1971 Dallas Cowboys
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by Charles Miller

Sometimes asking ChatGPT for answers feels like having a conversation with an overly-self-confident high school sophomore who believes they know everything. After an afternoon of watching a ballgame I decided to ask ChatGPT a sports trivia question to which I did not know the answer. I asked: "In American professional sports, what was the first expansion team to win a championship of its league?"

ChatGPT confidently answered: "The first expansion team in American professional sports to win a championship in its league was the Florida Marlins, who claimed the 1997 World Series title just four years after their inception in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1993."

I was unsure of the correct answer, but I knew that answer from ChatGPT was absolutely, positively wrong. Then, based on my firsthand, albeit decades-old recollections, I responded: "This information is completely incorrect. The Dallas Cowboys won the NFL championships decades earlier."

ChatGPT responded, confidently again: "The first expansion team in American professional sports to win a championship in its league was the Dallas Cowboys. They joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960 and won their first championship in 1971 when they defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI."

I responded to that: "The Minnesota Vikings were an expansion team and won the NFL championship two years before the Cowboys, correct?"

ChatGPT responded: "In the National Football League (NFL), the Minnesota Vikings were also an expansion team, joining in 1961 and winning the NFL championship in 1969."

I was almost poking fun at ChatGPT when I responded to that: "What expansion team won the World Series two months before the Minnesota Vikings won the NFL championship?"

ChatGPT responded" "The New York Mets were an expansion team that won a championship shortly after their inception. The Mets, who began play in 1962, won the World Series in 1969, defeating the Baltimore Orioles."

It was clear that ChatGPT was parroting and expounding on my follow-up questions but it did not know the correct answer to my original question any more than I did. I asked: "Was the Baltimore Colts of the NFL an expansion team ten years before the Mets in MLB?"

ChatGPT responded: "I apologize for any confusion in my previous responses. Let's clarify the information regarding the first expansion team to win a championship in American professional sports. The Baltimore Colts were indeed considered an expansion team in the NFL. The franchise was established in 1953 and won the NFL Championship in 1958."

Still I am still not sure of the correct answer to my original question. I asked ChatGPT to create a list of all American professional sports expansion teams which it did, but the Chicago Bulls and New York Islanders were conspicuously missing from the list. I pointed out the omissions and asked for "AN ACCURATE LIST" in caps.

ChatGPT responded: "Here is a comprehensive and accurate list of expansion teams across the major American professional sports leagues:" That list included the Bulls and Islanders as well as several others I had missed.

I wish I could close out this column by saying that ChatGPT is improving and learning from its mistakes, but several days later as I write this column I decided to ask that original question, word for word as before. The answer this time was "The first expansion team in American professional sports to win a championship in its league is the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS). The Fire achieved this remarkable feat by winning both the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in their inaugural season in 1998."

ChatGPT is amazing technology, but it does not seem to be much of a sports fan.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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