The sporting arena has had its own share of myths and legends. There are certain superstitions and beliefs that are devoid of any scientific foundation but have somehow got attached to certain sports and athletes. In fact, if a player is going through a prolonged rough patch then it is only natural to associate poor performances with a curse or a superstition. Over here, we would be touching upon such famous curses linked to various sports.
The Curse Of Bambino
Though no longer in existence, this curse happened to be a famous one in sporting history. The legend has it that after Boston Red Sox earned a curse over the big-money transfer of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1918 it failed to win a World Series. This is well-known in sporting quarters as the Curse of Bambino. Previously, the franchise grabbed four titles in seven years (1912–1918).
Image Credits: AP/Al Behrman
However, after a long gap of 86 years, the drought finally ended as the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0 in the 2004 World Series. The victory was even more special, considering what the Boston-based team did prior to the final, from 3-0 down to get the better of Yankees in their own backyard.
Guttmann’s Rant Prove Costly For Benfica
This episode has attained humongous popularity in sporting folklore. It pertains to a former Hungarian manager Béla Guttmann, who teamed up with Portuguese powerhouse Benfica in 1959 and guided and helped the team to two Portuguese Ligas, two European Cups and one Portuguese Cup title.
It is believed that in 1962 when Guttmann sought a pay hike the club blindly refused the same. In frustration and anger, he said that for the next 100 years no Portuguese team will ever get two European titles and Benfica can never emerge champions of Europe again without him. After the incident, Benfica made it to five European Cup finals and three UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League finals but did not win any of them.
A Jinxed Publication
This might come across as too hard to digest but it is quite true. There is a superstition that athletes, barring a few, appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine would find their careers badly affected.
Hence, beginning with the opening edition, featuring Atlanta Braves third baseman Eddie Mathews, who damaged his hands badly to a serious injury only a few days after surfacing on the front page of the magazine, the curse has severely impacted the career graph of several famous sports personalities. Strangely, Michael Jordan, the NBA legend, was the only one to be unaffected by the curse after appearing on the cover of the magazine.
There’s Something Between WSC & Crucible Theatre
Call it coincidence or anything, but it is a fact that the first-time winners of the World Snooker Championship (WSC) at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield have been unable to defend their titles following the event that took place at the venue in 1977. As a matter of fact, just two, Joe Johnson, in 1987, and Ken Doherty in 1998, out of the 15 first-time champions of that time have progressed to the final in the following years. Coincidentally, five erstwhile champions have lost their very first match in the preceding years.
