending on how you look at it, I included any double title that includes a Super Bowl.)
12. Los Angeles 1988 (Lakers/Dodgers): LA's previous Lakers/Dodgers double wasn't nearly as expected as this one. The Showtime Lakers weren't a surprise. They were the defending champions and went 62-20. Magic, Kareem and Co. beat the Pistons in seven for the title. The Dodgers, meanwhile, were underdogs against the Mets in the NLCS and against the A's in the World Series. Fortunately, they had Orel Hershiser. (And, fortunately for the current Dodgers, they no longer need to hear about 1988.)
11. New York 2000 (Devils/Yankees): It was the Yankees' third straight World Series title and fourth in five years, but in many ways, it was the least impressive of the run. The 1998 team was historic, and they had a historic postseason in 1999. Yet in 2000 they faced more pressure than ever playing against the Mets in the Subway Series. As for the Devils, they were primed to make a run after several years of playoff disappointments, and they came through with a six-game Stanley Cup Final victory over the defending champion Dallas Stars. (Fun fact: they'd both lose their respective championship series in seven games in 2001.)
10. Los Angeles 2002 (Lakers/Angels): Remember that delightful all-wild card 2002 World Series between the Giants and Angels? The Angels won 99 games, but finished second in the AL West behind the Moneyball A's. No matter. They beat the Yankees and Twins in the playoffs before their seven-game World Series triumph. The 2001-02 season was peak Shaq & Kobe days for the Lakers. They started the season 16-1 and swept the Nets to complete the three-peat.
9. Pittsburgh 2009 (Steelers/Penguins): Pittsburgh has the only entry on this list that doesn't include a World Series winner. Instead it's the Steelers team that won Super Bowl XLIII a few months before the Crosby/Malkin Penguins hoisted the Cup for the first time. Their regular season wasn't nearly as good as their 2007-08 campaign that ended with a seven-game loss to the Red Wings. The 2009 Stanley Cup Final was a rematch with Detroit, with the Penguins winning this time. The 2008 Steelers beat the Cardinals in a classic to become the first six-time Super Bowl champions.
8. Baltimore 1970 (Orioles/Colts): The first time a city's teams won the World Series and Super Bowl back-to-back. The Colts went 11-2-1 after joining the AFC in the first post-merger season, then went on to beat the Cowboys in Super Bowl V. Except they lose points because that was one of the worst Super Bowls ever. The 1970 Orioles, meanwhile, ran away with the AL East, winning 108 games and the second of three straight pennants. Brooks Robinson then stole the show in a five-game World Series against the Reds.
7. San Francisco 1989 (Athletics/49ers): Either the Super Bowl XXIII or XXIV champion 49ers apply here. In 1988, the 49ers went just 10-6 during the regular season, but dominated the Vikings and Bears in the playoffs before that classic Super Bowl against Cincinnati. The 1989 team, meanwhile, was one of the greatest in NFL history. They went 14-2 and all three playoff games were blowouts, including a 55-10 demolition of the Broncos in the Super Bowl. The 1989 World Series will always be remembered for the earthquake, of course. But it was also the only championship during that dominant three-season run by the A's, who never trailed against the Giants in the World Series.
6. Pittsburgh 1979 (Pirates/Steelers): Our second entry from the Steel City features the end of the Steel Curtain dynasty and the "We Are Fam-i-lee Pirates." Like the 49ers, you can apply either Steelers season here. In 1978, they went 14-2 and beat the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. The following year, they went 12-4 and won their fourth title against the Rams. The 1979 Pirates are one of the most fun teams in baseball history. They had nine! different uniform combos, all of which were bright, and were led by the effervescent Hall of Famer Willie "Pops" Stargell. In a very brightly-colored World Series, the 98-win Pirates beat the 102-win Orioles in seven high-quality games.
5. New York 1969 (Jets/Mets): Both the Jets and Mets became darlings after these historic championships, both of which were upsets. Super Bowl III was the most important game in the history of the AFL. Joe Namath "guaranteed" victory against the mighty 18-1 Baltimore Colts, then engineered a stunning 16-7 upset that legitimized an entire league. The 1969 Mets also pulled an upset. They had never finished higher than ninth in a 10-team league in their first seven seasons of existence. But in 1969, the Mets won 100 games and the first-ever NL East title. They went into the World Series as underdogs against the 109-win Orioles...and beat them in five games.
4. Boston 2004 (Red Sox/Patriots): We all know how historic the 2004 Red Sox championship was. They won their first championship in 86 years in epic fashion, coming back from 3-0 down in the ALCS (in hindsight, the Red Sox were a better team than the Yankees that season) before sweeping the Cardinals in the World Series. The fact that it came right at the height of the Bradicheck Era made Boston sports fans suddenly feeling giddy about themselves. Like the other two back-to-back Super Bowl winners on this list, take your pick of Patriots teams here. Do you want the 2003 squad that won its final 15 games, including their last-second Super Bowl victory over Carolina? Or would you prefer the 2004 team that extended that winning streak to 21 games overall and beat Philadelphia to become the last back-to-back Super Bowl champion? (Incredibly, these are the Patriots' only consecutive titles!)
3. Los Angeles 2020 (Lakers/Dodgers): I'm putting the Lakers and Dodgers at No. 3. We all know how weird 2020 has been, but it's very likely that they would've won titles had this season been normal. The Lakers were the best team in the NBA pre-shutdown, then proved to be the best team in the bubble, as well, as LeBron won his fourth title and first with the Lakers. The Dodgers had gotten tired of losing in the playoffs, so it was World Series or bust for them. The pressure was turned up even more after they went 43-17 in the 60-game regular season. When they went down 3-1 against the Braves in the NLCS, it looked like they might have yet another playoff disappointment. But they flipped the script and finally ended that well-publicized 32-year championship drought.
2. Boston 2018 (Red Sox/Patriots): Not only did the Red Sox and Patriots win the World Series and Super Bowl four months apart, they both did it by beating an LA team for the title. Let's start with the Red Sox, who had one of those historic seasons. They lost on Opening Day, then won 17 of their next 18 before getting no-hit in Oakland. They ended up with 108 wins in the regular season before breezing past the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers for a World Series title that seemed inevitable in April. As for the Patriots, they won their third straight AFC title (and fourth in five years) and claimed the sixth Lombardi Trophy of the Bradicheck Era by holding the high-scoring Rams offense to just a field goal in one of the most boring Super Bowls ever.
1. New York 1986 (Mets/Giants): Accuse me of hometown bias all you want, but I think the 1986 Mets/Giants combo is the best championship year for any city. Why? Because they're two all-time great teams. The '86 Mets, of course, are legendary. A 108-win regular season followed by a playoff run that included a thrilling NLCS against Houston and a classic World Series comeback against Boston. The '86 Giants didn't make it nearly as interesting. They just bludgeoned everybody to death with their punishing defense, led by Lawrence Taylor in the best season of his career. They ended the season on a 12-game winning streak (including the playoffs). They won their first two playoff games by a combined score of 66-3, then overwhelmed Denver in the Super Bowl.
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