Sports-related curses

A sports-related curse is the effective action of some power or evil, that is used to explain the failures or misfortunes of specific sports teams, players, or even cities. Teams, players, and cities often cite a "curse" for many negative things, such as their inability to win a sports championship, or unexpected injuries.

1993 Runner-Up Curse

In all the major American team sports, the runner-up from the 1993 season has not even played for the championship since then. These teams included the Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia Phillies, Buffalo Bills (playoffs in January 1994), University of Michigan basketball, and University of Notre Dame football. In the ensuing years, Notre Dame has not won a single bowl game, and Buffalo has not won any playoff game beyond a lone wildcard contest in 1995.^[1] The Phillies did not make the playoffs until 2007.

Andretti Curse

Since winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1969, auto racing legend Mario Andretti was plagued with unexplainable bad luck in his efforts to win the great race for a second time until his retirement in 1994. The misfortune at Indianapolis has notably extended to his sons Michael and Jeff, nephew John, as well as grandson Marco.

When Michael Andretti's team won the Indianapolis 500, the driver subsequently defected to rival Chip Ganassi Racing the following year.

Australian Soccer Team Curse

During a trip to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the 1969 World Cup qualifiers, it is claimed that members of the Australian soccer team, the Socceroos, consulted a witch doctor preceding their game. However the move backfired and subsequently the team was cursed by the disgruntled witch doctor. The story was covered by John Safran during his 2004 TV series 'John Safran vs God'. He hired a witch doctor to reverse the curse. It is said to have been successful as the Socceroos qualified the following year for the 2006 World Cup. It is worth noting, however, that their appearance in the 1974 FIFA World Cup came after the supposed curse had been placed. [1]

Buffalo Sports Curse

The Buffalo Curse is a mythical explanation for Buffalo’s inability to win a Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, or any other major league sports championship in the United States, if not the entire world^[2]. Those who believe in the Buffalo Curse [2] cite as examples the four consecutive Super Bowl losses by the Buffalo Bills from 1990-1993, and their failure to even reach the conference playoffs in subsequent years as well as the failure of the Buffalo Sabres to ever win the Stanley Cup (This despite the President's Trophy for most points in 2006-07).

Chicago baseball curse

There has been a superstition of a curse that strikes Chicago’s baseball teams, the Cubs and the White Sox from winning a championship^[3].

The Curse of the Billy Goat is used to explain the failures of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, who have not won a World Series championship since 1908, and a National League pennant since 1945.
The Curse of the Black Sox was a superstition or scapegoat cited as a reason for the failure of the Chicago White Sox to win the World Series from 1917 until 2005. It was finally broken when the White Sox won the World Series in 2005.

Cleveland Sports Curse

There is an alleged curse on the city of Cleveland, Ohio, that prevents them from winning a championship, and to this date, has the biggest sports championship drought in all of the United States, with the last Cleveland title in 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship (pre-Super Bowl era). The Cleveland Indians last won the World Series in 1948 and the Cleveland Cavaliers has never won the NBA Finals (they recently lost in 2007 to the San Antonio Spurs). Some of their most infamous moments have been detailed with a "The______" notion (The Catch, The Drive, The Shot, The Fumble, and The Sweep), not to mention Red Right 88 and the collapse in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series (most commonly referred as The Error). Cleveland's misery is so detailed, that in 2004, ESPN named Cleveland the most tortured sports city.^[4] The cause for Cleveland's misery is unknown, although some can trace it to either Rocky Colavito's departure to the Detroit Tigers in 1960, or Jim Brown's stunning retirement from the NFL in 1965 to produce the World War II film The Dirty Dozen.

Curse of 1940

The Curse of 1940 was placed on the New York Rangers for 54 years. The curse was broken in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, with a 4 games to 3 victory against the Vancouver Canucks.

Curse of 1967

Some believe that the NHL's St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Los Angeles Kings are cursed. Each team has not won a Stanley Cup championship, since 1967. For the Blues and Kings, 1967 was the season that they joined the NHL, also implying that both the Blues and Kings have never won the Stanley Cup. The Leafs case however is more infamous.

Curse of 1970

Similar to the Curse of 1967, some believe that the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks are cursed. Each team has not won a Stanley Cup championship, since 1970. For both, 1970 was the season that each team joined the NHL, also implying that each team has never won the Stanley Cup and both have gone 0-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Curse of the Bambino

There was a curse alleged on the Boston Red Sox major league baseball team, who failed to win a World Series after 1919, apparently due to the trading of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. Before the trade, the Red Sox won 4 titles in 7 years (1912-1918). After the trade, the Yankees have gone on to win 26 World Series Championships. The curse seems to have been lifted when the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 0 in the 2004 World Series (in which before the World Series, the Sox came back from behind to defeat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium).

