Examine individual changes

'{{short description|List of sports superstitions}} {{Multiple issues| {{Essay-like|date=January 2020}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2020}} }} A '''sports-related curse''' is a superstitious belief in 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. ==American football== ===Arizona Cardinals=== {{Main|1925 NFL Championship controversy}} The [[Arizona Cardinals]] [[National Football League]] (NFL) franchise is allegedly suffering a curse<ref>{{cite web|author=David Fleming|title=The NFL's forgotten legend|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/071004&sportCat=nfl/|publisher=ESPN|date=November 20, 2007|access-date=December 30, 2013}}</ref> placed on them by the citizens of [[Pottsville, Pennsylvania]] for undeservedly claiming the 1925 NFL Championship at the expense of the [[Pottsville Maroons]], who were stripped of their title by the NFL in one of the greatest controversies in sports history. This curse will supposedly only be lifted when the Championship is returned to Pottsville, and thus to the correct shade of red team. However, the Pottsville Maroons relocated to Boston in 1929 (as the Bulldogs), with the franchise folding at the end of the season, while Pottsville is now too small to have any realistic prospect of ever receiving another NFL team (the metropolitan area has 45% of the population of that of the league's smallest, [[Green Bay metropolitan area|Green Bay]]), making it impossible for the long-defunct Maroons or any Pottsville team to win another NFL Championship; thus, the curse can only be lifted by overturning the original 1925 ruling. The Cardinals team holds the record for the [[List of NFL franchise post-season droughts|longest championship drought]], with their most recent championship coming in [[1947 NFL Championship Game|1947]], which is also the longest drought in American professional sports, and the 1947 team was notable for having two of its members die during their playing careers within a year of each other ([[Jeff Burkett]] died in a plane crash following appendix surgery during the season, and [[Stan Mauldin]] died of a heart attack after a game the following season). Arizona was also defeated in [[Super Bowl XLIII]] by another Pennsylvania team, the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], whose founder [[Art Rooney]] supported Pottsville's claim to the 1925 Championship, while his family and successors have continued to do so following Art's death in 1988. The franchise also leads the NFL in the total number of losses (both regular season and playoffs), with 785 as of 2021.<ref>{{cite web|title=All-Time Records of Current NFL Franchises |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/UserFiles/file/Start-of-2015-Season.pdf |publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame |date=March 2, 2015 |access-date=March 29, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823225415/http://www.profootballhof.com/UserFiles/file/Start-of-2015-Season.pdf |archive-date=August 23, 2015 }}</ref> ===Detroit Lions=== In 1958, the [[Detroit Lions]] traded [[Bobby Layne]] to the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. Layne responded to the trade by supposedly saying that the Lions would "not win for 50 years".<ref>{{cite news|author=King, Peter|author-link=Peter King (sportswriter)|title=Searching For Bobby Layne|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1152489/index.htm|work=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=March 2, 2009|access-date=November 25, 2010}}</ref> This story has been disputed as being a [[hoax]], particularly because the quote was never published at the time.<ref>{{cite news |author=Rogers, Justin |title=Turns out the Curse of Bobby Layne is probably a myth |url=http://blog.mlive.com/highlightreel/2009/03/turns_out_the_curse_of_bobby_l.html |work=MLive.com |date=March 7, 2009 |access-date=2010-11-25}}</ref> Still, for the next 50 years after the trade, the Lions accumulated the worst winning percentage of any team in the NFL. They are still one of only two franchises that have been in the NFL since 1970 that have not played in a [[Super Bowl]] (the other team is the [[Cleveland Browns]], but because of the Browns' three-year franchise suspension after the 1995 season due to its [[Cleveland Browns relocation controversy|controversial relocation to Baltimore]], the Lions' streak is longer). The Lions postseason record in this time was 1–10 in ten appearances, their lone playoff win coming against the [[Dallas Cowboys]] following the 1991 season. When the Pittsburgh Steelers won their [[Super Bowl XL|fifth Super Bowl championship]] in 2006, they won it at [[Ford Field]], the Lions' current home. In the last year of the supposed curse, in 2008, Detroit finished [[2008 Detroit Lions season|0–16]], the first team to [[winless season|lose every game]] of a 16-game season, and the Steelers won their [[Super Bowl XLIII|sixth Super Bowl championship]]. ===Philadelphia Eagles=== {{Main Article|The Lombardi Curse}} This alleged curse supposedly prevented the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] franchise from winning a [[Super Bowl]] game until [[Super Bowl LII]]. The origin of this curse dates back to 1960, when the Eagles defeated [[Vince Lombardi]] and the [[Green Bay Packers]] in the [[1960 NFL Championship Game]]. This would be the only playoff loss in Lombardi's coaching career. Following Lombardi's death in 1970, the league honored his legacy by naming the [[Vince Lombardi Trophy|Super Bowl trophy]] after him. This renaming, combined with the Eagles' inability to win another championship after their 1960 victory, led some Eagles fans to believe the franchise was cursed by Vince Lombardi; that beating Lombardi meant never winning the trophy named after him. During that time, the Eagles accumulated a lot of playoff heartbreak, including 2 Super Bowl losses to the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots, and 3 consecutive NFC Championship Game losses from 2001 to 2003. The "curse" was broken when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII to claim their [[2017 Philadelphia Eagles season|first NFL World Championship]] since 1960. ===''Madden NFL''=== {{Main|Madden NFL#Madden Curse}} {{update|date=February 2020}} Prior to 1999, every annual installment of the ''[[Madden NFL]]'' video game franchise primarily featured [[John Madden]] on its cover. In 1999, [[EA Tiburon|Electronic Arts]] selected [[San Francisco 49ers]] running back [[Garrison Hearst]] to appear on the PAL version's cover, and has since featured one of the league's top players on every annual installment despite Madden's opposition. While appearing on the cover has become an honor akin to appearing on the Wheaties box, much like the [[Sports Illustrated cover jinx|''Sports Illustrated'' cover jinx]], certain players who appeared on the ''Madden'' video game box art have experienced a decline in performance, usually due to an injury.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|title=There Is No Such Thing as the Madden Curse|url=http://kotaku.com/347001/there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-madden-curse|publisher=Kotaku|date=April 27, 2010|access-date=October 26, 2012}}</ref> When asked about the "Madden Curse", [[Christopher Erb|Chris Erb]], then director of marketing for EA Sports, commented, "I don't know that we believe in the curse. The players don't believe in the curse."{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} After appearing on the cover of [[Madden NFL 20]], [[Kansas City Chiefs]] quarterback [[Patrick Mahomes]] suffered a dislocated patella on a week 7 game, which kept him out of games until week 10 of the [[2019 NFL season]]. Nevertheless, after returning he led the Chiefs to a [[Super Bowl LIV]] win, which many considered to have the Madden curse broken.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/2/2/21119772/patrick-mahomes-madden-cover-curse-super-bowl-mvp|title=Patrick Mahomes officially broke the Madden cover curse|first=Owen S.|last=Good|date=February 2, 2020|website=Polygon}}</ref> ===Super Bowl=== {{Main|Super Bowl curse}} The [[Super Bowl]] curse or Super Bowl hangover is a phrase referring to one of three things that occur in the [[National Football League]] (NFL): Super Bowl participant clubs that follow up with lower-than-expected performance the following year; NFL teams that do not repeat as Super Bowl champions; and host teams of the Super Bowl that do not play the game on their own home fields. The phrase has been used to explain both why losing teams may post below-average winning percentages in the following year and why Super Bowl champions seldom return to the title game the following year. The term has been used since at least 1992, when ''[[The Washington Post]]'' commented that "the Super Bowl Curse has thrown everything it's got at the Washington Redskins. The Jinx that has bedeviled defending champs for 15 years has never been in better form".<ref>{{cite web|last=Boswell|first=Thomas|title=A Curse but not yet a sin|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1992/09/21/a-curse-but-not-yet-a-sin/2fc1a03d-6d8f-411d-80fa-e092a3f4f1e3/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 21, 1992|access-date=October 22, 2016}}</ref> The phenomenon is attributed by football commentator and former NFL manager [[Charley Casserly]] to such elements as "a shorter offseason, contract issues, [and] more demand for your players' time".<ref name="USA">{{cite news|last=Gruber|first=Jack|title=Champions, for now — Super Bowl curse could vex Colts, Bears|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2007-02-07-sw-cover-super-bowl_x.htm|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=February 6, 2007|access-date=April 19, 2008}}</ref> Casserly also notes that "once the season starts, you become the biggest game on everybody's schedule."<ref name="USA"/> Alleged curse notwithstanding, multiple teams have indeed repeated as Super Bowl champions, including the [[Green Bay Packers]] in the first two Super Bowls, the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] twice in the 1970s, the [[Miami Dolphins]] also in the 1970s, the [[San Francisco 49ers]] in the 1980s, the [[Dallas Cowboys]] in the 1990s, and the [[New England Patriots]] in the 2000s (decade), and there are multiple cases of teams reaching the conference championship or further up to four times in a row: the 1990s Cowboys and [[Buffalo Bills]] and the 2000s [[Philadelphia Eagles]] being three recent examples. The latter part of the curse has also been broken for the first time in 2021 with the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] playing in [[Super Bowl LV]] in their home stadium, ending the game as champions. ==Association football== ===Aaron Ramsey=== Online users and tabloid journalists have written of a "Curse of Ramsey", in which celebrities die within hours of Welsh footballer [[Aaron Ramsey]] scoring regardless where he plays. The phenomenon has been brought up after such high-profile deaths as those of [[Ted Kennedy]], [[Osama bin Laden]], [[Muammar Gadaffi]], [[Steve Jobs]], [[Whitney Houston]], [[Robin Williams]], [[Paul Walker]], [[David Bowie]], [[Alan Rickman]], [[Nancy Reagan]], [[Chester Bennington]], [[Tommy Smith (footballer born 1945)|Tommy Smith]], [[Gregg Allman]], [[Roger Moore]], [[Stephen Hawking]], [[Eric Bristow]], [[Burt Reynolds]], [[Mac Miller]], [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Keith Flint]], [[Luke Perry]], [[Hosni Mubarak]] and [[Max von Sydow]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aaron-ramsey-goal-nancy-reagan-10999813|title=Aaron Ramsey scored a goal and people are now linking it with Nancy Reagan's death|last1=Sands|first1=Katie|date=7 March 2016|access-date=1 May 2016|publisher=Wales Online}}</ref> ===América de Cali=== The Colombian [[association football|football]] team [[América de Cali]] was under a curse since 1948. There was a discussion that year, in a meeting held by team owners, about moving América into the professional league. Benjamín Urrea, one of the owners, was opposed to the idea, so he said famously "They can do whatever they want with the team, but I swear to God they will never be champions".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://caracol.com.co/radio/2008/01/06/deportes/1199639400_529400.html|title=Murió el "autor" de la "maldición de Garabato" que le impedía al América ganar títulos|first=Caracol|last=Radio|date=6 January 2008|website=Caracol Radio}}</ref> He left the room, while the other owners laughed at him, and he never returned to the team. The team had to wait for 31 years to get its first professional title, in 1979. In 1980, journalist Rafael Medina and singer Antonio del Vivar performed an exorcising ritual on América's home field, to help the team to overcome the curse in the [[Copa Libertadores]], the tournament that decides which team is the South American champion. After that performance, the team went to win five straight national titles, but, notwithstanding the seven more national championships that the team has obtained since then, some fans still believe the curse is alive, as América de Cali is famous for not having been able to win this South American title. The team has been four times the runner-up in Copa Libertadores, three of them in a row – [[1985 Copa Libertadores|1985]], [[1986 Copa Libertadores|1986]] and [[1987 Copa Libertadores|1987]]. The last of the sequence was especially painful to the fans, as the team lost the title in the last minute of overtime in the third match, when the tie would award them the title due to goal difference, leading a Colombian narrator to a dramatic narration of the goal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pP9O4dOnGI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/5pP9O4dOnGI |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Peñarol Campeón de América 1987 Relato Colombiano y Uruguayo.mp4 |publisher=YouTube |date=2012-05-05 |access-date=2015-02-20}}{{cbignore}}</ref> América de Cali is known as The Red Devils because the shield of the team sports a devil, with horns, tail and trident, which lead to some players masking their own shield with tape to overcome the curse, apparently to no avail. During [[Gabriel Ochoa Uribe|Gabriel Ochoa]]'s twelve-year tenure as coach, the crest was removed from the uniform for personal religious reasons and, after returning to the uniforms, it was removed again in 1992. In 2010 the crest with the devil was revived and the team went into severe financial problems that moved the Colombian football authorities to ask the team to pay its debts if they wanted to play during the 2011 season,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canaltrans.com/deportes/futbol1/historias/001.html |title=La historia del nombre del América de Cali |publisher=Canaltrans.com |access-date=2015-02-20}}</ref> the first of the five seasons they were to spend in [[Categoría Primera B|relegation]]. The team [[2016 Categoría Primera B season|returned to the first division]] for the 2017 season. ===Australia national team=== In a story told in [[Johnny Warren]]'s 2002 [[autobiography]], ''Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/soccer/safran-helps-lift-curse-of-the-socceroos/2005/11/19/1132017027452.html|title=Safran helps lift curse of the Socceroos|last=Sygall|first=David|date=November 20, 2005|work=[[The Age]]|publisher=theage.com.au|access-date=21 December 2010}}</ref> during a trip to play against [[Rhodesia national football team|Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe national football team|Zimbabwe]]) in the [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970 Mexico World Cup]] [[1970 FIFA World Cup qualification#Asia and Oceania (AFC/OFC)|qualifiers]] in [[Mozambique]], members of the [[Australia national soccer team]] (nicknamed the "Socceroos"), including Warren, consulted a [[witch doctor]] preceding their game. The witch doctor buried bones near the goal-posts and cursed the opposition, and Australia went on to beat Rhodesia 3–1 in the decider. However, the move backfired when the players could not come up with the [[Pound sterling|£]]1000 demanded by the witch doctor as payment, and he subsequently cursed the team. Subsequently, the Socceroos failed to beat [[Israel national football team|Israel]] and did not qualify. Whilst the curse is used as an explanation for failing to qualify for the World Cup for 32 years, including in the last match in the [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]], [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]] and [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]] qualifications, the curse is used in particular reference to the failure to qualify for the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 World Cup]] by drawing on aggregate against [[Iran national football team|Iran]], despite leading 2–0 in the second half of [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–OFC play-off)|the final match of qualification]]. The curse was supposedly lifted by [[John Safran]] during episode 7 of his 2004 TV series ''[[John Safran vs God]]''. After reading the story in Warren's book, Safran travelled to Mozambique and hired a new witch doctor to channel the original to reverse the curse. The following year, the Socceroos not only qualified for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]], but reached the [[2006 FIFA World Cup#Knockout stage|second round]] before being beaten by eventual champions [[Italy national football team|Italy]] in [[Kaiserslautern]]. The Socceroos have since qualified for the 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups. Australia did appear in the [[1974 FIFA World Cup]] after the curse had been placed. However, they failed to score a goal in any of their three opening round matches, and were eliminated.