15. The Curse of the Colonel
Origin: A statue of Colonel Sanders was thrown into a can*l
Teams/people involved: Hanshin Tigers
Year started: 1985
If Colonel Sanders seems like a strange impetus for a curse, well, that's because he is. However, many fans of the Japanese baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers, believed that the KFC mascot was responsible for all their bad luck in the Japanese baseball leagues. Why? During celebrations following the team's 1985 Japan Series victory, a statue of Colonel Sanders was thrown into a can*l at the Ebisubashi Bridge. For 18 years after that event, the team finished last or second-to-last in all but two seasons.
While the Tigers did manage to win the Central League title in 2003, they lost the Japan Series that year, effectively maintaining the curse. However, after years of repeated efforts to recover the statue, the figure was finally found in 2009 and brought up from the depths of the can*l. But whether the Colonel's resurrection will have any impact on the team's fortunes remains to be seen.
14. The Andretti Curse
Origin: Mario Andretti's first Indy 500 win
Teams/people involved: The Andretti racing family
Year started: 1969
Racing-wise, 1969 was a good year for Mario Andretti, as the young racing legend managed to snag his first Indianapolis 500 title. However, it would end up being the only Indy win of his career. And not just for himself, but for his entire racing lineage. While the subsequent Andrettis (Michael, Jeff, Marco) all managed to have respectable racing careers, none were able to repeat the feat of their original racing ancestor. For whatever reason, bad luck often derailed any of Mario's efforts to win the title again, while his son Michael Andretti is essentially the Karl Malone of the Indianapolis 500, having completed and led the most laps out of any driver who never won the race.
The most heart-breaking of these losses had to occur in 2006, when Michael and his son Marco were both leading in the final laps of the race, only to be overtaken by Sam Hornish Jr., leaving the son-father duo to finish in second and third place, respectively. It was the only time in the history of the race that the winner has taken the lead in the final lap. Does it get much more heartbreaking than that?
13. The Curse of Coogan's Bluff
Origin: The Giants moved from New York to San Francisco
Teams/people involved: San Francisco Giants
Year started: 1957
When the San Francisco Giants moved away from New York in 1957, many believed that the team left all their good luck in the Big Apple. Coogan's Bluff refers to the site of their original ballpark in Harlem where the team had won five World Series titles, including the 1954 championship, which featured Willie Mays' unforgettable catch in Game 1.
However, when they went to the Bay Area, the team ended up losing three different World Series match-ups, including the 1989 series, which was delayed by the infamous Loma Prieta earthquake. It wasn't until 2010 that the team would finally break through again, following up their effort in 2012 to earn their second title in three years.
12. The Socceroos' Witch Doctor Curse
Origin: The Australian national soccer team failed to pay a witch doctor the money they owed him
Teams/people involved: The Australian national soccer team
Year started: 1970
Bringing voodoo or shamanism into any equation is usually the recipe for bad luck, and if you need any evidence, consider the case of the Australian national soccer team. In his 2002 autobiography, former Australian footballer Johnny Warren admitted that the team consulted a witch doctor in 1970 when they were facing Rhodesia in a World Cup qualifying match in Mozambique. Apparently, the witch doctor buried bones near the goal posts and placed a curse on Australia's opponent, leading the way for Australia's 3-1 victory.
However, when the witch doctor asked for payment, the team was unable to pay up, and was subsequently cursed by the witch doctor. After a lackluster 1974 World Cup appearance in which the team failed to score a single goal, the team failed to qualify for another World Cup until 2006. And why was the curse broken? An Australian filmmaker by the name of John Safran travelled to Mozambique and hired another witch doctor to reverse the original spell. Since then, Australia hasn't missed out on a single World Cup.
11. The Curse of Billy Penn
Origin: The statue of Billy Penn was surpa**ed as the highest point in Philadelphia
Teams/people involved: Philadelphia sports teams
Year started: 1987
Philadelphia sports teams have had to endure some serious heartbreak over the course of the past few decades, starting in 1987 after the construction of One Liberty Place, a structure that overtook the Philadelphia City Hall as the highest building in the city. Prior to One Liberty Place, a gentlemen's agreement had been in place to ensure that no building in the city would ever be higher than City Hall, upon which a statue of Philly founder William Penn sits.
However, when that agreement was broken, some believe that a curse came along with it. According to this belief, the Curse of Billy Penn caused the Flyers to lose the Stanley Cup twice, cost the Phillies the 1993 World Series, sunk the 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals, and was responsible for the Eagles' Super Bowl XXXIX defeat.
But the city successfully reversed this curse in 2007 when workers constructing the Comcast Center (now the highest building in the city) attached a small statue of William Penn to the final beam of the building. With Billy now in his rightful position atop the city, Philadelphia was free to win again. And they did.
