Is the Ed Thorp curse real?
I have forever been a superstitious sports fan. Even when playing any sport growing up, I had my rituals. I’d tap my glove twice before a pitch was thrown or purposely left my chinstrap unbuckled while in the huddle.
I realize it seems crazy. Most people don’t understand, but there is something about the ‘butterfly effect’ and the way you feel it impacts your favorite teams.
After last night’s news of head coach Mike Zimmer’s emergency eye surgery, you have to wonder why the 2016 Vikings seem so snake bitten.
Well…maybe I have an explanation.
How many times have you had Packer fan’s hang the championship/Super Bowl bit over your head? I’ve lost count. However, how often to you realize that the Vikings actually have won a championship?
Prior to the merger in 1970, the Ed Thorp trophy was awarded to the champions of the National Football League from 1934-1969. Coincidentally, the Vikings were the last team to be awarded the trophy and promptly lost it.
You can’t make that up.
I’m sure it’s not the first time a professional team has lost a trophy, but when it’s the only championship trophy in franchise history it’s difficult not to roll your eyes at the fact that the Vikings did in fact lose it.
Since losing the trophy, the Vikings lost four super bowls and suffered through countless heartbreaking losses. Enough to wonder: is there a greater power influencing the pain the fan base feels?
Of course, this is taken with a grain of salt and written in a very tongue and cheek manner.
The good news? The other notable curses in professional sports – the curse of Babe Ruth and Billy the Goat were eventually lifted. The bad news, it literally took more than a hundred years. That puts the Vikings championship hopes on hold until 2069. I’ll be 84…
Rest easy, in all practicality, there is no reason to believe the Vikings actually are cursed. But the next time you look up to the sky for answers from the football Gods, blame someone out there who probably has a trophy in a box in their basement.