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/socceroos-owe-it-all-to-one-man--and-it-isnt-hiddink/2005/11/19/1132017026017.html|title=Socceroos owe it all to one man – and it isn't Hiddink|last=Sygall|first=David|date=November 20, 2005|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=21 December 2010}}</ref> ===Bayer Leverkusen=== {{Main|Neverkusen}} German [[Bundesliga]] club [[Bayer 04 Leverkusen]] were given the nicknames "Neverkusen",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/soccer-champions-dortmund-idUKL3N0TE3RY20141125|title=German nearly men look to shed Neverkusen tag|date=25 November 2014|publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> "Vizekusen" (''vize'' meaning "second" in German) and "Bridesmaid of Europe" for its record during the 1990s to 2000s of reaching finals of major tournaments but failing to win, or finishing runner-up in the league. Bayer were runners-up in the Bundesliga for three out of four seasons between [[1998–99 Bundesliga|1998–99]] and [[2001–02 Bundesliga|2001–02]]) and as of the [[2020–21 Bundesliga|2020–21 season]], have yet to win the title. The nicknames were popularised after the 2001–02 season when the club finished runner-up in the two major domestic competitions ([[2001–02 Bundesliga|league]] and [[2001–02 DFB-Pokal|cup]]) and the [[2001–02 UEFA Champions League|Champions League]]. Additionally, the [[Germany national football team|German national team]] which finished runner-up to Brazil at the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]] featured five Leverkusen players.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/germany_v_brazil/newsid_2069000/2069502.stm|title='Neverkusen' ghost haunts final|date=28 June 2002|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]}}</ref> ===Benfica=== [[Béla Guttmann]], a former Hungarian [[footballer]] and then [[Manager (association football)|manager]], joined [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]] in 1959 and coached the Portuguese club to two [[Primeira Liga]] titles, one [[Portuguese Cup]] and two [[UEFA Champions League|European Cups]]. In 1962, after his second European Cup title, he asked for a pay raise but had his request turned down despite the great success he achieved at the [[Lisbon]] club, also having his contract terminated. Then, he cursed the club declaring: "Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion." Benfica has appeared in five [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] finals and three [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League]] finals since 1962 and lost all eight matches.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guttman's curse strikes Benfica again|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=2080464.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607223908/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=2080464.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 7, 2013 |publisher=[[FIFA]]|date=May 15, 2013|access-date=February 20, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsoccer.com/blogs/bela-guttmann-curse-benfica-351924|title=Béla Guttmann and the curse of Benfica|last=Philpott|first=Alex|date=18 May 2014|publisher=[[World Soccer (magazine)|World Soccer]]|access-date=27 January 2016}}</ref> This curse also extends to the [[UEFA Youth League]], as Benfica's [[S.L. Benfica Juniors|under-19 team]] has reached 3 finals but lost all of them. ===Birmingham City=== [[File:TiltonRoadEnd01.JPG|thumb|According to legend, Romani people put a 100-year curse on [[St Andrew's (stadium)|St Andrew's]] in 1906]] English football side [[Birmingham City F.C.]] played 100 years under an alleged curse from 1906 to 2006.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Birmingham City Gypsy Curse is Lifted|date=December 26, 2006|first=Bob|last=Kellet}}</ref> As the legend goes, the club moved from nearby [[Muntz Street]] into its current location at [[St Andrew's (stadium)|St Andrew's]], building the stadium on land that was being used by the [[Romani people]]. After they were forced to move, the angry [[Romani people]] put a 100-year hex on the stadium.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Martin|title=Birmingham hope curse has run course|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2352837/Birmingham-hope-curse-has-run-course.html|access-date=21 September 2017|work=Telegraph|date=25 December 2006}}</ref> Throughout the years many Birmingham City managers would try to remove the curse but with little success. Former manager [[Ron Saunders]] tried to banish the curse in the 1980s by placing crucifixes on floodlights and painting the bottom of his players' boots red.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barney|first1=Ronay|title=The Manager|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P38foEpwni4C&q=ron+saunders+gypsy+curse&pg=PT148|isbn=9780748117703|date=2010-08-05}}</ref> Another manager, [[Barry Fry]], in charge from 1993 to 1996, urinated in all four corners of the pitch<ref>{{cite news|title=Football curses: witchdoctors, exorcisms and tactical urination|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/apr/25/the-knowledge-football-curses|access-date=25 June 2015|work=The Guardian}}</ref> after a [[clairvoyant]] said it would break the spell. On [[Boxing Day]] 2006 the curse was finally lifted and on that day Birmingham City celebrated a 2–1 win over [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.]]. Just over four years after the alleged curse ended, Birmingham City finally won the first major final in their history – beating Arsenal 2–1 to win the [[2010–11 Football League Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Arsenal 1 – 2 Birmingham|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/9405702.stm|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> Birmingham City were relegated to the [[Football League Championship]] later that season, and have not been promoted back to the [[Premier League]] since. ===Cruz Azul (Comizzo curse)=== Origins of the curse began during the final of the [[Primera División de México Invierno 1997|Mexican League winter tournament in 1997]], contested between [[Cruz Azul]] and [[Club León]] in a two-legged match.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maquinacementera.com.mx/hoy_puede_terminar_la_maldicion_del_97-noticias_de_cruz_azul-ispyp-439305.htm|title=Hoy puede terminar "la maldición del 97" – La Cancha de Cruz Azul|date=2012-08-25|publisher=Maquinacementera.com.mx|access-date=2013-12-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://diario.latercera.com/2013/05/28/01/contenido/deportes/4-137868-9-cruz-azul-sufre-con-la-maldicion.shtml|title=Cruz Azul sufre con la maldición &#124; Deportes &#124; La Tercera Edición Impresa|date=2013-05-28|publisher=Diario.latercera.com|access-date=2013-12-30}}</ref> At the time they were the [[Liga MX#Titles by club|3rd and 4th teams with the most league championships in Mexico respectively]]. Both teams were tied until the last moments of the second leg when Leon's goalkeeper [[Ángel Comizzo]] kicked Cruz Azul's star striker [[Carlos Hermosillo]] in the face, causing Hermosillo to bleed profusely inside the penalty area, leading to a foul and a penalty kick in Cruz Azul's favor. As the penalty was given, the referee asked Hermosillo to wipe the blood from his face, but Hermosillo ignored him and took the penalty kick, scoring a late winner. Cruz Azul became league champion for the 8th time in club history, but fans believed that both teams were cursed by the blood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vavel.com/mobile/mx/197106-la-maldicion-de-comizzo.html|title=La maldición de Comizzo &#124; VAVEL Mobile|date=2012-11-15|publisher=Vavel.com|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630140425/http://www.vavel.com/mobile/mx/197106-la-maldicion-de-comizzo.html|archive-date=2013-06-30|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-12-30}}</ref> Leon was then relegated to an [[Ascenso MX|inferior league]] in 2002 but since 2012 they were promoted back to the now-renamed [[Liga MX]] (formerly ''Primera División'') and would later become back-to-back league champions after defeating [[Club América]] in the [[2013–14 Liga MX season|2013 Apertura]] playoffs, breaking their part of the curse. On the other hand, Cruz Azul had lost several finals in the [[Liga MX|Mexican league]], the [[CONCACAF Champions League]], and the [[Copa Libertadores]], many of them at the last minute, which had their part in the curse hold true. While Cruz Azul won the [[Clausura 2013 Copa MX|2013 Clausura edition]] of the [[Copa MX]] and the [[CONCACAF Champions League]] in [[2014 CONCACAF Champions League Final|2014]], the club had yet to win their first league championship since 1997. Their multiple losses and inability to win any league championship has [[Club América|rival]] [[C.F. Pachuca|club]] [[Pumas UNAM|fans]] bestow Cruz Azul with the mock title "''Sub-Campeonísimos''" (literally "Supreme [[runner up|Runner Up]]s".) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centraldeportiva.com/fut_mex/detalle/Las+maldiciones+no+existen+en+Cruz+Azul-59620|title=Las maldiciones no existen en Cruz Azul|date=2012-11-17|publisher=Centraldeportiva.com|access-date=2013-12-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.excelsior.com.mx/2012/11/17/adrenalina/870316|title=Sigue la maldición de Cruz Azul; León a semifinales &#124; Excélsior|author=POR: Notimex|date=2012-11-17|publisher=Excelsior.com.mx|language=es|access-date=2013-12-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://leon.milenio.com/cdb/doc/impreso/9181541|title=León – Milenio – Grupo Milenio|publisher=Leon.milenio.com|access-date=2013-12-30}}</ref> Additionally, the term "'Cruzazulear'" (Cruzazul-ing) was coined to describe whenever the team (or any team in general) loses in a humiliating fashion at the last minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marca.com/claro-mx/futbol/cruz-azul/2017/12/05/5a26e1bde5fdead52c8b4580.html|publisher=MARCA.com|access-date=2018-05-15|title=Cruz Azul: ¿Qué significa exactamente la palabra cruzazulear?|date=5 December 2017}}</ref> The word is now in observation by the [[Royal Spanish Academy]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rae.es/observatorio-de-palabras/cruzazulear|publisher=RAE.com|access-date=2020-05-15|title=Cruzazulear}}</ref> The "curse" was eventually broken at the end of the [[Guardianes 2021 Liga MX final phase|2021 Clausura finals]], when Cruz Azul defeated [[Santos Laguna]] 2–1 on aggregate, thus achieving their first league title in over 23 years, and ninth overall. ===Derby County F.C.=== [[English football]] side [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] were placed under a curse by a group of [[Romani people|Romani Gypsies]] who were forced to move from a camp so that they could build their stadium, the [[Baseball Ground]]. The curse was that Derby County would never win the [[FA Cup]].<ref name="rsssf.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rsssf.com/rssbest/fa2.html |title=FA Cup Trivia #6 |publisher=Rsssf.com |access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref> This mirrors the curse placed on [[Birmingham City F.C.]]. Despite reaching six FA Cup semi-finals between 1896 and 1903, including three finals, they never managed to win the trophy. The next time they reached the final was in [[1946 FA Cup Final|1946]] against [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]]. In the buildup to the final, a representative from the club went to meet with Gypsies in an attempt to lift the curse.<ref name="rsssf.com"/> During the match, with the score tied at 1-1, the ball burst. It has since been seen by fans of the club as the moment the curse was lifted.<ref name="rsssf.com"/> Derby County went on to win the match 4–1. ===England Penalty Curse=== Prior to the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] [[England national football team|England]] hadn't won a game on a penalty shootout since 1996. The curse was broken with a penalty victory against [[Colombia national football team|Colombia]] in the 2018 World Cup round-of-16.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-worldcup-col-eng/england-ends-penalty-curse-to-reach-last-eight-idUSKBN1JT2CM|title=England ends penalty curse to reach last eight|website=Reuters|last1=Phillips|first1=Mitch|date=July 4, 2008|access-date=May 25, 2020}}</ref> ===European World Cup champions' curse=== Starting in 2002, European winners of the [[FIFA World Cup]] have frequently been eliminated in the group stages of the next World Cup.