Two teams in baseball are supposedly cursed: the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. This year, both teams have reached their respective league’s championship series, and there is a chance for them to meet in the World Series. For all of us baseball fans, this is huge.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a diehard Marlins fan. That being said, however, I intend to put these feelings aside for now.
The history of the curses is legendary. Let’s start with Boston and the Curse of the Bambino. In 1920, two years after winning the World Series, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold then-pitcher George Herman “Babe” Ruth (the Bambino) to the New York Yankees. Babe Ruth went on to become one of baseball’s greatest sluggers of all time, and since 1920, the Yankees have won 25 pennants. The Red Sox have won none. In fact, the Red Sox have not won a title in 85 years.
The Cubs, on the other hand, won the World Series in 1908 and reached it several times after that. However, the last time they reached it, in 1945, a Cubs’ fan wanted to attend Game 4 with his pet goat. After the goat was denied entry, his owner cursed the team and said they wouldn’t win again. They haven’t, since. So, the Cubs haven’t won a title in 95 years.
Think about it. Eighty-five years ago, World War I was coming to a close, the October revolution had just begun in Russia, and women still weren’t able to vote in the U.S. Ninety-five years ago, the Theory of Relativity had only been known for a year, the first true skyscraper was built in New York City, and automobiles still weren’t produced in assembly lines. For Red Sox and Cubs fans, it has certainly been awhile.
Perhaps the upside is that Red Sox and Cubs fans are some of the most loyal in the world. These are people that have had to deal with their team being known as the Lovable Losers, as the Cubs are affectionately called, people that have said, “Wait ’til next year” during their entire lifetimes, and yet they still pack their stadiums season after season. I would like to see how loyal we would be to our ‘Canes if they hadn’t been victorious in the recent past.
I will be cheering for the Fish. But, if for some reason it’s not their year, then let one of the curses be broken. Next year might be here.
Patricia Mazzei can be contacted at pmazzei@umsis.miami.edu.