In 2008, the Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in 5 games to win their first World Series since 1980.
10. The Curse of the Bambino
Origin: Boston sells Babe Ruth to the Yankees
Teams/people involved: Boston Red Sox
Year started: 1918
Before Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, Boston had enjoyed unparalleled success in Major League Baseball, capturing the very first World Series title, as well as four others along the way. However, once Ruth was gone, their luck also seemed to change hands. It took 86 years before Boston could win another title, while their rival Yankees were able to scoop up 26 of their 27 World Series championships in that same span of time.
Previously, the Yankees had been nothing special as a franchise, but when Ruth came to town, they took off, becoming one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world. Meanwhile, what Boston lost in titles they made up for in a series of heartbreaking moments that are best remembered by names: Bucky Dent, Grady Little, and Bill Buckner. However, now that the Red Sox have managed to win three titles since 2004, you'll hardly find anyone who feels too badly for Boston.
9. The Curse of the Black Sox
Origin: The Black Sox scandal of 1919
Teams/people involved: The Chicago White Sox
Year started: 1919
Cheaters never prosper, and from 1919 to 2005, the Chicago White Sox were proof positive of that a**ertion, as the South Siders failed to win a World Series title in the wake of the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. As you may recall, the 1919 fiasco involved Sox star Shoeless Joe Jackson, as well as seven other teammates who were all responsible for throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money.
Though the team would win the AL pennant in 1959, they fell to the Dodgers in the 1959 World Series, and wouldn't appear in it again until 2005. Thankfully, when the Sox made it back, they made it count, sweeping the Astros away as well as anymore bad memories a**ociated with Shoeless Joe.
8. The Talladega Jinx
Origin: A Native American shaman placed a curse on the track
Teams/people involved: Various drivers at Talladega Superspeedway
Year started: 1973
Talladega Superspeedway is a track that is known for its fast races, fiery crashes, and strange stories. Since it was built in 1969, a number of odd occurrences have taken place that suggest some spooky common thread.
For instance, in 1973, racer Bobby Isaac got out of his car during lap 90 of his race because he believed that voices in his head were telling him to do so. The next year, during the Winston 500, drivers arrived to their vehicles only to find that their brake lines had been damaged and that sand had been put in their gasoline tanks. In the years since, a handful of incidents have occurred that inevitably get linked back to the original curse.
But where does this jinx come from? Some believe that a Native American shaman placed a curse on the land many years ago when his tribe was forced off of it by former President and U.S. Army general Andrew Jackson. Others believe that the track was built on a Native American burial ground. Whatever the case, it's easy to believe that something isn't right over in Talladega.
7. The Based God's Curse
Origin: Lil B's retaliation after Kevin Durant dissed him on Twitter
Teams/people involved: Kevin Durant
Year started: 2011
In the year that Kevin Durant managed to win his first MVP, you'd think that any talk about curses would be the last thing on the mind of any Durant observer, right? Unfortunately, so long as the Based God's curse continues to hang over Durant's head, it's all anyone will talk about when discuss the MVP's lack of championships. It all started in 2011 when Durant took to Twitter to diss Lil B's music. Displeased, the Based God placed a curse on Durant, effectively forbidding Oklahoma City from ever capturing a title while Durant was on their team.
In 2012, Lil B flip-flopped on the curse, lifting it from Durant's head and allowing prosperity to reign in OKC. However, during the 2014 All Star Game, the good times appeared to be over when the Based God tweeted, "AND fu*k KEVIN DURANT LIL B FOR LIFE - Lil B." And we even asked a fortune teller whether or not the curse was official.
With Serge Ibaka now sidelined for the playoffs and Oklahoma City's title chances dimming, it appears that the Based God Curse is indeed back. Better luck next year, KD.
6. The Sports Illustrated Cover Curse
Origin: Eddie Mathews, the first athlete on the cover of Sports Illustrated, breaks his hand
Teams/people involved: Various athletes depicted on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Year started: 1954
Even from the very first cover, Sports Illustrated has been known for having some strange incidents occur in relation to their cover athletes. For the first issue, it was former Braves star Eddie Mathews, who would end up suffering a broken hand shortly after he was placed on the cover. After that, Jill Kinmont's paralysis in 1955—which occurred during the same week that she was on the cover of SI—added to the list of tragic and untimely accidents.
Since these two initial incidents, a storied history of trouble or bad luck has emerged in connection with Sports Illustrated, giving way to the belief that a jinx is a**ociated with the magazine. Though no specific origin has been named as the reason for the curse, the common consequences that these athletes have suffered suggests a common cause to some.
