Superstition and rituals have been a part of national baseball, since its inception dating all the way back to the 18th century, but sometimes strange events take on mythical proportions that seem to haunt specific teams. The Chicago Cubs, legend goes, have been suffering under a curse since 1945 that many fans attribute to the consistently inconsistent regular season record. Cubs fans are some of the most loyal fans around, but the Curse of the Billy Goat still seems to have lasting affects, even in our times.

How It Started
The unlucky event occurred, so the story goes, when the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern Billy Sianis was asked to leave a 1945 World Series game the Chicago Cubs where hosting at Wrigley Field against the Detroit Tigers. Sianis brought his pet goat to the game and fans were complaining about its fowl odor. Outraged by this insult Sianis exclaimed, “Them Cubs, they aren’t gonna win no more,” which horrified fans in earshot because they took this to mean there would never be a World Series game won at Wrigley Field.

There are many versions of how this event played out, but whatever transpired that day, the fact is that the Cubs were leading the Tigers two games to one. In that 1945 series, they ended up losing in Game 4 in the best-out-of-seven series. The Tigers walked away with the title. Over the years, whispers were heard throughout the bleachers and eventually newspapers began carrying the story.
How to Get Rid of The Goat
In an attempt to appease the spirits of ghostly goats, Sam Sianis, the nephew of Billy Sianis, has been ushered out onto Wrigley Field with goat in tow on various occasions, as a sort of peace offering, to quell this curse. Sianis has gone on record stating that he believes the only way for the curse to be broken is if the Cubs organization shows a true fondness for goats. Allowing goats back into the stadium, not as a publicity stunt, but to allow them to enjoy a game is the only way these malevolent forces can be pacified. Suffice it to say that if this did ever come to pass, I imagine the goats would be just as passionate and just as critical as Cub fans have ever been.