There is an alleged curse on the city of Cleveland, Ohio that prevents them from winning a major sports championship. To this date, it has been arguably the biggest sports championship drought in any U.S. city. The last Cleveland title came in 1964 when the Browns won the NFL Championship. The Cleveland Indians last won the World Series in 1948 and the Cleveland Cavaliers have never won the NBA Finals, losing in their first appearance in 2007 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Instances of The Curse
Some of the most infamous failures have been dubbed with a title, often with a single word preceded by an ominous "The." Amongst locals and even sports fans in general, The Catch, Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, and The Shot all evoke images of Cleveland sports futility. Less famous outside of Cleveland, Game 7 of the 1997 World Series is commonly referred to as The Error (briefly known as The Mesa).
The Cavaliers' 2007 loss to the San Antonio Spurs was not due to a single play or misplay but simply a superior opponent, yet the sting of the loss still resonates in a city searching for its first major championship since 1964.
Only time will tell if the 2007 American League Championship Series will be reduced to either "The Collapse" (for the series loss to the Boston Red Sox, despite being up three games to one) or "The Stop Sign" (due to Kenny Lofton being held up by third base coach Joel Skinner, as he likely would have scored the tying run in the late innings of Game 7) in Cleveland folklore.
Cleveland has also had two franchises cease operations. In 1978, the Cleveland Barons of the National Hockey League vanished after two unsuccessful seasons by merging with the Minnesota North Stars. The Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA shut down in 2003 after seven seasons of existence.
To add insult to injury, the original Browns went on to win a Super Bowl as the Baltimore Ravens by defeating the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. As previously stated, the newer, current Browns franchise has yet to appear in a Super Bowl.
Cleveland's misery is so detailed, that in 2004, ESPN named Cleveland the most tortured sports city.
The cause for Cleveland's misery is not 100% agreed upon, although some trace it to either Rocky Colavito's departure to the Detroit Tigers in 1960, or Jim Brown's stunning retirement from the NFL in 1965 to produce the World War II film The Dirty Dozen.
Sports-related curses. (2009, January 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:35, January 17, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sports-related_curses&oldid=264598455