5. The Madden Curse
Origin: The Madden video game franchise
Teams/people involved: Select Madden cover athletes
Year started: 1999
The Madden curse has a well-established list of evidence to make even the biggest skeptic consider the possibility that being a video game cover athlete carries bad mojo. From former San Francisco 49er Garrison Hearst in 1999 to former Philadelphia franchise player Donovan McNabb in 2006 to Peyton Hillis in 2011, numerous football players have suffered uncharacteristically bad years, tough injuries, or sour luck during the season in which they were the face of the Madden franchise.
However, two significant outliers have appeared in the past couple seasons with Calvin Johnson and Adrian Peterson, both of whom managed to have solid or—in the case of Johnson—record-setting years in the NFL. Will Madden 15 continue this turnaround?
4. The Curse of the Honey Bears
Origin: The disbandment of the Chicago Bears cheerleading squad
Teams/people involved: Chicago Bears
Year started: 1985
After the original Bears owner George Halas died in 1983, his daughter, Virginia Halas McCaskey, took over the franchise with a few changes in mind. First and foremost, Mrs. McCaskey wanted to eliminate the team cheerleaders because of the s**ism inherent to their position. It made sense, and the cheerleaders known as the Honey Bears were taken away when their contract in ended in 1985.
But, as you'll recall, 1985 was a good year for Chicago. The Bears dominated the league that season before winning Super Bowl XX in a commanding fashion over the New England Patriots. However, since the Honey Bears have left, Chicago hasn't managed to do anything memorable. And though there have been efforts to resurrect the team cheerleaders, management has repeatedly refused to bend on Mrs. McCaskey's wishes.
The Bears did manage to appear in the 2006 Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts, but they were thoroughly embarra**ed by Peyton Manning & Co., falling 29-17 in a game that wasn't even as close as the score might suggest.
3. The Curse of Chief Wahoo
Origin: The Cleveland Indians changed their logo to a caricature of a Native American
Teams/people involved: Cleveland sports teams
Year started: 1947
Cleveland sports have been so bad that a curse seems to be the only logical explanation for their ineptitude. So, while one might think that the Curse of Chief Wahoo would only apply to the Cleveland Indians, the rest of the Cleveland sports franchises appear to have been roped in by a**ociation. Since 1951—when the Indians redesigned their already controversial logo to its even worse current form—the team has failed to win a World Series. Their last championship came in 1948, though they appeared in the World Series in both 1995 and 1997.
However, since that time, the curse has seemingly managed to spread to Cleveland's other teams, the Browns and the Cavaliers. The Cavs have never won an NBA title, and famously lost LeBron James to "The Decision" in 2010. Meanwhile, the Browns lost their entire franchise when former team owner Art Modell uprooted the team in 1995 and took them to Baltimore. Of course, the Browns haven't won a title since 1964, in either their old incarnation or their current franchise.
The fact that the Ravens have already managed to capture two just adds insult to injury.
2. The Curse of Bobby Layne
Origin: Bobby Layne is traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Teams/people involved: Detroit Lions
Year started: 1958
Few franchises in professional sports have been as bad over the past five decades as the Detroit Lions. And why exactly is that? Well, depending on who you believe, former franchise quarterback Bobby Layne is to blame. According to legend, after Layne was dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1958, he proclaimed that the Lions would not win for 50 years.
Though his quote has since been disputed, it remains a fact that the Lions have failed to produce any results in the time since. Even when superstar running back Barry Sanders came to town, the Lions still failed to do much of anything. Indeed, since Layne's absence, Detroit has been 1-10 in 10 playoff appearances, and in 2008—the final year of the supposed curse—they became the first franchise to ever go 0-16 in a season. They also remain one of just four franchises in the NFL to have never gone to a Super Bowl.
1. The Curse of the Billy Goat
Origin: Billy Sianis and his billy goat were forced to leave Wrigley Stadium during the 1945 World Series
Teams/people involved: Chicago Cubs
Year started: 1945
What accounts for the Chicago Cubs' 100-plus years of ineptitude? Why is it that the Cubbies have failed to win a title since 1908? Is it their general lack of talent year in and year out? Is it Steve Bartman or any other infamous figure in the team's lore? Or is it Billy Sianis, who supposedly cursed the franchise after he was forced out of a Cubs game during the 1945 World Series? As the story goes, Sianis—who was the owner of the nearby Billy Goat Tavern—had brought his own goat to the game, only for security to ask him that he leave the stadium due to the animal's overpowering stench. Incensed, Sianis apparently said, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more," a declaration which has proved correct to this day.
In the 1945 World Series, the Cubs would end up losing to the Detroit Tigers and have yet to even win a National League pennant in the time since. Though various measures have been made by the team and the fans in attempts to reverse this curse—including a severed goat's head that was sent to team owner Tom Ricketts last year—nothing has proved successful, and the Cubs stay losing.