And hope for all superstitious suffering sports fans everywhere, the Curse of Mayo is lifted… now for other jinxes.
Mayo’s trials are legend in Ireland where they have suffered 75 years of hurt (take that Baddiel and Skinner).
Since they upset a priest officiating a funeral with their boisterous celebrations in the village of Foxford.
On the occasion of the county’s last All-Ireland title in 1951 before this week’s one.
The pastor cursed the squad that they’d win no more Gaelic Football Championships while any of them were still alive.
Mayo for Sam
Fast forward 75 years and 11 lost All-Irelands later the Yew County are All-Ireland champions again.
And you can make of it what you will.
But the last connection with the 1951 team, Dr Mick Loftus died three years ago.
Now the story of Mayo’s retribution has gone viral with the Diaspora and Mayo descendant Joe Biden’s cri de coeur.
With the ex-Prez of the Oo Es of Eh posting ‘Mayo for Sam’… the trophy named for GA titan Sam Maguire.
Gods of sport
It’s never wise to upset the gods (have you seen The Odyssey?) or God, or even the Mother of God.
Particularly in Catholic Argentina, where in 1986 manager Carlos Bilardo pledged to the Virgin of Copacabana.
That if they won the World Cup he would return to give homage.
Only he and Diego Maradona and the boys forgot all about in the excitement.
And Argentina failed to win another World Cup for 36 years.
The squad made amends in 2018 and Our Lady bestowed her blessings on her Argentinian children although she made them wait.
Until that god in human form Lionel Messi led Argentina to World Cup four years later in Qatar.
Don’t tinker with gypsies
Nor is it ever wise to trample over gypsy land…
Just ask Birmingham City, preferred team of the Peaky Blinders Shelbys, who built on gypsy land.
And had to wait 100 years for the curse to be lifted and for them to win their first major silverware.
Even after managers had put crucifixes on the floodlights and urinated at the four corners of the ground.
While fellow English clubs Leeds and Derby have also dallied with the Romany community and lived to regret it.
The Penn is mightier
Sometimes a curse can be imposed across sports as what happened when Philadelphia’s Big Four teams were cursed.;
For the hubris of city builders in 1987.
Who perhaps didn’t think that the Ghost of William Penn, the city’s founder wouldn’t notice that they erected a building taller than the peak of his hat.
On his statue atop the spire of City Hall.
A no-no in the City of Brotherly Love.
When the final beam of the Comcast Center, was raised in 2007, iron workers attached a small figurine of Billy to the beam in an attempt to break the curse.
And it seemed to work with the following year, the Phillies winnimg the 2008 World Series.
Ten years later, when the even taller Comcast Technology Center was topped out.
The iron workers did the same thing and the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl.
And in other curses
Add to that the Curse of the Bambino (Babe Ruth’s trade from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees) and Merkle’s Boner and the Curse of the Billy Goat placed on the Chicago Cubs.
And you’ll see that there is no limit to price that can be paid for perceived indiscretions.
Though what our own Scotland did to offend the deities which ensures that our football team can never progress.
Beyond the group stages of a major football finals.
Well answers on a postcard… and yes, we all know the joke about Scotland returning home before the postcards.