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-world-cup-champions-curse-germany-out-people-used-explanation-998349|title=Explaining the so-called World Cup champions' curse amid Germany's elimination|date=June 27, 2018|website=Newsweek}}</ref> As of [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]] [[Germany National Football Team|Germany]] has become the third World Champion in a row to bow out at the group stages of the World Cup,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/fifa/germany-victim-champions-curse-world-cup-5236258/|title=Germany become sixth victims of World Cup champions curse|date=June 28, 2018}}</ref> and the fourth in 5 competitions. Previously, [[1998 FIFA World Cup]] winners [[France National Football Team|France]] were eliminated at the group stages in the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]], [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] winners [[Italy National Football Team|Italy]] were eliminated in the groups stages in [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]], then [[2010 FIFA World Cup]] winners [[Spain National Football Team|Spain]] were eliminated in [[2014 FIFA World Cup]] group stages, and the most recent occasion was 2014 winners Germany, who were also eliminated in the group stages of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/champions-curse-strikes-again-as-germany-exit-world-cup|title=Champions curse strikes again as Germany exit World Cup|date=June 27, 2018|website=www.sportskeeda.com}}</ref> ===''FIFA'' cover curse=== Appearing on the cover of [[Electronic Arts|EA]]'s popular [[FIFA (video game series)|''FIFA'']] video game series has sometimes been said to represent a curse, with players experiencing injury, poor form or other controversies in the year following their appearance on the cover. Of course, as with the ''Madden'' and [[Sports Illustrated cover jinx|''Sports Illustrated'' cover jinx]], a player who appears on the cover of ''FIFA'' is likely to be at the peak of his career, so there is only one way to go from there — downward. Allegedly cursed players include: *[[Wayne Rooney]] (''[[FIFA 06]]''): fractured a [[metatarsal]] and underperformed at the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]], which culminated with a red card in a quarter-final loss against Portugal. *[[Theo Walcott]] (''[[FIFA 10]]''): was not selected for the England squad at the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]]. *[[Kaká]] (''[[FIFA 11]]''): was injured and only played eleven games in the [[2010–11 La Liga]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-foul-play-football-gaming-kylian-mbappes-injury-proves-the-fifa-cover-curse-could-exist-20200725|title=Kylian Mbappe's Injury Proves The 'FIFA Cover Curse' Could Actually Exist|website=www.sportbible.com}}</ref> *[[Jack Wilshere]] (''[[FIFA 12]]''): injured all season and did not play a single minute.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://realsport101.com/fifa/fifa-20-ranking-the-26-best-fifa-covers-of-all-time-stars-release-demo-ronaldo-messi-mbappe/|title=FIFA 20: Ranking the 26 best FIFA covers of all time|website=realsport101.com}}</ref> *''[[FIFA 19]]'': Originally the cover star was [[Cristiano Ronaldo]], who was then accused of [[rape]], which caused him to be dropped from the cover. Replaced with [[Neymar]], [[Kevin De Bruyne]] and [[Paulo Dybala]]; all had rather poor seasons. *[[Eden Hazard]] (''[[FIFA 20]]''): was injured for most of the season after a €100 million move to [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]], calling it "the worst season of his career." *[[Kylian Mbappé]] (''[[FIFA 21]]''): He scored 0 from 14 in the UEFA European Championship and missed a crucial penalty against Switzerland during a penalty shootout at the [[UEFA Euro 2020|2020 UEFA European Championship]], eliminating France in the Round of 16. ===Hibernian F.C.=== [[Scottish football]] side [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]] endured a 114-year wait to win their third [[Scottish Cup]], eventually doing so against [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] in the [[2016 Scottish Cup Final|2016 final]]. Prior to this success, Hibs had lost an agonising ten [[List of Scottish Cup finals|Scottish Cup finals]]<ref>{{cite news|title=114 years of hurt: Hibs' last ten Scottish Cup finals|url=http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/114-years-of-hurt-hibs-last-ten-scottish-cup-finals-1-4133489|access-date=20 May 2016|publisher=Edinburgh Evening News}}</ref> in a drought stretching back to [[1902 Scottish Cup Final|1902]]. Hibernian's hoodoo was made all the more noteworthy by their relative success in other major Scottish footballing honours - the [[Leith]] side won four [[List of Scottish football champions#Total titles won|league titles]] and three [[Scottish League Cup|league cups]] whilst remaining fruitless in their search for Scottish Cup glory. In spite of remaining a prominent force within Scottish football and building notoriously excellent sides such as [[The Famous Five (football)|the Famous Five]] and [[History of Hibernian F.C.#Turnbull.27s Tornadoes .281971.E2.80.931980.29|Turnbull's Tornadoes]], Hibs were for so long unable to lift the oldest trophy in world football.<ref>{{cite news|title=After 137 years, it's official: Scottish Cup is world football's oldest trophy|url=http://www.scotsman.com/sport/after-137-years-it-s-official-scottish-cup-is-world-football-s-oldest-trophy-1-1727646|access-date=4 July 2011|publisher=The Scotsman}}</ref> Some Hibs fans attributed the absence of Scottish Cup success to a curse which a gypsy woman allegedly placed upon the club during the chairmanship of Harry Swan.<ref>{{cite news|title=Harry Swan|url=http://www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/blog/item/122-harry-swan|access-date=11 December 2012|publisher=Hibernian Historical Trust}}</ref> Whilst renovation works were being carried out at Hibernian's [[Easter Road]] stadium in the 1950s, a harp crest – which had been displayed on the South Stand symbolising Hibernian's founding Irish roots – was removed and subsequently did not reappear when work had finished.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Irish gypsy's curse on Hibernian FC has finally been broken|url=http://irishpost.co.uk/the-irish-gypsys-curse-on-hibernian-fc-has-finally-been-broken/|access-date=30 May 2016|publisher=The Irish Post}}</ref> During the [[2015–16 Hibernian F.C. season|2015-16 season]], Hibs' modern day badge (which includes the harp) was placed upon the facade of the West Stand at Easter Road.<ref>{{cite news|title=CREST ON THE WEST AT EASTER ROAD|url=http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/news/5748|access-date=5 October 2015|publisher=Hibernian F.C.}}</ref> Less than eight months after the harp had been reinstated onto the walls of Easter Road, Hibernian were once again Scottish Cup winners after more than a century in the making.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rangers 2-3 Hibernian|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36292302|access-date=21 May 2016|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> ===Liverpool F.C.=== [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] goalkeeper [[Bruce Grobbelaar]] claimed in interviews that the reason why Liverpool hadn't won the league since the [[1989-90 Football League First Division|1989-90]] season was because a witch-doctor put a curse on the club from ever winning the league in a testimonial match for Grobbelaar in 1992 and that the only way to break the curse was to urinate on the four goalposts at the Anfield stadium. In a December 2019 interview, Grobbelaar revealed to have splashed urine on all four goalposts at Anfield after a charity match in May; he had been caught urinating on the posts at the Kop end in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|first= Ste|last=Hoare|title=BRUCE GROBBELAAR: A WITCH-DOCTOR HAS CURSED LIVERPOOL! |url=https://readliverpoolfc.com/2018/10/05/bruce-grobbelaar-a-witch-doctor-has-cursed-liverpool/|access-date=May 5, 2019|date=October 5, 2018|publisher=Read Liverpool}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Liverpool legend Grobbelaar: I've broken Anfield Prem curse - by splashing urine on posts!|url=https://www.lfclive.net/news/Liverpool-legend-Grobbelaar-Ive-broken-Anfield-Prem-curse--by-splashing-urine-on-posts-843408|access-date=December 16, 2019|publisher=LFC Live}}</ref> His confession came as Liverpool won the [[2019–20 Premier League]] with 99 points. ===Mexico national team=== The [[Mexico national football team]] have been eliminated from every [[FIFA World Cup]] at the round of 16 stage from 1994 onward, with the first incident happening in the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]] when the team lost to [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]] through a penalty shootout, and since then were eliminated at the same stage from every tournament afterwards (losing to [[Germany national football team|Germany]] in [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]], the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] in [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]], [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] in [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]] and [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]], [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] in [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]], and [[Brazil National Football Team|Brazil]] in [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]].)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lopez|first1=Oscar|title=Is 'El Tri' Cursed? Mexico's Sad History Of Not Making World Cup Quarter Finals In 20 Years|url=http://www.latintimes.com/el-tri-cursed-mexicos-sad-history-not-making-world-cup-quarter-finals-20-years-187024|access-date=5 February 2017|publisher=Latin Times|date=29 June 2014}}</ref> Mexican fans name it ''«The curse of the Fifth game»''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Arnold |first1=Jon |title=México and the curse of the fifth game |url=https://www.goal.com/story/mexicocurse/index.html |access-date=27 September 2021 |work=[[Goal (website)|Goal]] |language=es}}</ref> ===Mick Jagger curse=== When singer [[Mick Jagger]] openly supports a team or attends a game supporting a team, the supported team has suffered losses. The curse was widely speculated and reported on during the [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]] and [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]] World Cups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/mick-jagger-curse-world-cup-1202871180/|title=Mick Jagger Curse Handicaps England at World Cup|website=Variety|last1=Clopton|first1=Ellis|date=July 11, 2018|access-date=May 25, 2020}}</ref> ===Netherlands' FIFA World Cup curse=== The [[Netherlands national football team]] has been a frequent participant in the [[FIFA World Cup]], but has never been able to lift off the glorious World Cup trophy, with the team failed to win in [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]] and [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]]. The [[Netherlands women's national football team|women's team]] had managed to reach the same final in the equivalent [[FIFA Women's World Cup]] when they did it in [[2019 FIFA Women's World Cup|2019]], but also failed to win the trophy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tellerreport.com/sports/2019-07-07---world-2019--the-netherlands-or-the-poulidor-syndrome-.HJ-TYSh1bS.html|title=World 2019: The Netherlands or the Poulidor Syndrome &#124; tellerreport.com|website=www.tellerreport.com}}</ref> ===Scotland national team=== The [[Scotland national football team]] has participated in eight [[FIFA World Cup]]s, as well as three [[UEFA European Championship]], but has always been eliminated from the first round regardless of any competitions they have participated. The same issue happens to the [[Scotland women's national football team]], when it was eliminated from the group stage of [[UEFA Women's Euro 2017]] and [[2019 FIFA Women's World Cup]] despite having chances to progress.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/sport/football/aberdeen-fc/donsnews/aberdeen-defender-declan-gallagher-can-push-into-euro-2020-starting-xi-insists-scotland-legend-stuart-mccall/|title = Evening Express the Press and Journal combined}}</ref> ===South Korea national team (AFC Asian Cup curse)=== [[South Korea national football team]] had won just their second [[AFC Asian Cup]] title in [[1960 AFC Asian Cup|1960 edition]], when it was the host nation. After winning the edition, the entire team went to receive the gold medals, only to be later founded as fake, thought to be pocketed the money earmarked for the precious metal by a corrupt official. The players then demanded the [[Korea Football Association]] to get the real medals, but no one took responsibility for the issue for 50 years. Some Korean fans believed the national team was cursed by this action of the KFA – the national team has never won an Asian Cup title again, having lost four agonising finals to [[Iran national football team|Iran]], [[Kuwait national football team|Kuwait]], [[Saudi Arabia national football team|Saudi Arabia]] and [[Australia national soccer team|Australia]]. The KFA then tried to undo the curse by giving medals to the surviving players of 1960 generation, as well as its relatives (still not completed), but the national team as for the [[2019 AFC Asian Cup]], still failed to win the Asian Cup for the third time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20190107006700315|title = (Yonhap Feature) S. Korean football looking to break curse of fake gold medals at Asian Cup|date = 15 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://today.rtl.lu/sport/international/a/1292578.html|title = Cursed team: Football: S. Korea seek to lift 'curse of the fake gold'}}</ref> ===UEFA Champions League's curse=== Throughout the history of the [[UEFA Champions League]] since its renaming in 1992, only [[Real Madrid C.F.]] successfully defended the title twice. No other teams in the competition manage to defend the trophy they won in the latest season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0239-0e96d80bc2f6-d4e7f311245e-1000--champions-league-holders-curse/|title=Champions League holders: Real Madrid still only back-to-back winners|date=13 April 2021}}</ref><ref>https://www.football24.news/uefa-europa-league/229581/the-champions-curse-uefa-champions-league.html</ref> ===UEFA Cup Winners' Cup holders' curse=== In the 39-year history of the [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]], no team has won successive titles. Eight teams have reached the following [[List of UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals|final]] as winners of the previous edition, including the first two defending title holders, but none have successfully retained the trophy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/these-football-times/2019/apr/11/cup-winners-cup-competition-retained/ |title=In praise of the Cup Winners' Cup, the competition that was never retained |first=Sam |last=Carney |work=The Guardian |date=11 April 2019 |access-date=23 February 2021}}</ref> ==Australian rules football== === Cheltenham cemetery curse=== For a long time, the [[SANFL]] club the [[Port Adelaide Magpies]] had a period of prolonged dominance at [[Alberton Oval]]. It was widely commented that opposition teams became cursed as they passed by Cheltenham cemetery on the way to the ground.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article35693908 |title=FOOTBALL |newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)]] |location=South Australia |date=10 May 1946 |access-date=8 August 2018 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> [[Malcolm Blight]], as coach for Woodville, played up the curse for his players in the lead up to a match, parking the bus in front of the cemetery, and making his players walk past it. Woodville lost the ensuing match, but Blight maintained that the team would have lost by more if he had not forced the team to walk past the cemetery.