The DC Sports Curse Thread.

[BayouBrave86]

And the Nats and Caps have nothing to point back to. All they know is failure. Regular seasons have been meaningless in this town for the past 20 years.

[Renegade7]

24 minutes ago, Mr. Sinister said:

 

This would be awesome if a fan or another media person said it. And a take I'd agree with 100%. Zimm ain't in a position right now to lob that one though

 

 

I shouldn't need to go into specific occurrences that would like more then just bad luck or teams just not being good enough, but it seems Zimm needs a diagram or something.

 

He's right that nobody wins championships every year, losing comes with the terrirority, but you're also right that he really shouldn't be talking considering part of the curse is the Nats not being able to get out the first round. 

 

I mean, last year, Max came in the middle of a playoff game and got lite up so bad the series was essentially over after that.  That makes so little sense that a curse does.

[Kilmer17]

My son is 16 years old.  Even though we live in fl he roots for DC teams because of me. 

 

This is is the first time one of his teams made the final 4 

 

thats a soul crushing statistic.  

 

Call it it a curse.  Call it bad luck.  Call it normal.  It ha still sucked for DC fans more than any other fan of a citywide set of teams

[thebluefood]

And have you considered that this is just fun? Did that ever cross your mind or is it cluttered with too many new and exciting ways to admonish people for being "Negative Nancy's?" Misery does, indeed, love company and this is a nice outlet for some of us after one of our favorite teams find new ways to break our hearts.

 

I know curses aren't real. The Red Sox didn't win a championship for 86 years because of bad leadership including an owner who refused to integrate the team for years (sound familiar?) and an American League dominated by the Yankees for the better part of the 20th century - not because of a "curse." The Browns haven't won a championship in the Super Bowl-era because Jim Brown split for Hollywood and they played in the same division as the Steel Curtain in the 1970s (not to mention Art Modell sabotaging one of their most promising seasons in years by announcing they were moving to Baltimore) and now the Browns just flat out suck. And with the D.C. teams? Well, there's a whole slew of things contributing to the latest dry streak - from bad ownership across the board to going 34 years without a baseball team to straight-up underachieving. 

 

I know it's not an actual curse. I don't believe in actual curses. I'm Episcopalian for God's sake - we're basically Unitarians with a Catholic shell - but sometimes it's nice to be around other people that are as miserable as you are over something that, ultimately, doesn't really matter. So if you find it bothersome or annoying do yourself and the rest of us a favor and go somewhere else.

[pjfootballer]

3 minutes ago, Dan T. said:

 

I guess so.  The Redskins have basically sucked for 25 years, but for much of that time they've lived off the glory of their last Super Bowl.  Only in the last few years have despair and fatalism have taken over, as that past glory is now but a distant memory for many, and something alien to those who literally weren't even born when the Redskins last won.

 

So, to me, that last Lombardi trophy isn't looking so shiny.  From all the dust.

 

With the Nats and the Caps, every year there's realistic hope for a championship.  Not so much for the Redskins.  There's your curse in a nutshell.

 

Sure, I get what you are saying. 

 

I guess my point is, Bills fans have never experienced a SB win, but have had some great regular seasons, much like Caps fans.  At some point, if we had have won at least one cup over the years, constantly failing in the 2nd round would have been more palatable.

 

As an Orioles, Wizards and Redskins fan, yes the dust is piling up on those old pieces of hardware and at some point, I'd like to see them win it again. Problem is, the Redskins have been mediocre to suck (never winning more than 10 games) since their last SB; the Wizards haven't been out of the 2nd round or won 50 or more games in 40 years: and the Orioles (sorry, I didn't switch to the Nats) have been to the ALCS twice since 1983, a span of 35 years. None of these 3 have been even remotely close to having a dominant of a team as the Caps have had over the years.

 

Quite frankly, the Capitals at the very least should have 2 cups by now. But hey, win it this year and it all goes away for me.

[Warhead36]

While we didn't have playoff success, we at least have more success in general than other big cities when it comes to making the playoffs.

 

Here are some comparisons:

 

New York has EIGHT sports teams(two per major sport), and only ONE made the playoffs in the last calendar year.

LA has SEVEN teams and only TWO made the playoffs.

Of Dallas's four teams, NONE made the playoffs. Ditto Detroit.

[BayouBrave86]

And all of those cities have a title THIS CENTURY in the Big 4 and multiple conference championships. Go back to 99 and all of these cities have multiple titles.

[thebluefood]

14 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

While we didn't have playoff success, we at least have more success in general than other big cities when it comes to making the playoffs.

