5 OTHER FAMOUS SPORTS CURSES

THE BAMBINO CURSE

One of the most famous sports “curses” in history was on the Boston Red Sox, who failed to win a World Series after selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in the off-season of 1919-20. Although the Red Sox won four titles before the sale, the Yankees ended up winning 26 World Series Championships afterward, and Boston didn’t win another title until 2004.

THE BILLY GOAT CURSE

The Billy Goat Curse was placed on the Chicago Cubs in 1945 by William (Billy) Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, when the team owner barred Sianis’s pet goat from the World Series game because he (the goat) smelled. Sianis predicted that the Cubs would never win another series — and they haven’t since.

THE CURSE OF 1940

The Curse of 1940 was, for believers, the explanation of the failure of the NHL’s New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup after 1940. It was broken when the Mark Messier-led Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks four games to three in 1994.

THE CURSE OF BILL BARILKO

NHL player Bill Barilko of the Toronto Maple Leafs died in a plane crash during the off-season right after he scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in the 1951. The Maple Leafs did not win another cup until 1962, 11 years after the crash, and the same year that Barilko’s body was found. The Talladega Curse The NASCAR racetrack Talladega Superspeedway curse allegedly explains the high number of unusual occurrences, unexpected deaths and dramatic accidents that have plagued the track since its opening in 1969. There is no known origin of the curse.