<ref name="Blight">{{Cite web|url=https://omny.fm/shows/sportsday-sa/messiahs-moments-james-fantasia-cheltenham-cemeter#description|title=Messiah's Moments|last=Blight|first=Malcolm|date=2 July 2018|website=Sportsday SA}}</ref> ===Colliwobbles=== {{main|Colliwobbles}} The Colliwobbles refers to the failure of the [[Collingwood Football Club]] to win a single premiership from the years 1958 to 1990, despite appearing in nine [[AFL Grand Final|Grand Finals]] during that time. Following their famous upset victory against Melbourne in 1958, Collingwood went on to lose the next 8 grand finals, including a hat trick of losses in 1979, 1980 and 1981. Two particular examples of the supposed curse include 1970, where Collingwood were leading arch-rivals [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]] by 44 points at half time, but went on to lose the match by 10 points (the largest half-time turnaround in Grand Final history), and in 1977, wherein Collingwood drew with [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]] in the Grand Final, before losing the replay the next week by a hefty margin,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/hunt-a-churchie-goer-at-best-20100531-wrc7.html|title=Hunt a 'Churchie' goer at best|first=Mark|last=Hawthorne|date=May 31, 2010|website=The Age}}</ref> The term Collywobbles was first coined by Lou Richards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victoriapark.net.au/lou_richards_53.html|title=Lou Richards|website=www.victoriapark.net.au}}</ref> The curse was ended in 1990 after Collingwood ended their 32 year long drought by defeating Essendon. However Collingwood has continued to be cursed when playing grand finals in September having lost 4 grand finals since 1990 such as 2002, 2003, 2011 and most notably 2018 where after kicking the first 5 goals of the match they lost by 5 points thanks to a kick from Dom Sheed in the dying minutes of the game to seal a famous victory. Collingwood's only other premiership came in 2010 following a draw the week before. Collingwood only two premiership since 1958 have both occurred in October.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/with-cold-grand-final-looming-will-collingwood-wobble-in-the-weather-20180924-p505oz.html|title=With chilly grand final looming will Collingwood wobble in the weather?|first=Chloe|last=Booker|date=September 24, 2018|website=The Age}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/pies-ashes-now-in-tigerland-20091215-kuhu.html|title=Pies' ashes now in Tigerland|first=Geoff|last=McClure|date=December 15, 2009|website=The Age}}</ref> ===Curse of Norm Smith=== The Curse of Norm Smith is the name given to the curse that was supposedly behind the [[Melbourne Football Club]]'s premiership drought from [[1964 VFL season|1964]] until [[2021 AFL season|2021]]. Partway through the [[1965 VFL season]], the Melbourne Football Club sacked coach [[Norm Smith]].<ref name=Herald/> The sacking came as a massive surprise, as Smith was and still is considered one of the greatest coaches in VFL/AFL history,<ref name=Roar>{{cite web|url=https://www.theroar.com.au/2010/04/15/the-1965-dismissal-of-norm-smith/|title=Looking at the 1965 dismissal of Norm Smith|website=The Roar|author=The Crowd|date=April 14, 2010|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> and under his tenure Melbourne were the most dominant club in the competition, participating in 8 [[AFL Grand Final|Grand Finals]], including a record seven consecutive grand finals from 1954 to 1960, for six premierships.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.melbournefc.com.au/club/history|title=History|website=Melbourne Football Club|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> The reasons for the sacking were vague, but mostly centered around concerns that his personality was becoming bigger than the club itself, as well as an incident in [[1963 VFL season|1963]] where he was sued by umpire Don Blew for defamation.<ref name=Roar/><ref name=Herald>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/norm-smith-was-sensational-sacked-by-melbourne-50-years-ago-on-thursday/news-story/f3a50446baf98d0946f4d0a243965783|title=Norm Smith was sensationally sacked by Melbourne 50 years ago on Thursday|newspaper=Herald Sun|last1=Groom|first1=Ray|date=July 22, 2015|access-date=May 24, 2020|author1-link=Ray Groom}}</ref> Smith was soon reinstated after fan backlash, and a collapse in the team's performance, but his relationship with the Melbourne board was ruined, and he would leave for good in [[1967 VFL season|1967]].<ref name=Titus/> The ignominious way in which the sacking was performed has become fodder for a "curse" within club folklore as the reason behind the club's inability to win another premiership for 57 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/norm-smith-recognised-as-an-afl-legend-20070720-gdqnv2.html|title=Norm Smith recognised as an AFL legend|website=Sydney Morning Herald|date=July 20, 2007|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> Melbourne would not make the finals for the next 22 years and only appeared in two grand finals in 55 years, in both instances being beaten by large margins.<ref name=Titus>{{cite web|url=https://www.titusoreily.com/afl/continuing-curse-norm-smith|title=The Continuing Curse of Norm Smith|website=Titus O'Reily|last1=O'Reily|first1=Titus|date=February 16, 2015|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> Numerous other unfortunate events in the history of the Melbourne Football Club have also been attributed to the curse, such as [[Jim Stynes]]' after the siren free kick giveaway in Melbourne's [[1987 VFL season#Preliminary Final|1987 Preliminary Final]] match against the [[Hawthorn Hawks]], which allowed Hawthorn player [[Gary Buckenara]] to kick the winning goal,<ref name=Titus/> as well as serious knee injuries to players including [[David Schwarz (footballer)|David Schwarz]] and [[Christian Petracca]].<ref name=Titus/> In 2021, after 57 years, the curse was broken when Melbourne won the 2021 AFL Grand Final over the [[Western Bulldogs]] by the biggest margin in the clubs history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/demons-57-year-curse-lifted-in-16-minutes-c-4069274|title=Demons' 57-year curse lifted in 16 minutes|website=The West Australian|last1=Larkin|first1=Steve|date=25 September 2021|accessdate=5 December 2021|agency=Australian Associated Press}}</ref> ===Kennett Curse=== {{main|Kennett curse}} This is the name given to [[Australian Football League|AFL]] club {{AFL Haw}}'s 11 match losing streak against rivals {{AFL Gee}}, from the [[2008 AFL Grand Final]] to the [[2013 AFL finals series#Week three (preliminary finals)|2013 preliminary final]]. After the Hawks won the 2008 premiership, then-Hawthorn President [[Jeff Kennett]] proclaimed that Geelong "lacked the mentality to defeat Hawthorn in big games". From that time, however, Geelong defeated Hawthorn eleven times in a row, most games being decided by 10 points or less.<ref>{{cite web|author=Adam McNicol|title=The Kennett curse|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/143157/default.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120804031219/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/143157/default.aspx|publisher=Internet Archive|date=July 31, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 4, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Will Brodie|url=http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/jeff-wont-renounce-the-kennett-curse-20120409-1wl57.html |title=Jeff won't renounce the Kennett curse|work=[[The Age]]|date=April 10, 2012|access-date=December 30, 2013}}</ref> The winning streak was also attributed to comments made by [[Paul Chapman (footballer, born 1981)|Paul Chapman]] that the Cats will "never lose to them again" following the 2008 Grand Final.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/forget-the-kennett-curse-it-should-be-renamed-the-chapman-factor/story-fnelctok-1226442622716|title=Forget The Kennett Curse, it should be renamed the Chapman Factor|publisher=News.com.au|date=August 4, 2012|access-date=December 30, 2013}}</ref> Chapman missed Hawthorn's curse-breaking win in 2013 due to suspension. ==Baseball== {{See also|Baseball superstition}} ===Boston Red Sox=== {{Main|Curse of the Bambino}} Some allege that there was a curse placed on the [[Boston Red Sox]], who failed to win a World Series after [[1918 World Series|1918]], apparently due to the selling of [[Babe Ruth]] to the [[New York Yankees]]. Before the sale, the Red Sox had won four titles in seven years (1912–1918). After the sale, the Yankees went on to win 27 World Series Championships. The "curse" was broken when, after 86 seasons, the Red Sox defeated the [[2004 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] 4 games to 0 in the [[2004 World Series]] (before the Series, the Red Sox had come back from a 3-games-to-0 deficit, a first in Major League postseason history, to defeat the [[2004 New York Yankees season|Yankees]] at the original [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] for the [[2004 American League Championship Series|American League pennant]]). ===Chicago Cubs and White Sox=== {{Further|Curse of the Billy Goat|Curse of the Black Sox|Merkle's Boner}} Both of Chicago's baseball teams were involved in supposed curses. The [[Chicago Cubs]], after benefiting from a baserunning error by [[History of the New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]]' [[Fred Merkle]] during the last couple of weeks in the season, won the [[1908 World Series]]. From 1909 to 2015, the Cubs did not win a World Series, despite participating as the [[National League]] (NL) champion seven times between 1910 and 1945. The [[1945 World Series]] appearance was most notable because it marked the start of the [[Curse of the Billy Goat]]. That incident involved Billy Sianis, owner of the [[Billy Goat Tavern]], who was asked to leave a World Series game vs. the [[Detroit Tigers]] because his pet goat's odor bothered other fans. From 1946 to 2015, the closest the Cubs had advanced to the World Series was five outs away in game 6 of the [[2003 National League Championship Series|2003 NLCS]] vs. the [[2003 Florida Marlins season|Florida Marlins]], when [[Steve Bartman incident|Steve Bartman]], a Cubs fan, attempted to catch a foul ball. The Cubs defeated the [[2016 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] in the [[2016 National League Championship Series]] (NLCS), winning the organization's first [[List of National League pennant winners|National League (NL) pennant]] since 1945. The Cubs finally won the [[2016 World Series]] against the [[2016 Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland Indians]], their first championship in 108 years. The [[Chicago White Sox]] were said to have been cursed because of their role in fixing the [[1919 World Series]]. As a result, the [[Cincinnati Reds]] won that series in eight games, and eight White Sox players were banned by baseball for their actions in throwing the series. The White Sox wouldn't win another World Series until [[2005 World Series|2005]], when they swept the [[Houston Astros]] in four games. ===Cleveland Indians=== {{Main|Curse of Rocky Colavito}} This curse supposedly prevents the [[Cleveland Indians]] from competing in a pennant race, reaching postseason play, or winning the [[American League]] (AL) [[List of American League pennant winners|pennant]] and/or [[World Series]]. The origin of this curse dates back to {{baseball year|1960}}, when the Indians traded outfielder [[Rocky Colavito]] to the [[Detroit Tigers]] for outfielder [[Harvey Kuenn]]. The Indians played in and lost the World Series in {{wsy|1995}}, {{wsy|1997}}, and {{wsy|2016}}, and last won the Series in {{wsy|1948}}. ===Hanshin Tigers=== {{Main|Curse of the Colonel}} This curse was supposedly cast on the [[Hanshin Tigers]] by Colonel [[Harland Sanders]] (the founder and mascot of [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]]) after fans of the team threw his statue into the [[Dōtonbori]] Canal while celebrating the Tigers' 1985 [[Japan Series|Japan Championship Series]]. ===San Francisco Giants=== {{main|Curse of Coogan's Bluff}} This curse is an alleged hex placed on the [[San Francisco Giants]] following their move from New York City and refers to Coogan's Bluff which is a cliff that overlooked the former site of the [[Polo Grounds]], which was the Giants' home in New York.<ref name="Complex">{{cite news|last=Turner|first=Gus|title=The Curse of Coogan's Bluff – The Worst Curses in Sports History|url=http://www.complex.com/sports/2014/05/worst-curses-sports-history/the-curse-of-coogans-bluff|publisher=Complex|date=May 20, 2014|access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref> In 1921, the Giants honored [[Eddie Grant (baseball)|Eddie Grant]], the first Major League Baseball player killed in World War I, with a plaque in centerfield,<ref>{{cite news|last=Moody|first=David R.|title=Reversing the Curse?|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/giants/2006/04/27/reversing-the-curse/|work=San Francisco Gate|date=April 27, 2006|access-date=February 24, 2015}}</ref> but the plaque was lost during the [[pitch invasion|field invasion]] by fans that followed the Giants' final game at Polo Grounds at the end of the [[1957 Major League Baseball season|1957 season]].<ref name="BBLostTreasures">{{cite news|title=Gone forever? In search of baseball's lost treasures|url=https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/gone-forever-in-search-of-baseball-s-lost-treasures-090214|work=[[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]]|date=September 2, 2014|access-date=May 1, 2018}}</ref> Since then, the Giants, who had won five World Series titles, all but the first with the Eddie Grant plaque in centerfield, lost in their next three World Series appearances, including the [[1989 World Series|'89 Series]] that was delayed because of the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|Loma Prieta earthquake]]. Two of those series losses were in the seventh game.<ref name="Complex"/> The Giants were approached on multiple occasions with offers to replace the plaque, but the management refused, citing a preference to keep the team's New York history separate. But the team eventually relented, installing a replica of the original plaque in [[AT&T Park]] on Memorial Day, 2006. A club official at the time said, "Baseball fans are so superstitious, and players are too, so you have to take this stuff seriously. And if by putting up a plaque we can break some sort of curse, who's to say it's not the right thing to do?"<ref name="BBLostTreasures"/> The Giants won their first World Series in San Francisco in 2010, followed by World Series victories in 2012 and 2014. It should be mentioned that all three victories were won on the road, away from San Francisco.<ref name="Complex"/> ==Gaelic Games== ===Mayo GAA=== The Curse of '51 allegedly prevents [[Mayo GAA|Mayo]] from winning the [[Sam Maguire Cup]] ever again, or at least until the death has occurred of every member of the last winning team from [[1951 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|1951]]. It remains unbroken&mdash;despite the team reaching the final on eleven<ref name=Mayo2013>{{cite web | url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2013/0922/475757-dublin-v-mayo/ | title=Dublin 2-12 Mayo 1-14 | publisher=[[RTÉ]] | date=23 September 2013 | access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> occasions since then, they have either completely collapsed on the day or been undone by a series of other unfortunate events.