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                                            The Atlanta Sports Curse


If you haven’t heard, being an Atlanta sports fan is absolutely brutal. As someone who was born and raised right outside of Atlanta, and who played sports for most of my life, I have closely followed the Atlanta Braves (MLB), Hawks (NBA), and Falcons (NFL) my entire life. Since I go to school on the other side of the country, I’m no longer surrounded by people who feel my pain when it comes to local sports (especially since the Lakers just won the NBA Finals and the Dodgers are in the World Series right now). I’ll now be breaking down why Atlanta sports are so cursed, and my personal experiences with some of these cursed teams.

 

In early 2017, the Atlanta Falcons were cruising. They had just qualified for their first Super Bowl in about 20 years, and my family flew out to Houston, Texas to see the Falcons play the Patriots in Super Bowl 51. If you’re somewhat familiar with football, yes, it’s that Super Bowl. For about three quarters, it was the most amazing and exciting game I’d ever been to. The Falcons were winning 28-3, and even in the bathroom, my fellow fans were raucously starting “Falcons” chants. Then, Atlanta remembered it’s cursed, and what followed is the greatest comeback or collapse in Super Bowl history (depending on which team you cheer for). The Patriots came all the way back and won the game in overtime. While the Patriots fans stayed in their seats for the trophy ceremony, tens of thousands of Falcons fans filed out of the stadium in the quietest, most shell-shocked fashion I’ve ever seen. A newspaper article from the next day summed it up best: "Falcons Lose in the Most Atlanta Way Possible."

 

With the Atlanta Braves, the curse really started in the 1990s. Possibly the only thing worse than having a terrible team every year is having a team that gets your hopes up and then crushes them. This is the Braves’ specialty. We made it to 5 World Series in the 90s, and we only won once. Since 2001, the Braves made the playoffs nine times and have been eliminated in the first round every single time. It wasn’t until this year that the Braves finally won a playoff series. They then kept winning games in the playoffs until they were leading the Dodgers 3-1 in the series and needed to only win one more game before the Dodgers won three more to make it to the World Series. My Dad got a hotel room in Texas (where the World Series is taking place this year) and was prepared to buy tickets to a game when the Braves finally clinched. But it never happened. The Braves went on to lose the next 3 straight games, I lost over $150 betting on them, and the Atlanta sports curse continues. And yes, my Dad canceled the hotel room. 

Comments

  1. Kaitlyn ParkOctober 26, 2020 at 11:58 PM

    Hey Ryan! I like how you described the 2017 Super Bowl. It made me feel like I was there for that unfortunate game. As someone who isn't a big sports fan, it's definitely interesting to hear from the perspective of someone who supports a "cursed" team. I think the most satisfying feeling is rooting for the underdog and then witnessing the underdog break its curse and win! Hopefully that happens in the near future!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pedro ReyesOctober 27, 2020 at 9:42 AM

    Hey Ryan, I really enjoyed your post. As a huge sports fan, I've had my fair share of disappointing losses and it's not the best feeling. I think you did a great job overall at describing the sentiment of these games. I definitely thought that Super Bowl was a huge heartbreak. I was rooting for the Falcons because I didn't want to see the Patriots win again. Even though I'm a LA sports fan, I definitely hope that curse can be broken soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amar KhokharOctober 27, 2020 at 5:20 PM

    Hey Ryan, I am not a big baseball or football fan but your stories about Atlanta sports teams seem frustrating. I grew up a LA sports fan; even though I do not watch baseball, I am hoping the Dodgers win because they are from my home city. I am a big basketball fan and Atlanta was not so bad in the 80's and 90's, granted it is really hard to beat MJ or the Pacers in the playoffs. Things are looking up though, Trae Young is a franchise player for sure, just needs some help!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rachel JacobsonOctober 28, 2020 at 9:30 AM

    Hi Ryan, great post! I am a LA sports fan, but I get your frustration when you really want your team to do well and they disappoint you. I loved the headline you included, it proved your point and was funny. Your tone made for a really enjoyable post. If it makes you feel any better my friend lost $300 betting for The Heat. Fingers crossed for next year!

    ReplyDelete

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