In sports , a division is a group of teams who compete against each other for a championship.
25-625: The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the " Black and Blue Division " for the rough and tough rivalry games between the teams, it currently has four members: the Chicago Bears , Detroit Lions , Green Bay Packers , and Minnesota Vikings , with
50-460: A league system (also known as a pyramid structure), a division consists of a group of teams who play a sport at a similar competitive level. Teams can move up to a higher division of play or drop down to a lower one via the process of promotion and relegation , based on their performance in the standings at the end of the season. The existence of divisions based on level of competition ensures that teams at one competitive level can play other teams at
75-542: A 50-yard field in the spring and early summer). There have been attempts at forming true minor leagues for the professional game (most recently with the XFL in 2020); none so far have been able to balance the major leagues' requests with the ability to maintain financial solvency. League systems can have a negative effect on competitive balance, particularly in European professional football. This sports-related article
100-620: A Super Bowl. In recent years, the division has been less successful in the playoffs compared to others, holding the second-longest active Super Bowl drought (only ahead of the AFC South ) and a 1–9 record in conference championships since 2007, with the only win being the Packers over the Bears in 2010. They have clinched two Super Bowl berths in the 21st century, compared to the other NFC divisions which each have six or more. The division earned
125-724: A governing body ( Minor League Baseball , an organization under the authority of the Commissioner of Baseball , governs baseball leagues; the United States Soccer Federation designates the American soccer pyramid.) Ice hockey 's professional minor league system is linear, with one league at most of the four levels of the game; the ice hockey league system in North America is governed by collective bargaining agreements and affiliation deals between
150-677: A lower division who finish at the top of the standings in their league are promoted (advanced to the next level of the system) while teams who finish lowest in their division are relegated (move down to a lower division). This process can be automatic each year, or can require playoffs. In North America, league systems in the most popular sports do not use promotion or relegation. Most professional sports are divided into major and minor leagues . Baseball and association football (known as soccer in North America) have well-defined pyramid shapes to their minor league hierarchies, each managed by
175-403: A similar competitive level, thus creating parity and more exciting matches. In North America , where sports usually operate on a franchise system rather than a league system, a division is a group of teams within a league which is organized along geographical lines rather than competitive success. Teams based in cities that are in a particular region of the continent are grouped together in
200-432: Is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport. They are often called pyramids , due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions further down the system. League systems of some sort are used in many sports in many countries. In association football , rugby union , rugby league and Gaelic games , league systems are usually connected by the process of promotion and relegation , in which teams from
225-627: Is located in the south-central United States, the Cowboys are a member of the NFC East division due to their long-standing rivalries with the New York Giants , Philadelphia Eagles , and Washington Commanders , all of whom are located on the Eastern seaboard . In U.S. college sports , a "division" has a meaning different from either sense listed above, although somewhat closer to that of
250-684: The AFL–NFL merger . After the merger, it was renamed the NFC Central and retained that name until the NFL split into eight divisions in 2002. The four current division teams have been together in the same division or conference since the Vikings joined the league in 1961. The Bears, Lions (known as the Portsmouth Spartans until 1934) and Packers have been in the same division or conference since
275-544: The NHL , AHL and ECHL . Gridiron football does not operate on a league system. Different professional leagues play by very different sets of rules in different seasons (the NFL plays 11-a-side on a 100-yard field in autumn and early winter, the CFL uses 12-a-side on a 110-yard field in summer and early fall, while arena football and the minor indoor leagues each play 8-a-side on
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#1732783385781300-632: The "NFC Norris" because of its grittiness and its geographical similarity to the National Hockey League 's former Norris Division , although in a twist of irony the NHL dropped the Norris name in favor of Central almost a decade before the NFL dropped the Central name in favor of North. Place cursor over year for division champ or Super Bowl team. + A players' strike in 1982 reduced
325-655: The Bears one, with the most recent happening at the conclusion of the 2010 season . Of the ten NFL teams with the highest winning percentage throughout their respective franchise histories, three of them are in the NFC North (the Packers, the Bears, and the Vikings). Conversely, the Lions have one of the lowest winning percentages in the NFL, including the first winless 16-game season in NFL history, in 2008 . The Packers hold an overall regular season record of 799–598–38 (through