<ref>{{cite news|first=Edel|last=O'Connell|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/the-curse-raises-its-head-again-3239584.html|title='The curse' raises its head again|newspaper=Irish Independent|publisher=Independent News & Media|date=24 September 2012|access-date=24 September 2012}}</ref> The legend tells us that while the boisterous Mayo team were passing through [[Foxford]] on the victorious journey home, the team failed to wait quietly for a funeral cortège to pass by on its way to the graveyard. The presiding priest consequently put a curse on Mayo football to never win a subsequent All-Ireland Final until all members of the 1951 team are dead.<ref name="Mayo football curse origin">{{cite web | url=http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/gaa/what-mayo-curse-details-what-8848228 | title=What is the Mayo curse? All the details on what has apparently been stopping Mayo from winning an All-Ireland for over 60 years|publisher=Irish Mirror|date=16 September 2016|access-date=20 October 2016}}</ref> In [[1989 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|1989]], Mayo reached their first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final since their last victory in 1951 only to lose to [[Cork GAA|Cork]]. In [[1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|1996]], a freak point by [[Meath GAA|Meath]] at the end of the final forced a replay, which saw Mayo concede another late score that would deny them victory. [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] bridged an 11-year title gap against them in [[1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|1997]] with a three-point win, before torturing them by eight points in [[2004 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2004]] and thirteen points in [[2006 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2006]] Mayo returned to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final in [[2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2012]]. Even with [[Taoiseach]] [[Enda Kenny]] in Rome seeking divine intervention through [[Pope Benedict XVI]] the day before,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0922/1224324272382.html|title=Mayo God help us, says Enda, in plea to pope for big match digout|newspaper=The Irish Times|publisher=Irish Times Trust|date=22 September 2012|access-date=22 September 2012}}</ref> the "[[Franz Kafka|Kafkaesque]] black farce"<ref name=despair_cannot_last_forever/> continued from where it had left off&mdash;with [[Donegal GAA|Donegal]] allowed bridge a 20-year gap between titles, helped in no small part by a nightmare opening quarter for Mayo as [[Michael Murphy (Gaelic footballer)|Michael Murphy]]&mdash;whose father is from Mayo&mdash;launched a rocket of a shot into the goal after three minutes. Then, in the eleventh minute, [[Colm McFadden]] seized the ball from the grasp of Kevin Keane and slid it into the net for a second Donegal goal. Mayo only got on the scoresheet after sixteen minutes and never led at any point during the match. They eventually lost with thirteen points to Donegal's two goals and eleven.<ref name=despair_cannot_last_forever>{{cite news|first=Eamonn|last=Sweeney|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/despair-cannot-last-forever-3237022.html|title=Despair cannot last forever|newspaper=Sunday Independent|publisher=Independent News & Media|date=23 September 2012|access-date=23 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Lyle|last=Jackson|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/northern-ireland/19693260|title=Donegal 2-11 0-13 Mayo|work=BBC Sport|publisher=BBC|date=23 September 2012|access-date=23 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=O'Keeffe|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0924/1224324325933.html|title=Donegal's bite was early, deep and fatal|newspaper=The Irish Times|publisher=Irish Times Trust|date=24 September 2012|access-date=24 September 2012|quote=... But it was, yet again, a nightmare start comparable to 2004 and 2006... You also must commiserate with Mayo. Yet another All-Ireland final defeat... My only concern for them [Mayo], going into next season, would be that they have a lot of similar forwards and none of them are in the mould of Murphy or McFadden.}}</ref> They lost again in [[2013 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2013]], this time by a single point to [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]].<ref name=Mayo2013/> They qualified for the [[2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2016 Final]] on 18 September 2016 where they faced [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]] the curse seemingly struck again when they scored two own goals in the opening half before drawing with Dublin in the last few minutes of the game. They faced Dublin again in a rematch on the 1st October 2016 but lost by a point. Mayo appeared again in the [[2017 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2017 Final]] on 17 September 2017 and in the [[2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2020 Final]] on 19 December 2020 where they faced [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]] in both finals. The curse continues to strike and Mayo lost both finals. In the [[2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2021 Final]] Mayo lost to [[Tyrone GAA|Tyrone]], having missed a penalty and several goal chances.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clerkin |first1=Malachy |title=Tyrone break Mayo hearts to become All-Ireland champions |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/tyrone-break-mayo-hearts-to-become-all-ireland-champions-1.4671689 |work=The Irish Times |date=11 September 2021}}</ref> Following the death of [[Peter Quinn (Gaelic footballer)|Fr Peter Quinn]] in January 2016 and Dr. Pádraig Carney in 2019 two living members of the 1951 All Ireland winning team remained: Paddy Prendergast and [[Mick Loftus]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Toole|first1=Fintan|title=One of Mayo's 1950 and 1951 All-Ireland winners has died|url=http://www.the42.ie/mayo-1950-all-ireland-2555907-Feb2016/|access-date=21 September 2017|work=The 42|date=1 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rice |first1=Seán |title=Farewell to 'The Flying Doctor' |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/sports/33833-farewell-to-the-flying-doctor |work=Mayo News |date=11 June 2019}}</ref> Mick Loftus was a sub but didn't play.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hennigan |first1=Anthony |title=History shows Dr Mick has always been ahead of the curve |url=https://westernpeople.ie/2020/05/11/history-shows-dr-mick-has-always-been-ahead-of-the-curve/ |work=Western People |date=11 May 2020}}</ref> Prendergast died in September 2021. At the time of his death, Mayo had reached 11 All-Ireland finals since 1951, and lost every one.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mayo's last All-Ireland football winner Paddy Prendergast dies aged 95 |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2021/0926/1249076-mayos-last-all-ireland-winner-paddy-prendergast-dies/ |work=RTÉ |date=26 September 2021}}</ref> ===Biddy Early=== [[Biddy Early]] was a 19th-century healer from [[Feakle]] in [[County Clare]]. Her curse or prophecy was said variously to afflict two [[hurling]] teams which endured long droughts in the [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]]: [[Clare GAA|Clare]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Jenkins |first=Richard |date = August 2007|title=The Transformations of Biddy Early: From Local Reports of Magical Healing to Globalised New Age Fantasies |journal=Folklore |volume=118 |issue=2 |page=167 |doi=10.1080/00155870701337379 |s2cid=142664827 |quote=Biddy's well-known "prophecy"—made, remarkably, forty years after her death—that Clare would never win an All-Ireland senior hurling title until every last member of the 1914 team had died}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/clare-prepare-to-confront-the-curse-of-biddy-early-1599160.html |title=Clare prepare to confront the curse of Biddy Early |last=Wiley |first=Eddie |date=2 September 1995 |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=2009-05-20 |quote=The gist is that Biddy Early, denounced from the pulpit as a witch in the 1930s, but revered by many as a faith healer, wanted to travel with the Clare team to the provincial final of 1932. Whether from constraints of space or because of personal preferences, she was refused a lift. The resulting curse she put on that team was that every one of them would be dead before Clare would again win an All-Ireland final. | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/gaa/extra/mhojeygbgbsn/ |title=GAA: Clare |date=18 February 2008 |work=breakingnews.ie |quote=that old witch named Biddy Early, who put a curse on Clare hurlers, deciding that they would never win another All-Ireland hurling title until the whole team consisted of bachelors. |access-date=2009-05-20}}</ref> ([[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1914|1914]]–[[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1995|1995]]) and/or [[Galway GAA|Galway]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Sporting World |date=24 October 1969 |work=[[Connacht Tribune]] |page=16 |quote=Now comes a hint from no less a person than [[Mick Gill]] ... that the witch 'Biddy Early' has harnessed her evil powers to keep our men lost in the hurling wilderness.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=One forward could lift Wexford |last=Cashman |first=Kevin |date=20 October 1991 |work=[[Sunday Independent (Ireland)|Sunday Independent]] |quote=Biddy Early as a layer of jinxes on Galway was only in the ha'penny place |page=14L}}</ref><ref name="wpg2001">{{cite news |url=http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/2001/09/06/story9805.asp |title=Heady days for Galway hurling |date=6 September 2001 |work=[[Western People]] |quote=It was so bad that many Galway people genuinely believed the fable that Galway hurling suffered from some curse or other. ... Dad ... often told us of the time that Galway led Clare in the All-Ireland semi-final of 1932 ... at half-time by a whopping thirteen points ... and yet managed to lose by five points. |access-date=2009-05-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629133818/http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/2001/09/06/story9805.asp |archive-date=29 June 2011 }}</ref><ref name="ct1974">{{cite news |title=Despite the blistering defeat — those Galway hurlers hold promise |date=9 August 1974 |work=[[Connacht Tribune]] |page=9 |quote=Galway's ... sensational 'Biddy Early' defeat by Clare at Limerick in 1932}}</ref> ([[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1923|1923]]–[[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1980|1980]]). The two counties played a famous semi-final in the [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1932|1932 Championship]]:<ref name="ct1974"/> Clare won, but lost the final to [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]].<ref name="wpg2001"/> After Clare's "curse" was broken in 1995, Billy Loughnane from [[Ennis]] wrote to ''[[The Irish Times]]'', denouncing the idea of a curse as preposterous, mainly because Early died in 1872 before the GAA was even founded.<ref>{{cite news |title=Biddy's curse |last=Loughnane |first=Billy |date=11 September 1995 |work=[[The Irish Times]] |page=15}}</ref> ==Ice hockey== ===Calgary Flames=== A significant losing streak the Calgary Flames had during games played in Anaheim has come to be referred to as the "Honda Center Curse". After winning game 3 of the 2006 Western Conference Quarter Final at the then Arrowhead Pond on April 25, 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/200604250MDA.html|title=Calgary Flames at Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Box Score — April 25, 2006 - Hockey-Reference.com|website=Hockey-Reference.com}}</ref> the Flames have gone on to lose an NHL record 29 consecutive away games at the Arrowhead Pond/Honda Center,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2017/4/16/15317532/calgary-flames-lance-bouma-own-goal-ducks-honda-center-curse|title=Flames continued losing streak at the Honda Center with unfortunate own-goal|first=Mary|last=Clarke|date=April 16, 2017|website=SBNation.com}}</ref> including all 27 games played there under the arena's current name (the arena became Honda Center starting in the 2006–07 season <ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jul/20/sports/sp-pond20|title=Pond to Get a New Name|first1=Bill|last1=Shaikin|first2=Greg|last2=Johnson|date=20 July 2006|via=LA Times}}</ref>). Of these 29 losses, 2 came in the remaining games of the 2006 Western Conference Quarter Final, 3 came in the 2015 Western Conference Semi Final, and 2 came in the 2017 Western Conference Quarter Final.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/nhl/anaheims-honda-center-a-mountain-calgary-must-conquer-in-playoffs-419199724.html|title=Anaheim's Honda Center a mountain Calgary must conquer in playoffs|website=www.winnipegfreepress.com}}</ref> Furthermore, the Flames last regular season win in Anaheim came on January 19, 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2017/04/03/flames-looking-to-break-the-honda-center-curse|title=Flames looking to break the Honda Center curse|newspaper=Toronto Sun}}</ref> The Flames losing streak at the then Arrowhead Pond/Honda Center has led some Ducks fans to taunt the Flames with chants of "You can't win here!".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thehockeywriters.com/anaheim-ducks-to-calgary-flames-you-cant-win-here/|title=Ducks to Flames: You Can't Win Here|date=6 April 2017}}</ref> On October 9, 2017, the Calgary Flames beat the Ducks 2–0, ending a NHL record 29 (25 in regular season) consecutive away game losing streak including the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the then Arrowhead Pond/Honda Center.