 

Here are some comparisons:

 

New York has EIGHT sports teams(two per major sport), and only ONE made the playoffs in the last calendar year.

LA has SEVEN teams and only TWO made the playoffs.

Of Dallas's four teams, NONE made the playoffs. Ditto Detroit.

Yeah, that's true. With a few bounces going our way, the 2010s could have easily been a decade of dominance for D.C. sports. Caps should have at least one Stanley Cup in their trophy case and the Nationals should have gone to the NLCS multiple times with a pennant or two under its belt. As heart wrenching as its been - its been nice to know a couple teams in town have legit shots at going all the way. 

[Warhead36]

54 minutes ago, BayouBrave86 said:

And all of those cities have a title THIS CENTURY in the Big 4 and multiple conference championships. Go back to 99 and all of these cities have multiple titles.

For sure, I want a championship too, but things could be worse...

[BayouBrave86]

That’s just it though. What city has had it worse this century? 

[SkinsHokieFan]

14 minutes ago, BayouBrave86 said:

That’s just it though. What city has had it worse this century? 

 

No city is even close. This has been ridiculous 

[Sticksboi05]

Also why I'm so happy for Ovechkin ... 13 seasons in D.C. ... has never thrown teammates under the bus (especially not to the media after playoff losses), never had to worry about him leaving for another city, has never thrown a coach under the bus, faces the media every spring and takes the brunt of scrutiny without getting defensive etc. etc. etc.

 

I really hope this is just the beginning because I want #8 to reach the top of the mountain.

[DCSaints_fan]

3 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

While we didn't have playoff success, we at least have more success in general than other big cities when it comes to making the playoffs.

 

Here are some comparisons:

 

New York has EIGHT sports teams(two per major sport), and only ONE made the playoffs in the last calendar year.

LA has SEVEN teams and only TWO made the playoffs.

Of Dallas's four teams, NONE made the playoffs. Ditto Detroit.

 

Thats one calendar year though.  You honestly would trade DC's situation with any of those cities?  Take it from me, even a single championship from one of your supported sports teams will tide you over for quite a while.

[thebluefood]

Are we talking the last 100 years or in the 21st century specifically? Either way, Washington has had a tough go of it. 

 

-Three baseball teams in two leagues - all of which were pretty horrible for the vast majority of their time here. Plus Calvin Griffith may or may not have hated black people (thus moving to Minneapolis) and Bob Short was...well, Bob Short. One World Series Championship and three pennants between them in 100 years. Pretty sure that's an all-time worst for any current baseball city. Cleveland's won three pennants in the last 25 years alone. 

 

-Three basketball teams in three leagues. One folded after a few seasons and one moved to the 757 after one year in town. The Bullets got a title in '78 but since then? Under-achieving and being straight-up garbage (aka the MCI Center-era Wizards from my childhood). If the Wizards don't make it to the conference finals next season, it'll mark 40 years since they last did it. Once again, The Cavs have made it 5 times in the last 30 years alone (including this year).

 

-Two hockey teams in two different leagues. One was an AHL team that folded after four seasons and never posted a winning record. We need not discuss the Capitals and their woes. For now, Cleveland is N/A

 

-And of course: two football teams in the NFL. We barely know anything about the old Washington Senators (they were one and done in 1921) and while the 'Skins are far and away the most successful and consistent presence in the city, they've had more bad times than good. Their overall winning percentage is just over .500 because for every decade of brilliance, they've had at least a quarter-century of futility. The team was in such bad shape in the late 1950s they almost moved to Texas (which, looking back on it now, could have been for the best). This is probably the only place where Cleveland's had us beat in the misery category because not only did Art Modell sabotage a promising 1995 season by announcing he was moving the team to Baltimore but the expansion Browns have a statistical anomaly in their futility.     

 

Point is: no matter how you look at it, Washington has had a bad century. 

[Mr. Sinister]

4 hours ago, BayouBrave86 said:

And the Nats and Caps have nothing to point back to. All they know is failure. Regular seasons have been meaningless in this town for the past 20 years.

 

You'll feel differently in time.

[Bacon]

"Frustrating" and "destitute" are two separate strains of bad. DC is the former, whereas sports cities like Buffalo and Cincinnati are more of the latter. Obviously there are worse cities to be a sports fan than DC; as a consistent source of entertainment for a local or tourist looking to kill some time, the odds are decent that you will see a winning product. On the other hand, it's not the kind of city that fosters long-term fandom,  because of the nature of its population and its lack of memorable championship seasons. 

 

It's just a tough town to get invested in. 