350-404: The NFL began a conference format in 1933. Largely because the four teams have played each other at least twice a year, with the exception of the strike-shortened 1982 season, for more than 60 years (more than 80 years in the case of the Bears, Lions and Packers), the entire division is considered one very large rivalry. The division has a total of five Super Bowl wins. The Packers have won four and
375-401: The division. Moreover, the top teams in a division qualify for the postseason playoff tournament that crowns the league champion, which heightens the rivalries between the teams in a division. Geographically-based divisions can become skewed if an expansion team joins the league or if one of the franchises within a division moves to another city, necessitating a shuffling or realignment of
400-405: The divisions of the league) are at the same competitive level and remain so year after year. North American professional sports leagues often construct their season schedules in a way such that teams in a division play matches against each other more often than other teams in the league. This not only has the effect of reducing travel costs, but also creates exciting rivalries between the teams in
425-715: The end of the 2023 season) with an overall playoff record of 37–26, four Super Bowl titles in five Super Bowl appearances, and nine pre-Super Bowl league titles. The Bears hold an overall regular season record of 793–634–42 with an overall playoff record of 17–20, one Super Bowl title in two Super Bowl appearances, and eight pre-Super Bowl league titles. The Vikings hold an overall regular season record of 523–435–11 with an overall playoff record of 21–31, no Super Bowl titles in four Super Bowl appearances, and one league title. The Lions hold an overall regular season record of 591–707–34 with an overall playoff record of 9–14, and four pre- Super Bowl league titles. They have yet to appear in
450-511: The exception of schools in the highest level of NCAA (American) football , which have never had an NCAA-recognized national championship ). As an example, the NCAA is split into three divisions: The term division is also used in US college sports to indicate the groupings of members of a given conference . However, this usage is more recent. The first conference to divide its teams into divisions
475-687: The latter three based within most definitions of the Upper Midwest . The NFC North was previously known as the NFC Central from 1970 to 2001. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were previously members, from 1977, one year after they joined the league as an expansion team, until 2002 when they moved to the NFC South . The division was created in 1967 as the Central Division of the NFL's Western Conference and existed for three seasons before
500-602: The league system. The major governing bodies for college sports, the NCAA and NAIA , divide their member schools into large competitive groups. These groups are much larger than divisions in either the league or franchise system—for example, the NCAA's highest competitive level, Division I , has more than 300 member schools. The vast majority of teams are members of conferences , smaller groupings that usually have between 6 and 14 members. Conference champions, plus selected other teams, compete in national championship tournaments (with
525-569: The moniker "Black and Blue Division" due to its intense rivalries and physical style of play, and this nickname is still used regularly today. It is also known as the "Frostbite Division" as all teams played home games in late season winter cold until the mid-1970s. The division is also humorously called the "Frozen North", although Detroit has played its home games indoors since 1975, and Minnesota also did so from 1982 to 2013 and returned to indoor home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016. ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman often refers to this division as
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#1732783385781550-753: The regular season to nine games, so the league used a special 16-team playoff tournament just for this year. Division standings were ignored; Green Bay had the best record of the division teams. + A players' strike in 1982 reduced the regular season to nine games, so the league used a special 16-team playoff tournament just for this year. (1967–2023 seasons) To sort table above, click button to right of heading. Does not include Green Bay's 1966 season Super Bowl I win Does not include Tampa Bay's 1976 season (AFC West) and 2002+ seasons (NFC South) (1920–2023 seasons) To sort table above, click button to right of heading. Division (sport) In sports using
575-545: The same division. For instance, in Major League Baseball , both the American and National Leagues have East, Central, and West divisions; the teams in each division are mostly (but not always) located in the eastern, central, and western sections of North America respectively. In a franchise system, teams are not promoted or relegated as are teams in a league system. All teams in the league (and by extension,
600-667: The teams in a division. Furthermore, the results of the realignment may not always reflect geographical realities. For instance, in 1995, the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) moved to St. Louis, Missouri and became the St. Louis Rams . The team retained its place in the NFC West division despite the fact that St. Louis is further east than Dallas, Texas , home of the Dallas Cowboys . Although Dallas
625-668: Was the Southeastern Conference which, upon expanding to 12 members in 1992, divided into Eastern and Western divisions. Other conferences have undergone similar expansion and division. The usage in the section above is still maintained. For example, the Georgia Bulldogs are in Division I, but are also in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. League system A league system
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