Inside The Cubs

On This Day in Cubs History: The 'Curse of the Billy Goat' is Born

One of the greatest curses in modern sports history was born as the Chicago Cubs went on to lose the 1945 World Series.

Kade Kistner

On This Day in Cubs History: The 'Curse of the Billy Goat' is Born
On This Day in Cubs History: The 'Curse of the Billy Goat' is Born /
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The year was 1945 and on October 6, one of the most frustrating, quirky, and downright notorious curses in sports history was born. And of course we are talking about the "Curse of the Billy Goat" that was bestowed upon the Chicago Cubs by William "Billy" Sianis and his pet goat Murphy.

It all started when Sianis, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, decided to buy tickets and bring his goat to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series against the Detroit Tigers.

Eventually, Sianis and his goat Murphy were removed from Wrigley Field and on his way out ole Billy declared "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more." If the curse wasn't born then, then it definitely was after sending a telegram to Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley stating:

“You are going to lose this World Series and you are never going to win another World Series again. You are never going to win a World Series again because you insulted my goat.”

Well, the Cubs went on to lose that World Series after being up two games to one at the time, so suffice to say that folks were quite upset.

The curse was proliferated all across town in every medium of the media. The city needed a scape. . . goat. William Sianis was their man. Err goat.

But, no matter how many times Cubs fans tried to break the curse (even Sianis himself tried before his death) nothing seemed to work.

Between bringing goats to games, spraying holy water on the dugout, or walking a goat from Arizona to Chicago, nothing seemed to break the curse. It just hung there.

Finally, the curse was broken in 2016 when the Cubs won the World Series. It also just so happened to be 46 years to the day Sianis died. So, maybe there is something to that.

But probably not.

Regardless, the "Curse of the Billy Goat" lives on in infamy in the minds of every Cubs that can remember the dark times. 

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Cubs. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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