Most Overhyped Pro Sports Teams of the 2010s

In the world of professional sports, if you aren’t improving every year, chances are you’re moving backward.

It’s no surprise that teams are willing to go to great lengths in the off-season to set themselves up for success, spending mountains of money and making major personnel changes.

We love it when these moves work out, but it’s not uncommon for a team to fall victim to its own lofty expectations, whether because of injuries, regression, or a collapse of team chemistry.

Here are some teams from the past ten years that just couldn’t live up to the hype.

2011 Philadelphia Eagles: Expectation…

The Eagles seemed to be in great shape heading into 2011, after a 2010 season that featured an incredible comeback year from Michael Vick, who led the team with 9 rushing touchdowns, and strong performances from LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, and Jeremy Maclin, ranking them as the third best offense in the NFL.

With that offensive core returning and the addition of big-name defensive free agents like Nnamdi Asomugha and Jason Babin, hopes were high that the Eagles could make a deep playoff run in 2011.

…and Reality

Unfortunately, Philadelphia lost four of their first five games in 2011, due in part to Vick falling back to earth.

The quarterback scored just one rushing touchdown throughout the entire season, and his interception total more than doubled from 2010, including a brutal four picks in a week five loss to the Bills.

The 2011 Eagles ultimately managed to eke out eight wins, but in the nearly evenly matched NFC East division it wasn’t enough, and they missed the playoffs entirely.

2011 Boston Red Sox: Expectation…

The greatest hype you could give an MLB team is to compare them to the 1927 Yankees, and that’s exactly what several Boston media outlets did for the 2011 Red Sox.

GM Theo Epstein had acquired star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and outfielder Carl Crawford in the offseason to round out a lineup that already featured Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and a formidable stable of starting pitchers.

Fans expected no less than 100 wins and a World Series appearance.

…and Reality

The rose-colored glasses started to come off when the Red Sox opened the season with a 2-10 record, but the team seemed to turn it around in the coming months despite season-ending injuries to starting pitchers Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

By the end of August, Boston had established a 9-game lead in the wild card standings, but they imploded in spectacular fashion in September, losing 20 of their last 27 games to fall out of playoff contention and ten wins short of 100.