The Madden Curse. Those who have appeared on the cover of Madden NFL games have had to fight off the curse that comes with it, be it injury or a disappointing season. It's real right? And highly contagious? I didn't catch the main strain, but a brand-new hybrid - the fan curse. I am a walking agent of losing.
Symptoms? Whoever I pull for loses. That's tough enough. However, the losses only start to pile up when I turn on the tube to watch my team. If they do not lose, then they take a dive as soon as I tune in. It has a devastating effect, for whatever reason. Sometimes, I don't even have to watch the game, just keep tabs on it and the team tanks. Highly infectious.
Peyton and Co. blew a 24-0 lead they had to lose to the Pats. That's when I turned the game on. Tennessee lost to Georgia, blowing their shot only after I began checking in, immediately following a wedding. On the hardwood, the only loss Duke has suffered this year is the one that I sat down to watch. Oh yeah, sorry Cardinals.
Rationally, I know that there is no way that tuning into a game can affect the team and their outcome, yet the correlation and reach of this diseased curse is staggering.
There are only two possible solutions to assist my team. First, never watch a game or check the scores until the clock hits zeroes. Second, become a rogue agent of athletics, and pull for teams that I never would before in order for them to tank and my teams turn things around.
The first option is almost impossible as I am a self-proclaimed sports nut that loves to watch. I would even watch a Browns/Raiders game because I love to watch that much. So avoiding a game that my team is in would be infinitely impossible.
Go Ducks! Just practicing as it seems that pulling for teams that I loathe in order to put the hex on them is a more viable option. Attempting to put the curse on the opposite team is my only recourse, right?
Competition is unpredictable. One fan tuning in can't change the outcome of a contest. I don't get in the head of a QB when I am sitting on my couch. It's hard to get past it, but here is no fan curse.
It comes down to preparation and execution. Positive plays and turnovers. Coaches versus coaches. It comes down to the decisions that everyone involved with the team makes, not me.
My doctor just recommended this - Go Buckeyes - just to be safe.
