Cubs fans will do — and eat — anything

Fighting the supernatural

Those who don’t identify as Chicago Cubs fans might chalk up the reason the team hasn’t appeared in the World Series since 1945 (they lost that year and, in fact, haven’t won since 1908) to the team’s less-than-stellar play over the years.

Cubs fans, however, have a more supernatural excuse — the “Curse of the Billy Goat.”

In case you fall into the former camp, here’s a primer via Baseball Reference:

“The Curse of the Billy Goat is a long-standing ‘explanation’ of why the Chicago Cubs have not won the pennant for decades. Supposedly, Bill Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, and his pet goat, were kicked out of Game 4 at the 1945 World Series after some other spectators complained about the goat’s odour. Sianis cursed the Cubs, who have not made it to a World Series since then.”

So, what’s a good fan to do? Anything one can do to break the curse.

In 1997, Sianis’s nephew Sam, who currently runs the tavern, brought a new goat to Wrigley Field. It didn’t work. The Cubs finished fifth in the NL Central, never getting above .500 that season.

Flash forward to 2015, and fans are now getting more creative. One group of guys recruited competitive eating champion Takeru Kobayashi to help them consume an entire 40-pound goat last month. And yes, they ate the eyes, brains, entrails and all the other parts of the animal.

While a goat’s presence may not have worked in 1997, the Billy Goat Tavern insists the animal is still a good-luck charm.

“Don’t be stubborn — let the goat back in!” its website proclaims.