World Series 2016: Superstition, karma say Cubs got this
The Chicago Cubs trail the Cleveland Indians 3-1 in the 2016 World Series, but there are forces still working in their favor
Do you believe in curses? In sports, there are those that think of them as nothing more than media-driven narrative. Meanwhile, some believe that something bigger is in the works, some supernatural force. The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, with the notion of a curse weighing on the minds of the affected, but perhaps nothing bigger in the works. Just ask the Chicago Cubs as they now trail the Cleveland Indians 3-1 in the 2016 World Series.
Only four teams in World Series history have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit. The 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates were the first to pull off the feat, followed by the 1958 New York Yankees, and 1968 Detroit Tigers. However, the last team to do so achieved the feat over three decades ago — the 1985 Kansas City Royals. Of those four teams to come back from 3-1 in the World Series, the Yankees and Tigers had to win the final two games on the road. That’s what the Cubs will have to do to beat the Indians.
Whether you believe in it or not, you know about the cursed Cubs. Sure, they won their first National League pennant since 1945 this year. But a loss in the World Series only keeps the legend of the Billy Goat, of Steve Bartman, of it all alive and well. Them Cubs, they still ain’t gonna win no more.
But then again, maybe they still can win.
Curses are meant to be broken, even those that linger for the better part of a century. The Cubs have tried for years to reverse their curse with cheap antics such as bringing goats to Wrigley Field and things of that nature. However, it all happens in due time with one special team in one special moment. And there’s no denying that this Cubs team is special.
To break a curse, you simply have to make history. While that may seem redundant, it’s far from it. For example, the 2004 Boston Red Sox faced a curse of their own. The Curse of the Bambino, much like that of the Billy Goat, lasted the better part of a century and featured a multitude of heartbreak along the way. However, all it took was one moment and one series to change it all.
One year removed from the Yankees (the beneficiary in the Curse of the Bambino) and Aaron Boone crushing their souls (and a series-winning home run to left field) in the 2003 ALCS, the Red Sox again found themselves trailing the rival Yankees in the ALCS. Worse, they fell behind 3-0, a deficit a MLB team had never come back from. A Dave Roberts steal, some David Ortiz heroics, and a bloody sock later, the Red Sox made history to advance to the World Series. Once they’d defeated their rivals and made history in the process, winning it all and breaking the curse was a foregone conclusion.
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More contemporarily, the Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves trailing 3-1 to the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. Only 10 times in NBA history had a team come back from 3-1 in a series and never before in the Finals. As the Cleveland sports curse weighed heavily, the Cavs had to make a historic comeback against a historically great team in the 73-win Warriors. As we all know by now, J.R. Smith still hasn’t put a shirt on after the Cavaliers indeed came back to win and bring a title to Cleveland.
Both the Red Sox and Cavaliers stand as examples of the simple, superstitious truth: you can’t break a curse without doing something historic, such as coming back from 3-1 in the World Series.
However, the example of the Cavs holds particular interest as it pertains to other supernatural forces, namely karma. After LeBron James and company were able to complete the comeback and win a title, their fans started trolling. “The Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals” has now reached iconic meme status, all after being started by the Cavaliers. For a city that has suffered such a tortured sports history, you’d think there’d be a bit more decorum than that. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been.
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Therefore, you’d have to imagine that the karmic forces at work would have some sort of comeuppance coming Cleveland’s way. And wouldn’t you know it, the Cubs are up against an Indians team that hails from said city. Thus, the Cubs find themselves on the potential benefitting side of karma.
Without question, there’s reason for Cubs fans to wallow in self-pity with a woe-is-me attitude after Game 4. They’ve lost two-straight at Wrigley and face an uphill battle. But if sports have taught us anything about curses, it’s that it takes something historic and something even a bit otherworldly to break them—real or not. With a bit of superstition and karma in the works, that narrative could still play out.
Them Cubs, they might win again just yet.