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/win-in-anaheim-a-long-time-coming-for-flames|title=Win in Anaheim a long-time coming for Flames|website=calgaryherald}}</ref> ===Chicago Blackhawks=== {{Main|Curse of Muldoon}} A curse allegedly placed on the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] in 1927 by head coach [[Pete Muldoon]] when he was fired, stating that they would never again finish in first place. The "curse" was first mentioned in print in 1943 by Toronto sportswriter Jim Coleman. They would not finish in first place in their division (1928–1937) or in the single-division NHL (after 1938) until 1967, the final season of the [[Original Six]] era, despite winning the Stanley Cup three times since Muldoon supposedly "cursed" the team. However, immediately after this, Coleman admitted that he had completely fabricated the "curse" to break a writer's block. ===New York Rangers=== {{Main|Curse of 1940}} The Curse of 1940 was a mythical explanation for the failure of the NHL's [[New York Rangers]] to win the [[Stanley Cup]] since {{scfy|1940}}. The curse supposedly began after the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1940, which was the same year the team's owners had paid off their mortgage for their home arena, Madison Square Garden, and the owners celebrated by burning the mortgage contract in the bowl of the Cup. It was broken when the Rangers defeated the [[Vancouver Canucks]] 4–3 in {{scfy|1994}}. ==Motor sports== ===Andretti family=== {{Main|Andretti Curse}} Since winning the [[Indianapolis 500]] in [[1969 Indianapolis 500|1969]], auto racing legend [[Mario Andretti]] was plagued with bad luck in his efforts to win the great race for a second time before his retirement in 1994. The misfortune at [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|Indianapolis]] has notably extended to his sons [[Michael Andretti|Michael]] and [[Jeff Andretti|Jeff]], nephew [[John Andretti|John]], as well as grandson [[Marco Andretti|Marco]]. It is also said to have affected, to an indirect extent, his twin brother [[Aldo Andretti|Aldo]], and former car owners [[Paul Newman]] and [[Carl Haas]] from [[Newman/Haas Racing]]. [[Michael Andretti]] has won the race five times as an [[Andretti Autosport|owner]], but three times the respective driver subsequently defected to a rival team the following year. ===Talladega Speedway=== {{Main|Talladega Superspeedway#The Talladega jinx}} [[NASCAR]] racetrack [[Talladega Superspeedway]] has been said to have been cursed by a Native American [[shaman]]; other stories claim that it was built on an Indian burial ground. The curse allegedly explains the high number of unusual occurrences, untimely deaths, and [[The Big One (NASCAR)|spectacular accidents]] that have plagued the track since its opening in 1969 (part of this alleged curse has a rational underpinning; Talladega is the largest racetrack in NASCAR, allowing for much faster and more dangerous racing). During the 1970s, on the eve before a race, roughly a dozen cars were sabotaged with gas tanks being filled with sugar or sand, and tires were slashed as well. [[Bobby Isaac]], the 1970 Cup champion, parked his car mid race despite nothing being wrong with the car. When asked why, Isaac claimed a voice from above ordered him to park the car. ==Other sports== ===Canadian curling=== {{Main|Curse of LaBonte}} In the [[1972 Air Canada Silver Broom]] curling tournament, Robert LaBonte, the skip of the American team, accidentally kicked the stone belonging to the Canadian team at the end of the match. This put the match into an extra end, and Canada won one more point to win the championship. Canada did not win another World Championship until 1980, and this was said that LaBonte put a "curse" on Canada. ===Coastal Challenge Cup=== {{Main|Curse of Whanganui United}} Since the inception of the Coastal Challenge Cup Whanganui United Cricket Club have progressed to no less than four championship deciders and have ultimately failed to capture a title. Some link it to the pressure others link it to an inability to travel to Paraparaumu. ===The BasedGod's Curse=== {{See also|Lil B}} In May 2011, [[Oklahoma City Thunder]] [[small forward]] [[Kevin Durant]] [[Twitter|tweeted]] an insult directed at cult rapper [[Lil B]], a.k.a. "The BasedGod," in which Durant expressed incredulity at the idea that Lil B had become "relevant". In response, Lil B tweeted out the BasedGod's Curse, claiming that Durant would never win the NBA championship. The two men have exchanged further insults and basketball-related challenges on Twitter. In June 2012, Lil B claimed on Twitter that he had lifted the curse; however, in February 2014, during the NBA All-Star Game in which Durant was playing, Lil B resumed insulting Durant on Twitter, implying that the curse had returned. Lil B later released a diss song directed at Durant entitled "[[Hoop Life|F KD]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grantland.com/the-triangle/an-outsiders-guide-to-the-lil-b-kevin-durant-beef |title=An Outsider's Guide to the Lil B–Kevin Durant Beef |website=[[Grantland|Grantland.com]] |date=2014-01-10 |access-date=2015-02-20}}</ref> in 2016, the [[2015–16 Oklahoma City Thunder season|Thunder]] blew a 3–1 lead in the Western Conference Finals to the [[2015–16 Golden State Warriors season|Golden State Warriors]]. In the offseason, he left for the Warriors. On July 4, 2016, following that announcement, Lil B rescinded the curse again.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Schwartz|first1=Nick|title=Lil B lifts curse on Kevin Durant after he announces decision to join Warriors|url=http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/kevin-durant-warriors-lil-b-lifts-based-gods-curse-070416|website=FOXSports.com|access-date=2016-07-04}}</ref> In the [[2017 NBA Finals]], the [[2016–17 Golden State Warriors season|Warriors]] beat the [[2016–17 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland Cavaliers]] in five games to win the NBA championship, giving Durant his first ever title. ===St George Illawarra Dragons=== In the [[National Rugby League]] (NRL), the Canberra curse referred to the [[St. George Illawarra Dragons]]' constant inability to defeat the [[Canberra Raiders]] at [[Canberra Stadium|their home ground]], or anywhere else, between 2000 and 2014. The Raiders enjoyed an unusual dominance of the Dragons, winning matches between the pair on a regular basis regardless of which team enjoyed favouritism or home ground advantage.<ref>[http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/08/13/can-dragons-break-canberra-curse/ Can the Dragons break the Canberra curse?], ''The Roar'', 13 August 2014</ref> This curse came to an end in [[2014 NRL season results#Round 23|Round 23, 2014]], with the Dragons winning 34&ndash;16; it was their first win over the Raiders in Canberra since [[2000 NRL season|2000]], overall since [[2007 NRL season|2007]], but just their second since 2001.<ref>[http://www.nrl.com/stuart-laments-rep-players,-nrl-curse-ends/tabid/10874/newsid/81068/default.aspx Stuart laments rep players, NRL curse ends], NRL official website, 16 August 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-match-report/st-george-illawarra-breaks-canberra-hoodoo-with-win-over-raiders-20140816-104tbh.html St George Illawarra breaks Canberra 'hoodoo' with win over Raiders], ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 17 August 2014</ref> ===Masters Tournament=== {{Main|Masters Tournament Par-3 contest}} The [[Masters Tournament]] held annually at the [[Augusta National Golf Club]] in [[Augusta, Georgia]] begins with an informal par-3 competition. No winner of this has ever gone on to win the main tournament the same year.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mohler|first=Brendan|title=Masters Par-3 Contest: What you need to know|url=http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/masters-par-3-contest-what-you-need-know|magazine=[[Golf Magazine]]|date=April 7, 2015|access-date=March 10, 2017}}</ref> Eleven golfers have won both the contest and the Masters, with two of them winning the Masters later in the career after winning the contest. [[Raymond Floyd]] came the closest to winning both in [[1990 Masters Tournament|1990]], but he lost in a sudden-death playoff. ===World Snooker Championship=== {{main|Crucible curse}} In [[snooker]], the "Crucible Curse" refers to the fact that no first-time winner of the [[World Snooker Championship]] has successfully defended his title since the event was first held at the [[Crucible Theatre]] in [[Sheffield]] in [[1977 World Snooker Championship|1977]]. Of the 18 first-time champions in this era, only two have even made the final the following year, and six were eliminated in their first match. The "curse" can even be seen in the pre-Crucible era—the three first-time champions between the start of the championship's "modern era" in 1969 and its move to the Crucible all lost in their respective semifinal matches the next year. All three players went on to win a championship at the Crucible, and all failed to retain their title after their first victory at that venue. ===Curse of the rainbow jersey=== {{main|Rainbow jersey#Curse of the rainbow jersey}} In [[cycle racing]], the "curse of the rainbow jersey" is a popular term referring to the phenomenon where cyclists who have become [[World Cycling Championship|World Champion]] (who wear the [[rainbow jersey]] during their reign as world champion) often suffer from bad luck the next year. ==Multiple sports== ===2012 Olympics=== Reports of an "Olympic curse" ({{lang-fr|malediction olympique}}) were noted in French media in 2015 following the murder of Belarusian sprinter [[Yuliya Balykina]] and the deaths of French athletes [[Alexis Vastine]] and [[Camille Muffat]] in a [[2015 Villa Castelli mid-air collision|helicopter crash]] during the reality show ''[[Dropped (TV series)|Dropped]]''. By April 2016, 18 of the 10,568 competitors had died but, based on mortality data for people of the competitors' average age of 26, this was actually lower than the expected death rate, which would have been seven competitors per year and a total by April 2016 of 28.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36055238|title=Is there a London 2012 Olympics 'curse'?|last1=Gray|first1=Laura|date=16 April 2016|access-date=16 April 2016|work=BBC News}}</ref> ===40-year Olympic curse=== In 2020, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], discussions were being held regarding the fate of the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] in Tokyo. In March 2020, Japan's finance minister called the event the "cursed Olympics", noting the cancellation of the [[1940 Summer Olympics]] and the 66-country boycott of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-olympics-curse/forty-year-cycle-top-japan-minister-calls-2020-the-cursed-olympics-idUSKBN2152ND|title=Forty-year cycle: Top Japan minister calls 2020 the 'cursed Olympics'|last1=Kim|first1=Chang-Ran|date=18 March 2020|access-date=20 March 2020|publisher=Reuters}}</ref> The 2020 Olympics were delayed to 2021, with the possibility of cancellation if that deadline cannot be met.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/52747797|title=IOC's Thomas Bach accepts Tokyo Olympics would have to be cancelled if not held in 2021|website=BBC Sport|last1=Roan|first1=Dan|date=May 20, 2020|access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/29/tokyo-olympics-not-reliant-on-covid-19-vaccine-senior-ioc-member|title=Tokyo Olympics in 2021 at risk of cancellation admits Japan's PM|website=The Guardian|last1=Ingle|first1=Sean|date=April 30, 2020|access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref> The Olympics went on in 2021 as planned breaking the curse. ===Kenny Albert–Chicago curse=== Sportscaster [[Kenny Albert]] is known to some [[Chicago]] sports fans as "The Kiss of Death" to their teams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://firejerryangelo.org/2015/12/06/fuck-robbie-gould-and-kenny-albert-with-a-rusty-fence-post-49ers-26-bears-20/|title=Fuck Robbie Gould and Kenny Albert with a rusty fence post: 49ers 26 Bears 20|date=6 December 2015|website=firejerryangelo.org|access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref> Many games involving the [[Chicago Bears|Bears]] and [[Chicago Blackhawks|Blackhawks]] with Albert announcing have ended in losses for both teams. Examples include Game 7 of the 2014 Western Conference Final between the [[2013–14 Chicago Blackhawks season|Blackhawks]] and [[2013–14 Los Angeles Kings season|Kings]], and many Chicago Bears' games with Albert announcing since [[2004 Chicago Bears season|2004]]. ===Atlanta, Georgia=== Prior to the [[2021 World Series]], [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]] had won only one major league professional sports championship; the [[1995 World Series]]. The [[National Football League]] (NFL)'s [[Atlanta Falcons]] won their first division championship in [[1980 Atlanta Falcons season|1980]] and were favored against the [[1980 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] in the [[1980-81 NFL playoffs|Divisional playoff game]]. Despite trailing 24–10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cowboys rallied to out-score the Falcons 20–3 in the quarter to defeat the Falcons 30–27. In [[1998 Atlanta Falcons season|1998]], the Falcons advanced to play in the club's first-ever [[Super Bowl]] game after upsetting the heavily favored [[1998 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] in the [[1998–99 NFL playoffs|NFC Championship Game]] 30–27; however, the Falcons lost to [[John Elway]] (in his final game) and the [[1998 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] 34–19 in [[Super Bowl XXXIII]]. In [[2010 Atlanta Falcons season|2010]] and [[2012 Atlanta Falcons season|2012]] the Falcons held the number 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, but were upset by the [[2010 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] and [[2012 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]], respectively. The latter occurred in the [[2012-13 NFL playoffs|NFC Championship Game]], where the Falcons held a 17–0 lead. In [[Super Bowl LI]], the Falcons' second-ever Super Bowl appearance, Atlanta jumped out to a 28–3 lead over [[Tom Brady]] and the [[2016 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]]. However, the Falcons suffered by far the greatest collapse in Super Bowl history (25 points; the previous record was 10) and lost to the Patriots 34–28 in the first Super Bowl game to ever be decided in an overtime period. Their woes continue in the 2020 season by, historically, blowing back to back 15+ point leads as well as scoring an accidental touchdown with a minute left on the clock that gave [[Matthew Stafford]] and the [[Detroit Lions]] an opportunity to drive the field and score a go-back-ahead touchdown. A notable new addition to the curse is the trading of Atlanta Falcons star player Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans, who themselves have a fair share of sports curses. Consistently fielding one of the best teams in [[Major League Baseball]], the [[Atlanta Braves]] won 14 straight division titles from 1991 to 2005, but won the [[World Series]] only once ([[1995 World Series|1995]]). In the [[1996 World Series]], the Braves seemed poised to win their second straight championship after jumping out to a 2–0 series lead going home. However, the Braves lost 4 straight games to the [[1996 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]], including a Game 4 in which they held a 6–0 lead at one point. The Braves have only played in one World Series since; in [[1999 World Series|1999]], where they were swept in four games by the [[1999 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]]. Since then, the Braves have played in the [[NLCS]] only twice. Notable examples of the Atlanta sports curse as it pertains to the Braves include [[1991 World Series|Lonnie Smith]], [[1992 World Series|Ed Sprague]], [[Charlie Leibrandt]] (in back-to-back [[World Series]]), [[Jim Leyritz]], [[1997 National League Championship Series|Eric Gregg's wide strike zone]], [[2010 National League Division Series|Brooks Conrad's errors]], [[2011 Atlanta Braves season|blowing an 8 1/2 game Wild Card lead in September 2011]], the [[2012 National League Wild Card Game]], the [[2019 National League Division Series]], and blowing a 3–1 series lead in the [[2020 National League Championship Series|2020 NLCS]]. (Interesting to note is that the Braves were also ahead 2–0 earlier in the series, and at that time teams that went up 2–0 in a best-of-seven LCS had a series win-loss record (from 1985 to 2019) of 28–3.) The [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA)'s [[Atlanta Hawks]] have not played in an [[NBA Finals]] since the club's [[List of relocated National Basketball Association teams|move]] from [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]] in 1968. Their [[2015 NBA playoffs|first appearance]] in the [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern Conference]] [[NBA Conference Finals|Finals]] was against the [[2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland Cavaliers]] in [[2014-15 Atlanta Hawks season|2015]], in which they were swept four games to none despite being a 60-win team and the number one seed in the conference. The Hawks returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in [[2021 NBA playoffs|2021]], only to have their star player, [[Trae Young]], injured in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Due to this (among other factors), they would end up losing the series. In addition, Atlanta has lost two [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) franchises to Canadian cities: the [[Atlanta Flames]] (who moved to [[Calgary Flames|Calgary]] in 1980) and the [[Atlanta Thrashers]] (who moved to [[Winnipeg Jets|Winnipeg]] in 2011), either due to low attendance, poor ownership, or both. In both cases, the Atlanta team failed to so much as win a playoff round (the Thrashers never won a playoff game). The [[2017 Georgia Bulldogs football season|2017 Georgia Bulldogs]] college football team blew a 13-point lead at halftime in the [[2018 College Football Playoff National Championship]] to [[2017 Alabama Crimson Tide football season|Alabama]] and lost in overtime, 26–23, despite Alabama benching their starting quarterback, [[Jalen Hurts]], at halftime in favor of [[Tua Tagovailoa]]. Later that year, in the [[2018 SEC Championship Game]], Georgia once again blew a 14-point lead to Alabama in the same venue as their National Championship loss and once again also losing to the backup quarterback (this time Hurts, who replaced an injured Tagovailoa).