Curse of Billy Penn

There is an alleged curse on the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania^[5], which has prevented the city's sports teams from winning any titles since the Philadelphia 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals. Some fans believe that the city's breaking a gentlemen's agreement in 1987 that no skyscraper could be higher than the statue of William Penn on the top of the spire of City Hall is the reason for all their misery. Although Philadelphia has since added several super-tall skyscrapers, the "insult" to the city's founder is what many fans believe to be the source of the curse.

The alleged curse was reportedly broken in 2005, when the Philadelphia Phantoms won the Calder Cup in the American Hockey League; because of the NHL lockout, it was regarded as the highest level of professional hockey in that season.

Curse of Detroit

The Curse of Detroit is a more recent Stanley Cup-related curse, penned by Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean. In every NHL season (until 2006-07) since the Detroit Red Wings won the 2002 Stanley Cup championship, each team that has defeated Detroit in the playoffs has gone on to the Stanley Cup Finals, and on each occasion, has lost to the Eastern Conference team in seven games. In the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks seemed to create the curse when they won the Western Conference Quarterfinals series against Detroit 4-0 and eventually ended up in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing the series to the New Jersey Devils 4-3. In the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Calgary Flames won the Western Conference Semifinals series against Detroit 4-2 and eventually ended up in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing the series to the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers won the Western Conference Quarterfinals series against Detroit 4-2 and eventually ended up in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing the series to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. However, during the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Detroit, the top seeded team in the Western Conference, lost in the Western Conference Final to the Anaheim Ducks 4-2, but Anaheim went on to defeat the Ottawa Senators to win the Stanley Cup. It appears as if Anaheim broke the curse they created in three seasons.

Curse of the Garden

There was an alleged curse placed on the Los Angeles Lakers, whenever they played the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, especially at the old Boston Garden. Los Angeles lost to Boston 6 times in the Finals in the 1960s (1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969), and in the 1984 NBA Finals. In several match ups, infamous incidents have seemed to have favored the Celtics, and in series-clinching wins for Boston, legendary coach Red Auerbach was said to have pulled-out his famous "victory cigar," and puffed it in front of the Lakers' bench. But this curse ended, with the Lakers' 4 games to 2 victory over the Celtics in the 1985 NBA Finals. The Lakers' celebration was at Boston Garden, which would be the only time in the Garden's history that a team other than the Celtics won the NBA championship in that building.

Curse of Len Bias

There is an alleged curse that has kept the Boston Celtics from winning the NBA championship since 1986. In the 1985-1986 NBA season, the Celtics won the NBA title with one of the best regular season home records in NBA history, and star-player Larry Bird was putting-up career numbers in several categories. In the off-season, Boston, somehow, grabbed the #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, and selected Maryland Terrapins star Len Bias. But less than 48 hours after selection, Bias died of an apparent heart attack, from a cocaine overdose. Since Bias' death, Boston has advanced to the NBA Finals only once, the ensuing season, where the Los Angeles Lakers would win the series, 4 games to 2, especially memorable for Magic Johnson's "baby sky hook" to win Game 4 in Boston). Several infamous moments include Magic's skyhook, Reggie Lewis' heart attack and death in 1993, the demolition of Boston Garden in 1998, the 15-67 record in 1997, losing the #1 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft to the San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio's pick would be Tim Duncan), losing the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals to the New Jersey Nets, legendary coach Red Auerbach's death in 2006, a franchise-record 18 game losing streak in the 2006-2007 NBA season, and although having the 2nd worst record in the NBA during the 2006-2007 NBA Season, the Celts unexpectedly received the 5th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, and trading it away for three players.

Curse of Marty McSorley

There is an alleged curse that has prevented all NHL teams in Canada from winning in the Stanley Cup Finals, since 1993. In the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, the Los Angeles Kings, already up 1 game to 0 against the Montreal Canadiens, were leading 2-1 in the third period of Game 2, with 1:38 remaining. Montreal head coach Jacques Demers felt suspicious of Kings defenseman Marty McSorley's stick. Referees inspected the stick, and called it "too curved." McSorley was penalized for two minutes, and later, Montreal's Eric Desjardins scored on the ensuing powerplay, sending the game into overtime, in which the Canadiens won. Eventually, Montreal won the cup in 5 games, the last time a team from Canada would do so. Since 1993, the Vancouver Canucks lost to the New York Rangers in 1994, the Calgary Flames lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, the Edmonton Oilers fell victim to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and the Ottawa Senators lost to the Kings' geographical arch-rival, the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