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

4 hours ago, Kilmer17 said:

My son is 16 years old.  Even though we live in fl he roots for DC teams because of me.

You’re a terrible father.

 

Anyway... I woke up this morning, went online to check the score and was surprised to see that we won. I mean, I watched the game last night. Somehow it was still kinda surprising.

[thebluefood]

54 minutes ago, Bacon said:

"Frustrating" and "destitute" are two separate strains of bad. DC is the former, whereas sports cities like Buffalo and Cincinnati are more of the latter.

It's funny you should mention that because the aforementioned Matt Ufford mentioned something along those lines this week's Funbag.

 

https://adequateman.deadspin.com/down-with-decorative-pillows-1825857571?utm_medium=socialflow&utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter

 

A reader asked him: 

 

Quote

Would you rather be a fan of a team knowing they will be very good for 80 years but will never win a championship or a fan of a team that is absolutely terrible for 80 years but will win one championship during that span?

 

And that's a damn good question. I've been asking myself for awhile because over my lifetime, I've seen most everything along the "loser spectrum" - from piss poor play to infuriating underachieving (see: 2009). I can't tell you much about winning but I can tell you everything there is to know about losing. And if you're like me and you missed out on the "fun years" of D.C. sports (roughly between 1972 and 1992), then you know what I'm talking about.

 

His response: 

 

Quote

The latter, AKA “the Leicester City Special..." (ever) hear a 42-year-old **** about a hangover after a night that wouldn’t faze a 25-year-old? That’s like me with sports. I can’t bounce back the way I used to. If my team’s not gonna win a championship, I’d rather they suck so I can (A) not pay attention for most of the season and (B) get cheap tickets with no expectations for success when I go to a game.

 

And that's kinda where I stand, too. I've already reached that "42-year-old with a hangover" stage and I'd rather you not waste my time and expectations if you're just going to get my hopes up and choke. I've only got so much time and emotional energy reserved for sports these days so let me know what you're about from "go." I remember when the Nats were piss poor their first few years in D.C. I still loved them and I still went to see them in person when I could and though I didn't hang on every game I still loved them and followed them all the same.

 

You can't really break someone's heart when you're a loser. You sure can when you're a choker. It's the sports equivalent of having a loved one that refuses to get their **** together. You know they can do it and you think "maybe this year" but nope - by Memorial Day Weekend, they've arrived at at least one get together broke and drunk. Now obviously, it's not as tragic as seeing a loved one ruining their own life but you get the point. 

 

[Renegade7]

57 minutes ago, Sacks 'n' Stuff said:

You’re a terrible father.

 

Anyway... I woke up this morning, went online to check the score and was surprised to see that we won. I mean, I watched the game last night. Somehow it was still kinda surprising.

I passed the second part of a certification test one time by two points.  It took me 2-3 days to "accept" that I actually passed, I was waiting for someone to say "Ya... sorry, no, no you didn't".

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

6 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

I passed the second part of a certification test one time by two points.  It took me 2-3 days to "accept" that I actually passed, I was waiting for someone to say "Ya... sorry, no, no you didn't".

When I was picking a college, the primary prerequisite, if I was going to play football, was that that their team couldn’t be any good. The program was in its 3rd year when I started there and they’ve been playing for 20 years now. They have NEVER had a winning season. One year they were 5-4 going into the final game and it was against the weakest team in the conference...

 

Youre probably expecting me to say we lost but we didn’t. We won. Made us 6-4 and the first winning season in program history. The next day the NCAA announced that we had to forfeit two games.

[Sticksboi05]

Alright we've had our day to be happy. Time to regain perspective from here on out and remember the goal is a championship and nothing else.

[spjunkies]

5 minutes ago, Sticksboi05 said:

Alright we've had our day to be happy. Time to regain perspective from here on out and remember the goal is a championship and nothing else.

 

Yes sir, I've been scratching my head over people saying the curse is dead. One witch has fallen, but the curse is alive until a CHAMPIONSHIP title is in the district. 

[Kosher Ham]

So this ridiculous notion of a curse still exists for some of you ? 

hahaha. 

 

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I'm curious what people will say if (big if) the Caps don't advance to the Stanley Cup Finals? To me, winning your league/conference is a championship of some sort. So, playing in the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, or Stanley Cup Finals means that you won something of substance. 

 

I think the "Final Four" thing I've been reading about is such an arbitrary milestone. I understand how it came about...as we were tracing things back one day someone stumbled onto a lower common denominator. Not only hadn't we won a conference since 1998, we hadn't even advanced past the x round since then. But I still think one of our teams needs to participate in its sport's title game to break the curse. 

[Renegade7]