<ref>{{cite news|last=Schultz|first=Jeff|title=Georgia comes close to title but falls to Alabama -- it's Atlanta's curse|date=January 9, 2018|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-comes-close-title-but-falls-atlanta-curse/70RlZVTM2sySHJkxIW0xFM/|access-date=January 21, 2019}}</ref> Atlanta's [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) team, the [[Atlanta Dream]], has also fallen victim to the city's curse. The Dream have reached the [[WNBA Finals]] on three occasions ([[2010 WNBA Finals|2010]], [[2011 WNBA Finals|2011]], and [[2013 WNBA Finals|2013]]) but have been swept three games to none each time. Off the field, the curse has found its way towards athletes as well. [[Eugene Robinson]], who played for the Falcons during the 1998 season, was arrested for soliciting a prostitute the night before Super Bowl XXXIII. [[Michael Vick]]'s arrest for involvement in an illegal [[Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation|dog fighting ring]] came while he was still with the Falcons. [[Thabo Sefolosha]], the Hawks' star defender in 2015, was arrested in [[New York City]] weeks before the beginning of the NBA playoffs and suffered a fractured tibia while being detained. In April 2021, the Braves were stripped of the [[2021 MLB All-Star Game]] due to a [[Election Integrity Act of 2021|recently passed bill]] in Georgia that resulted in alleged voter suppression. However, the [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS)'s [[Atlanta United FC]] won the [[MLS Cup]] in just their second season, in [[MLS Cup 2018|2018]]. Though the MLS is not referred to as one of the [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada#Big Four leagues|"Big Four"]] major sports leagues in North America, some believe the curse was broken with this victory.<ref>{{cite news|last=Boehm|first=Charles|title=Recap: Atlanta United FC vs. Portland Timbers 12/09/2018|url=https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2018-12-08-atlanta-united-fc-vs-portland-timbers/recap|publisher=MLS Digital|website=MLSSoccer.com|date=December 8, 2018|access-date=January 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Martin|first1=Jill|title=Atlanta United wins MLS Cup in second season, ends city's sports title drought|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/08/sport/mls-cup-atlanta-united-portland-timbers/index.html|publisher=Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.|website=CNN.com|date=December 9, 2018|access-date=December 9, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Vivlamore|first1=Chris|title=Curse? Atlanta United gives city reason to celebrate|url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/soccer/curse-atlanta-united-gives-city-reason-celebrate/ziGULXjQbSO6rWTFcarXgJ/|newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=December 9, 2018|access-date=December 9, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 2021, the Atlanta Braves, despite numerous injuries, inconsistent first-half performances, losing the [[2021 MLB All-Star Game]] and [[Marcell Ozuna]]’s off-the-field incident, won the [[2021 World Series]], putting a more definitive end to the curse.<ref>{{cite news|last=Judd|first=Alan|title=Exultant Atlanta Braves fans: 'The curse is over'|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/for-atlanta-braves-fans-the-curse-stops-here/JUIHV3OLOZE6HMPLTWES43DTAE/|publisher=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|website=ajc.com|date=November 3, 2021|access-date=November 3, 2021}}</ref> ===Buffalo, New York=== {{Hatnote|Further information: [[Wide Right (Buffalo Bills)|Wide Right]], [[Music City Miracle]], and [[1999 Stanley Cup Finals#"No Goal"|No Goal]]}} The Buffalo sports curse is an explanation for [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo's]] inability to win a [[Super Bowl]], [[Stanley Cup]], or an [[NBA Finals|NBA championship]]. Those who believe in the Buffalo curse<ref name="BuffaloCurse">{{cite web|url=http://www.buffalocurse.com |title=Buffalo Curse |publisher=Buffalo Curse |access-date=2013-12-30}}</ref> cite as examples the four consecutive [[Super Bowl]] losses by the [[Buffalo Bills]] for the 1990–1993 seasons (and the team's [[List of NFL franchise post-season droughts|failure to qualify]] for the [[National Football League playoffs|NFL playoffs]] from 2000 to 2017), as well as the failure of the [[Buffalo Sabres]] ever to win the [[Stanley Cup]] (despite winning the [[Presidents' Trophy]] for most regular-season points in [[2006–07 NHL season|2006–07]]; the Sabres have failed to win a playoff series since 2007, and has not appeared in the playoffs since 2011). The Bills, however, won two [[American Football League]] (AFL) titles (1964 and 1965), the latter occurring just months before an agreement was reached to [[AFL–NFL merger|merge]] the AFL and the [[National Football League]] (NFL) (Bills owner [[Ralph Wilson]] initiated the talks to merge the two leagues, according to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]). In spite of that, it has been argued that this was achieved when the AFL was in its infancy as an upstart league, garnering little, if any, national attention before merging with the established NFL, and that even if they are considered to be at par, since there would be no Super Bowl until after the 1966 season, the Bills could be no greater than co-champions.<ref name="BuffaloCurse" /> There have been conflicting suggestions on how the Bills would have fared against the [[Green Bay Packers]] or [[Cleveland Browns]], much as there have been disputes over how well the [[San Diego Chargers]] would have played against the Bears in 1963, had the Super Bowl existed at that time.<ref name="presuperbowls">[http://www.mmbolding.com/Unplayed/Unplayed.htm Super Bowls That Were Never Played].</ref> Some writers and historians specifically attribute the Bills' lack of success to the location of their [[New Era Field|current stadium]] next to a family cemetery and very likely on the site of an old [[Wenrohronon|Wenro Indian]] village.<ref>{{cite magazine|first = Aaron|last = Lowinger|date = June 2012|title = The Bills Curse|url = http://www.buffalospree.com/Buffalo-Spree/June-2012/The-Bills-Curse/|magazine = Buffalo Spree}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/columnist/roth/2015/10/30/roth-buffalo-bills-ghostly-gridiron/74865990/|first = Leo|last = Roth|title = Roth: The Buffalo Bills' ghostly gridiron|work = Rochester Democrat and Chronicle|date = October 30, 2015}}</ref> There are others who link the Bills' 17-year playoff drought to the benching of quarterback [[Doug Flutie]] for the game now known as the [[Music City Miracle]], which was also their last playoff game until [[2017 Buffalo Bills season|2017]].<ref name="BillsBleacherReport">{{cite web| url = http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2274961-do-recent-bad-breaks-give-credence-to-cursed-buffalo-bills|title = Do Recent Bad Breaks Give Credence to 'Cursed' Buffalo Bills?|first = Gary|last = Davenport|date = November 20, 2014|publisher = Bleacher Report}}</ref> One non-supernatural cause of the alleged curse was Bills owner [[Ralph Wilson]], who cared more about running a profitable business than a winning team; Wilson was quoted in 1969 as explicitly ''not'' wanting to win championships because it would cause his players to demand more money.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/the-o-j-simpson-interview-on-prison-retirement-and-football/article_d46c6f3d-d3e2-5d83-abc3-3f00a5c4204a.html|title=The O.J. Simpson interview: On prison, 'retirement' and football|first=Tim|last=Graham|website=The Buffalo News}}</ref> The earliest reference to the curse traces to 1921, when the city's first NFL team, the [[Buffalo (NFL)|Buffalo All-Americans]], lost the NFL championship [[1921 NFL season|that year]] to what is now the [[Chicago Bears]] on a [[1921 NFL Championship controversy|controversial tiebreaker]].<ref>Miller, Jeffrey. "The Staley Swindle." ''Professional Football Researchers Association''.</ref> Other teams based in Buffalo, such as the [[Buffalo Bandits]], [[Buffalo Bisons]], [[Buffalo Beauts]] and [[Western New York Flash]], have all won championships in their respective leagues, and athletes from Buffalo (with the possible exception of heavyweight boxing contender [[Joe Mesi]]), when playing for teams outside of Buffalo, have not been affected and have won multiple championships. The [[Buffalo Bulls football]] team, which due to its [[mid-major]] status has never had a realistic chance at a national championship, secured their first [[bowl game]] win in [[2019 Bahamas Bowl|2019]], in their fourth attempt since returning to Division I; the Bulls followed it up with a second bowl win [[2020 Camellia Bowl|the following year]]. In 2020, as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the [[Toronto Blue Jays]] were forced to not play their season in Canada despite approval from city and provincial government. The Jays did qualify for the postseason but lost in the AL Wild Card to eventual American League pennant winners Tampa Bay. The team returned to Buffalo for part of the 2021 season before returning to Toronto. ===Cleveland, Ohio=== {{Main|Cleveland sports curse}} {{Hatnote|Further information: [[The Catch (baseball)|The Catch]], [[Curse of Rocky Colavito]], [[Red Right 88]], [[The Drive]], [[The Fumble]], [[The Shot]], [[Cleveland Browns relocation controversy]], [[1997 World Series#Game 7|1997 World Series Game 7]], [[The Decision (TV special)|The Decision]], and [[The Block (basketball)|The Block]]}} Prior to 2016, [[Cleveland]] was particularly known for not winning a championship in any major sport since 1964, as well as repeatedly losing playoff games in heartbreaking fashion. Although the [[Cleveland Browns]] won the [[1964 NFL Championship Game]], the match occurred two seasons prior to the first [[Super Bowl]] and six before the [[AFL–NFL merger]]. More than fifty years after winning their last league title, the Browns remain one of only four teams yet to play in the NFL title game during the [[History of the National Football League#Modern era|modern era]]. More recently, the [[Cleveland Indians]] lost the [[1995 World Series|1995]], [[1997 World Series|1997]], and [[2016 World Series]], and the [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] were swept in both the [[2007 NBA Finals|2007]] and [[2018 NBA Finals]]. In 2004, [[ESPN.com]] ranked Cleveland "the most tortured sports city in America". In 2012, ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'' dubbed the city's sports struggles "The Curse of [[Chief Wahoo]]", a reference to continued use of the [[Cleveland Indians name and logo controversy|controversial logo]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Darcy |first=Kieran |title=ESPN.com: Page 2 – Mistakes by the lake |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=tortured/cleveland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041013110332/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=tortured%2Fcleveland |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |archive-date=October 13, 2004 |access-date=May 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Pattakos, Peter|date=April 25, 2012|title=The Curse of Chief Wahoo|url=http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-curse-of-chief-wahoo/Content?oid=2954423&showFullText=true|work=CleveScene.com|publisher=[[Cleveland Scene]]|access-date=January 16, 2014}}</ref> (Chief Wahoo was eventually retired in 2018, with the Indians renaming themselves the [[Cleveland Guardians]] in 2022.) The Cleveland curse was "broken" when the Cavaliers defeated the [[Golden State Warriors]] in Game 7 of the [[2016 NBA Finals]], thereby ending Cleveland's 52-year championship drought.<ref>{{cite news|last=McCauley|first=Janie|title=James and Cavaliers win thrilling NBA Finals Game 7, 93-89|url=http://www.nba.com/games/20160619/CLEGSW/gameinfo.html|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|date=June 19, 2016|access-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=June 20, 2016|title=World Refugee Day, Breaking the Cleveland 'Curse,' Internet Shaming|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/the-takeaway-2016-06-20/|work=[[WNYC|WNYC.org]]|publisher=New York Public Radio|access-date=July 10, 2016}}</ref> ===Gillette=== Marketing experts have highlighted the "curse of [[Gillette (brand)|Gillette]]", given the mishaps that happen to sports stars which are associated with the brand, most notably [[Tiger Woods]], [[Thierry Henry]] and [[David Beckham]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tribune.ie/news/international/article/2009/nov/29/shaven-but-stirred-the-gillette-curse/ |title=Shaven but stirred: the Gillette curse |last=Mesure |first=Susie |date=November 29, 2009 |work=Tribune News |publisher=Tribune.ie |access-date=21 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609204203/http://www.tribune.ie/news/international/article/2009/nov/29/shaven-but-stirred-the-gillette-curse/ |archive-date= 9 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Mesure|first=Susie|title=Henry, Woods, Federer: The curse of Gillette|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/henry-woods-federer-the-curse-of-gillette-1830663.html|work=The Independent|location=London|date=November 29, 2009|access-date=May 23, 2010}}</ref> One notable exception to the curse is the [[New England Patriots]], who have played at [[Gillette Stadium]] since 2002<ref name="cnn naming">{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2002/08/05/news/companies/gillette/index.htm|title=CMGI Field is now Gillette Stadium|date=August 5, 2002|publisher=CNN.com|access-date=October 11, 2008}}</ref> and have won six Super Bowls in that time frame. ===Gold Coast, Queensland=== {{Main|Gold Coast sports curse}} The [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]] is notorious for having teams perform poorly in the major Australian sports leagues and either fold, rebrand or relocate shortly after. Most of the city's sports teams have never reached the Grand Final of any major sports league in Australia, let alone win a premiership/championship. The Gold Coast is often referred to as "the graveyard" due to the number of professional sports teams that have folded in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/united-joins-gold-coast-sporting-graveyard-20120404-1wckb.html|title=United joins Gold Coast sporting graveyard|date=April 4, 2012|website=Brisbane Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/sport/basketball/another-club-gone-in-a-blaze-of--nothing-20120718-22ai5.html|title=Another club gone, in a Blaze of ... nothing|first=Jon|last=Pierik|date=19 July 2012|via=The Age}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportal.com.au/afl/news/gold-coast-graveyard-where-sport-teams-go-to-die/1acvrttl9idfi1f2nc6enfrvpf |title=Gold Coast Graveyard: Where sport teams go to die |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402132953/http://www.sportal.com.au/afl/news/gold-coast-graveyard-where-sport-teams-go-to-die/1acvrttl9idfi1f2nc6enfrvpf |archive-date=2015-04-02 }}</ref> The teams will often fall into trouble over poor on field performances, financial problems, ownership issues and/or under performing shortly after signing a marquee player. One of the city's two current professional teams fell dangerously close to suffering the same fate in 2015 as Australian media outlets reported they were trying desperately to avoid the curse.