A 108-year drought for the Chicago Cubs was recently ended as the team won game seven of the World Series. Just think about that: for 108 years, this fanbase has been cursed. Since then, (1908) radio and TV have been invented, and four states have been added to the union.
Maybe it was the curse of the billy goat in 1945—in which a man brought his billy goat to the stadium, only to get escorted out because his goat smelled so bad. As he was leaving, he was heard saying” “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more!” It’s rumored he went as far as to send Cubs owner Phillip Wrigley a telegram after the game saying, “You are never going to win a World Series again because you insulted my goat.”
Iit took the Cubs all the way until 1984 just to reach the playoffs again.
Finally, in 2003, it looked like the Cubs would break the curse and make the World Series again. They were in the NLCS, up 3-1, and were dominated by Josh Beckett of the Florida Marlins, 3-2. Game 6, Oct. 14. The Cubs were leading 3-0 until it all fell apart in the top of the eighth. There was one out when Luis Castillo hit a foul ball to left field—Moisés Alou looked like he had the opportunity to catch it and get the second out of the inning, only to have a Cubs fan, Steve Bartman, reach out and hit the ball into the stands.
After this happened the Cubs choked their lead in game six, and went on to lose game seven.
Since that moment, Bartman has become a man in the shadows: he disappeared after getting death threats from many people after his personal information appeared on message boards after the game. Since then, he has declined many opportunities, whether it was $25,000 to autograph a picture of himself or appear in an ESPN documentary. Bartman even declined a rumored six-figure offer to appear in a Super Bowl commercial.
But finally the Cubs have broken the curse after beating the Indians—and the whole city of Chicago is finally forgiving him for his small mistake in 2003. Cubs management, players, and the people of the city all made it clear they wanted Bartman to appear at the parade on Nov. 3, but, speaking through his attorney, he politely declined, saying he “did not want to be a distraction to the accomplishment of the players and organization.”
This is a very professional and courteous thing for Bartman to do, but many are disappointed. They feel that they have ruined nearly 13years of Bartman’s life and that he deserves to come out of the shadows and actually live like a human being again.
Chicago accepting Bartman is just the first step to take in celebrating the curse.
About 5 million people attended the Cubs parade on Nov. 4, making it the seventh largest gathering in human history. Whether you’re a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan, the city of Chicago is just overjoyed that the curse is now broken.