Curse of the Billy Goat

From BR Bullpen

The Curse of the Billy Goat is a long-standing "explanation" of why the Chicago Cubs have not had success for decades. Supposedly, Bill Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat's Tavern, was turned away from a game at the 1945 World Series. Sianis cursed the Cubs, who have not made it to a World Series since then. 52 years later, Bill's son Sam (then owner of the tavern) and a new goat were brought in by the Cubs to rid them of the curse.

In his final column, Mike Royko wrote "It's about time that we stopped blaming the failings of the Cubs on a poor, dumb creature that is a billy goat...blame for many of the Cubs' failings since 1945 can be placed on a dumb creature. Not a poor, dumb creature, but a rich one...P.K. Wrigley." Royko notes that the Cubs integrated long after other teams, costing them a chance to remain competitive through the 1940s and 1950s and leaving them years behind teams like the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cleveland Indians who integrated and won titles.