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8960748|title=Titans battle to avoid Gold Coast curse|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090849/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8960748|archive-date=2015-04-02}}</ref> ===Philadelphia, Pennsylvania=== {{Main Article|Curse of Billy Penn}} {{See also|The Lombardi Curse}} The "[[Curse of Billy Penn]]"<ref>{{cite web|last=Darcy|first=Kieran|title=So close, so painful|url=http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=tortured/philadelphia|publisher=ESPN|date=July 6, 2004|access-date=December 30, 2013}}</ref> was cited as a reason for [[Philadelphia]] sports teams' failure to win championships since the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] swept the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in the [[1983 NBA Finals]]. Some fans believe that the city's breaking of a [[gentlemen's agreement]] in 1987, that no building in Philadelphia be built higher than the statue of [[William Penn]] on the top of the spire of [[Philadelphia City Hall|City Hall]], put a curse on the city. When the final beam in the construction of the [[Comcast Center (office building)|Comcast Center]], was raised on June 18, 2007, iron workers of Local Union 401 attached a small figurine of William Penn to the beam in an attempt to break the curse. The following year, the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] won the [[2008 World Series]]. Ten years later, when the even taller [[Comcast Technology Center]] was topped out, the iron workers on that skyscraper did the same thing and the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] would go on to win [[Super Bowl LII]]. The city's sports teams have also lost in championship finals in years of [[United States presidential inauguration|presidential inauguration]]s, beginning with the 76ers' loss in the [[1977 NBA Finals]] and includes the Phillies' loss in the [[2009 World Series]].<ref name="Losses">{{cite news|title=Two cities that could use a CUP|date=June 2, 2010|first=Ken|last=Warren|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|page=B3}}</ref> During that span, each of the four city's teams have lost championships during such years twice.<ref name="Losses" /> ===San Diego, California=== The city of [[San Diego]] has never claimed a modern North American major league professional sports championship ([[Super Bowl]], [[World Series]], [[Stanley Cup]], or [[NBA Finals]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013/jun/26/sporting-san-diego-national-champions/ |title=San Diego national champions |publisher=San Diego Reader |date=2013-06-26 |access-date=2015-02-20}}</ref> San Diego is currently home to [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[San Diego Padres]] and was the home of the [[National Football League]]'s [[San Diego Chargers]] from 1961 to 2016 (now located in Los Angeles). San Diego has never had a [[National Hockey League]] franchise (although they did have a team in the rival [[World Hockey Association]] in the 1970s). The city has previously hosted two teams from the [[National Basketball Association]]: the San Diego [[Houston Rockets|Rockets]] from 1967 to 1971 (now located in [[Houston]], Texas), and the [[San Diego Clippers]] from 1978 to 1984 (now located in Los Angeles). Since 2016 when the [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] won an NBA championship, San Diego became the city with the longest championship drought in North America with at least one major league franchise.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiego6.com/mostpopular/story/Are-San-Diego-Sports-Teams-Cursed/p9gpzJyNPEWgxpIADJhOSA.cspx |title=Are San Diego Sports Teams Cursed? |publisher=San Diego 6 |access-date=2010-07-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716002728/http://www.sandiego6.com/mostpopular/story/Are-San-Diego-Sports-Teams-Cursed/p9gpzJyNPEWgxpIADJhOSA.cspx |archive-date=2011-07-16 }}</ref> San Diego's only championship was the [[1963 American Football League playoffs|1963 AFL Championship]], when the Chargers beat the [[Boston Patriots]] 51–10, before the AFL merged with the NFL to form the current [[National Football League]]. The Chargers would only appear and lose in three championship games since then. The Chargers were set to defend their 1963 AFL title in [[1964 American Football League Championship Game|1964]] against the [[Buffalo Bills]]. However, a key play by [[Mike Stratton]] on [[Keith Lincoln]] would help the Bills win, 20–7. [[1965 American Football League Championship Game|The next year]], the Chargers played the Bills again in the championship game and were shut out 23–0. The quarterback for the Bills (and the game MVP) in both of those games was former Charger [[Jack Kemp]] (and incidentally, those two championships would also be Buffalo's last). In 1966, team owner and founder [[Barron Hilton]] was forced to sell off the team to appease the board of directors of [[Hilton Hotels]]. Since Hilton sold the team, the Chargers have only had one Super Bowl appearance, in 1994, when they [[Super Bowl XXIX|lost 49–26]] to the [[1994 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]], as San Francisco quarterback and eventual MVP [[Steve Young]] threw for a Super Bowl–record six touchdowns. Additionally, eight members of that [[1994 San Diego Chargers season|1994 Chargers team]], including team captain [[Junior Seau]], died before the age of 45.<ref>{{cite web|last=Curry|first=Colleen|title=Junior Seau Was 8th San Diego '95 Super Bowl Player to Die|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/san-diego-sports-curse-junior-seau-8th-member/story?id=16269743|publisher=[[ABC News]]|date=May 3, 2012|access-date=May 3, 2012}}</ref> Since appearing in the Super Bowl, the Chargers have fielded some dominant teams that appeared to be Super Bowl-type teams, only to take an early playoff exit. In 2004, the Chargers finished 12-4 and hosted the New York Jets in the Wild Card Game, but they lost the game in overtime 20-17 despite rallying from a 17-7 fourth quarter deficit. In 2006, the Chargers finished a league-best 14-2 and clinched the 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs. They hosted the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round. Late in the 4th quarter, with the Chargers leading 21–13, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw an interception to Marlin McCree, which likely would've clinched victory. However, he was stripped of the ball by Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown and the Patriots recovered and took over in Chargers territory. The Patriots were able to tie the score at 21 and ultimately won the game 24–21 on a late field goal. This has since gone down as one of the greatest "what-ifs" in Chargers history, going down as "what if Marlin McCree holds on to the ball?". In 2007, the Chargers finished 11-5 and won the AFC West once again, and this time were able to advance to the AFC Championship Game. Despite praise from the media for Philip Rivers playing through a torn ACL he had suffered the previous week in the Division Round win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Chargers fell to the 17-0 New England Patriots by a score of 21–12. Since their Super Bowl appearance in 1994, this remains the only time the Chargers have reached the AFC Championship Game since that time. In 2008, the Chargers became the first team in NFL history to start a season 4-8 and make the playoffs by winning their final 4 games, including a 52–21 victory in a win-and-in game over the Denver Broncos. After upsetting the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Game, the Chargers lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the next round 35–24. In 2009, after a slow 2–3 start, the Chargers won their last 11 games to finish the season at 13-3 and finish as the AFC's number 2 seed. But in the divisional round against the New York Jets, the Chargers lost 17-14 which included 3 missed field goals by normally reliable kicker [[Nate Kaeding]]. After the string of 4 consecutive AFC West crowns from 2006 to 2009, the Chargers only made the playoffs once in their final 7 seasons in San Diego, in 2013 when they finished as the AFC's number 6 seed after having won 4 in a row after a 5–7 start. They beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round 27–10, but lost to the Denver Broncos in the next round 24–17. Founded in [[1969 San Diego Padres season|1969]], the Padres are one of six Major League Baseball franchises that have never won the World Series.<ref name="BR-teams">{{cite web|title=Complete Baseball Team and Baseball Team Encyclopedias|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|date=January 27, 2014|access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref> Of those teams, only the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] (1961) have been in existence longer than San Diego.<ref>{{cite news|last=Levine |first=Zachary |title=Rangers' loss keeps Astros from topping all-time misery list |date=October 29, 2011 |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |url=http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2011/10/29/rangers-loss-keeps-astros-from-topping-all-time-misery-list/ |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6MxHOI3mz?url=http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2011/10/29/rangers-loss-keeps-astros-from-topping-all-time-misery-list/ |archive-date=January 28, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Padres have twice advanced to the World Series, losing 4–1 to the [[Detroit Tigers]] in [[1984 World Series|1984]]<ref name="BR-Padres-1984">{{cite web|title=1984 San Diego Padres|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SDP/1984.shtml|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|date=January 27, 2014|access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref> and being swept 4–0 by the [[New York Yankees]] in [[1998 World Series|1998]].<ref name="BR-Padres-1998">{{cite web|title=1998 San Diego Padres|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SDP/1998.shtml|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|date=January 27, 2014|access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref> Aside from those 2 World Series appearances, the Padres have only made the playoffs 4 other times. In 1996, 2005, and 2006, they lost the NLDS to the St. Louis Cardinals. However, in 2020, they beat the Cardinals in the Wild Card Series and moved on to the NLDS, where they were swept in 3 games by the rival and eventual [[2020 World Series|World Series]] champion [[2020 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]]. ===''Sports Illustrated'' cover=== {{Main|Sports Illustrated cover jinx}} Players who appear on the cover of the ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' [[magazine]] have tended to coincidentally suffer setbacks or injuries, or lose important games, shortly after appearing on the cover. ===Washington, D.C.=== The city of [[Washington, D.C.]] did not win a major professional sports championship for 26 years, between the [[Washington Redskins]]' [[Super Bowl XXVI]] victory in 1992 and the [[Washington Capitals]]' win in the [[2018 Stanley Cup Finals]]. None of the major sports teams qualified to play in a conference or league championship game or series between 1998 and 2018, for a total of 70 combined seasons. This was the longest such streak in combined seasons of any city with at least one major sports team.<ref>{{cite news|last=Steinberg|first=Dan|title=Is D.C. now the most cursed sports city?|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/06/20/is-d-c-now-the-most-cursed-sports-city/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 20, 2016|access-date=November 15, 2017}}</ref> Of cities with three or more major sports teams, D.C. had the second-longest title drought, and the longest time without an appearance in the conference finals.<ref>{{cite news|last=Leonard|first=Josh|title=Does the DC Sports Curse exist?|url=https://www.theodysseyonline.com/does-the-dc-sports-curse-exist|website=[[Odyssey (publication)|Odyssey]]|date=October 10, 2016|access-date=November 15, 2017}}</ref> Between the Capitals' 1998 trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and the team's trip to the Eastern Conference Final in 2018, Washington, D.C. sports teams had appeared in 16 quarterfinal playoff rounds, losing all 16. Further, Washington sports teams held a 13-game losing streak in games with the chance to send the team to a Conference or League Championship. The drought ended on May 7, 2018, when the Capitals defeated the [[2017–18 Pittsburgh Penguins season|Pittsburgh Penguins]] in Game 6 of the semifinals to advance to the [[2018 Stanley Cup playoffs|Eastern Conference Final]] against the [[2017–18 Tampa Bay Lightning season|Tampa Bay Lightning]]. The Capitals would go on to defeat the Lightning four games to three in the Eastern Conference Final, and then defeated the [[2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights season|Vegas Golden Knights]] four games to one in the [[2018 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Final]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Rosen|first=Dan|title=Capitals shut out Lightning again in Game 7, reach Stanley Cup Final|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-tampa-bay-lightning-game-7-recap/c-298766662|publisher=NHL Enterprises, L.P.|website=NHL.com|date=May 29, 2018|access-date=June 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Rosen|first=Dan|title=Capitals win Stanley Cup, defeat Golden Knights in Game 5 of Final|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-vegas-golden-knights-game-5-recap/c-298984386?tid=297173160|publisher=NHL Enterprises, L.P.|website=NHL.com|date=June 7, 2018|access-date=June 8, 2018}}</ref> To further confirm the end of the curse, the [[Washington Nationals]] won the franchise's first World Series in [[2019 Major League Baseball season|2019]] with all four of those wins in that series on the road - the first such occurrence among professional sport in North American championships. ==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} {{Sports-related curses}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sports-Related Curses}} [[Category:Sports-related curses| ]] [[Category:Urban legends]]'