Houston Sports Curse

There is an alleged curse on the city of Houston, Texas^[6], which has a dismal history when it comes to world championships. The origin of the curse may be from the city's approval for the first ever use of AstroTurf in pro sports history. The city's baseball team, the Houston Astros, has appeared to date in only one World Series, in 2005 when the team was swept by the Chicago White Sox (see Curse of the AstroTurf for the specifics of the Houston Astros baseball curse). Although the Houston Oilers won back-to-back AFL titles in 1960 and 1961, neither the Oilers or the city's expansion Houston Texans have won a conference title, much less a Super Bowl. Some argue that teams that leave the city of Houston are also infested with the curse, as the former Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) went to the Super Bowl in 2000, but was one yard short from sending the game into overtime. The Oilers were also defeated by the Buffalo Bills in the greatest comeback ever in NFL history during the wild-card round of the 1993 NFL Playoffs and in the late 1970's while having the league's leading rusher and MVP in Earl Campbell only to get beaten badly in back to back seasons at Pittsburgh in the conference championship, Pittsburgh also shocked the more talented Oilers a decade later by taking the team in an overtime loss in the playoffs. The curse was broken (possibly temporarily) when the Houston Rockets, won two NBA titles in 1994 and 1995, though being an NBA team never to have played on the AstroDomes astroturf, the Rockets may be exempt from the curse. Some also argue the curse is believed to have subsequently reappeared, possibly due to the trade of team legend Hakeem Olajuwon in 2001 to the Toronto Raptors, or the move in 1996 by owner Bud Adams's Houston Oilers to Tennessee. Proof of the curse reappearing may also include the failure of the Rocket's getting past the first round of the playoffs in the 2000's. The curse may also have some affect on the city's new football team Houston Texans, which have yet to make a playoff appearance.

The "Krukow Kurse"

The "Krukow Kurse" is a hex upon the San Francisco Giants used to explain their more than fifty year failure to win the World Series. The alleged source of the curse is Mike Krukow (a former pitcher and current broadcaster for the Giants). Prior to the beginning of each season, Krukow states in one of his preseason radio appearances his usual optimistic opinion that the Giants have a chance to win the World Series. Once Krukow stops making such predictions, says the legend, the Giants will actually win the World Series. Part of the lore of the Krukow Kurse arises from the fact that Krukow was originally drafted by and played for the Chicago Cubs (a team that is itself hexed by the Curse of the Billy Goat). The Curse of the Billy Goat indicates that former Cubs players who move on to other teams will inevitably curse the new team (the Ex-Cubs Factor). The Krukow Kurse allegedly pertains not only to the Giants' World Series prospects, but to individual players' performance in specific games. For example, in a June 8, 2007 inter-league game between the Giants and the Oakland A's, Krukow remarked that the performance of Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum (who had not yet allowed a hit in the game) was one that could result in a no-hitter. Almost immediately after the comment, an A's batter "broke up" the no-hit bid by hitting a single.

Madden Curse

Players who appear on the covers of the Madden NFL video games have tended to, coincidentally, suffer setbacks or injuries immediately after appearing on the cover.

Marty Schottenheimer curse

The Marty Schottenheimer Curse is a sports hex that prevents teams that have Marty Schottenheimer as their head coach from winning (or even going to) the Super Bowl.

San Diego Sports Curse

There is an alleged curse on the city of San Diego, California^[7], who has the dubious distinction of being the largest United States city to have not won a Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals or any other Major League sports championship in the United States or possibly the world. The city’s two teams, the San Diego Padres and the San Diego Chargers have never won a World Series or a Super Bowl. San Diego, also, has had two NBA teams (The Rockets and The Clippers), neither of which ever won a championship. Both NBA teams have moved to different cities, some might say this is part of the curse. Some fans believe that the trading of wide-out Lance Alworth has been the cause of all misery in America’s Finest City.^[8]

Seattle Sports Curse

There is an alleged curse on the city of Seattle^[9] , who has not won a major sports championship since 1979 (although their women’s basketball team has won a championship in 2004). The Seattle Metropolitans won the Stanley cup in 1917 (the first American team to do so), the Seattle Super Sonics (NBA) won a title in 1979, and the Seattle Storm (WNBA) won in 2004. Neither the Seahawks nor the Mariners have ever won a championship. Seattle nearly won a championship when the Seahawks represented the city in Super Bowl XL in 2006, though they fell by a score of 21-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers (Super Bowl XL is also noted for its controversial officiating in which every questionable call or non-call seemed to favor the Pittsburgh Steelers). Citizens of Seattle believe the curse does in fact exist, due to the impending relocation of the Sonics and the Sonics' drafting of Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Sports Illustrated Cover Curse

Players who appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine have tended to, coincidentally, suffer setbacks or injuries, immediately after appearing on the cover.

Tampa Bay Curse

The Tampa Bay Curse is a sports hex that affects teams that have lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.^{[citation needed]} No team that has lost to Tampa Bay in the regular season has gone on to win the Super Bowl.^{[citation needed]} This may be related to the historical bad luck and poor performance of the franchise, though their win in Super Bowl XXXVII has not relieved the effects of the curse as of yet.^{[citation needed]}

References

[1] 1993 Runner-Up Jinx

[2] The lake effect

[3] Windy City blues

[4] Mistakes by the lake

[5] So close, so painful

[6] Houston's pain goes extra innings

[7] No four-leaf clover here

[8] Something's missing

[9] Twenty-five years and counting.

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