ESPNTheMag.Com Presents: All-World Power Rankings

What's the biggest curse out there: sports and otherwise?

by Ted Bauer

WHEN IT COMES TO THE BIGGEST CURSES IN SPORTS AND CULTURE, WE'LL STILL TAKE THE BILLY GOAT

[Ed's note: Not sure what All-World Power Rankings is? Please click here.]

Walking into our office Thursday morning, and there's a sign for a blood drive tomorrow. As such, the text read: "Blood Drive /// Friday, March 13." Seems a little ominous, no? A blood drive on Friday the 13th? Egad. Got us thinking: we just got some new episodes of The Wire on DVD, and were all set to rock those all weekend, but maybe…just maybe…we should be doing one of those Jason Voorhees marathons. Because the Internet will be awash tomorrow with Friday the 13th conceits (EW.Com is definitely going to have a photo gallery of those movies, mark our words), we decided to get a jump a day early on the concept. Here now: the biggest curses (get it? Scary? Horror? Yep!) in culture, sports and otherwise.

TOP 5
RANK (YESTERDAY)		WHAT	WHY
	1 (68)	CURSE OF THE BILLY GOAT	Seriously, is this thing going to ever end?
	2 (62)	CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT	Hard to drop this down, really. Wallace and Gromit are simply adorable. The fact that it takes 71 years to get them to move an inch is a little tough, but hey, great patience = great virtue, right? (Tell that to the Cubs! Zing!)
	3 (79)	THE SIMPSONS SPORTS CURSE	Read about it here. Honestly, the guy's got a point.
	4 (92)	CURSE OF THE COIN FLIP	Supposedly explains why the Phoenix Suns have yet to win a NBA title. Perhaps better logic: the Spurs are just, like, uh, a better playoff team. And that whole SSOL, while super fun, doesn't necessarily work in the grind known as the NBA postseason.
	5 (87)	THE MUMMY'S CURSE	You got some options: the flick or the actual curse. Take yo' pick.

HONORABLE MENTION
RANK (YESTERDAY)		WHAT	WHY
	82 (139)	SAN DIEGO SPORTS CURSE	Hmmm, we didn't know about this one. In positive news, though, the Real World season in San Diego was by far the best.
	103 (1,870)	CURSE OF THE ASTROTURF	Hmmm, another one we didn't know about. Might explain Yao and T-Mac's inability to escape the first round, and the entire history of the Texans thus far. (Side note, though: both teams are due!) But wait: how do you explain the "LET THEM PLAY!" scene in Bad News Bears in Breaking Training?

RISING AND FALLING
MOVEMENT		WHAT
		CURSE OF THE BREWERS (Huh?)
		CURSE OF THE BAMBINO (This thing is over.)

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