TheCleveland sports curse was asports superstition involving the city ofCleveland, Ohio, and itsmajor league professional sports teams, centered on the failure to win achampionship in any major league sport for 52 years, from 1964 to 2016. Three major league teams based in Cleveland contributed to belief in the curse: theBrowns of theNational Football League (NFL); theCavaliers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA); and the then-Indians ofMajor League Baseball (MLB).
The championship drought began after the Browns defeated theBaltimore Colts in the1964 NFL Championship Game, two seasons before the firstSuper Bowl.[1] The city's professional sports teams, including the short-livedBarons franchise of theNational Hockey League, then went an unprecedented 147 combined seasons without a championship.[1] The drought ended when the Cavaliers beat theGolden State Warriors in Game 7 of the2016 NBA Finals by overcoming a 3–1 series deficit, an event widely interpreted as having broken the curse.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Much of the discussion of the curse is centered on the NFL'sCleveland Browns, who have not won achampionship since 1964 and have suffered a series of questionable coaching decisions, disappointing losses and draft busts.
BeforeArt Modell became majority owner of the team, the Browns had dominated the NFL and the earlierAll-America Football Conference (AAFC), winning seven championships in 17 years. After three non-playoff seasons, the1964 Browns' team finished 10–3–1 and appeared in the1964 NFL Championship Game against a heavily favoredBaltimore Colts team coached byDon Shula withPro Football Hall of Fame quarterbackJohnny Unitas as its signal caller. The Browns beat the Colts 27–0 atCleveland Stadium. This particular Browns team consisted of many players initially drafted and acquired byPaul Brown, the Browns' former long-time head coach and architect of the team's earlier successes, who had been fired by Modell early in 1963. During the next 30 years in Cleveland, not a single Modell team won the league or conference title, although they did appear in seven NFL/American Football Conference (AFC) championship games.
The Browns returned to theNFL Championship Game in1965, where they lost to theGreen Bay Packers. In the spring of 1966, star running backJim Brown was cast in the filmThe Dirty Dozen. Brown went to England to take part in filming, which suffered production delays due to stormy weather. The production delays caused Brown to miss the first part of training camp, resulting in Modell fining him for every day he missed. Not one to take threats, Brown–who had won threeMVPs, had made thePro Bowl all nine years of his career, and was the NFL's all-time leading rusher at that point–chose to retire rather than pay the fines. The Browns missed the playoffs in1966 and were knocked out by theCowboys 52–14 in1967. The Browns made the NFL Championship Game in1968, but lost to theColts 34–0. The Browns returned in1969, losing to theVikings 27–7. After theAFL-NFL merger, the Browns were placed in theAFC. There, the Browns made two playoff trips in1971 and1972, but suffered early exits both times.
The Browns did not return to the playoffs until1980. Trailing by two points to theOakland Raiders and in field goal range with less than one minute remaining in theAFC divisional playoff game, the Browns executed a passing play that was intercepted in the end zone. The play, called by Browns head coachSam Rutigliano, has become known as "Red Right 88".[8] The Raiders later went on to win that seasons's Super Bowl. In1986, the Browns were one game away from playing in what would have been the franchise's first Super Bowl when they fell short in one of the most memorable games in NFL history. The Browns were leading theDenver Broncos 20–13 in the fourth quarter when Broncos quarterbackJohn Elway led a 98-yard game-tying drive in just over 5 minutes. The game went to overtime, and the Broncos kicked a field goal to seal the victory. Elway's fourth quarter march and the game itself became known as "The Drive", a title that both signifies Elway's brilliance in the clutch and the Browns' inability to close out important games. The Browns and Broncos both returned to the AFC Championship Game the next year. With the Browns down 38–31 late in the fourth quarter, Browns' running backEarnest Byner was handed the ball near the goal line. Byner, who was in the midst of a great performance, was stripped of the ball and the Broncos recovered on their 2-yard line. The Broncos surrendered an intentional safety and went on to win 38–33, while Byner's blunder became known as "The Fumble".[9] The Browns returned to the AFC Championship game in 1989, againlosing to the Broncos. As of the2024 NFL season, the Browns have not returned to the AFC Championship Game since and remain one of four teams to never play in a Super Bowl, along with theDetroit Lions,Houston Texans, andJacksonville Jaguars.
The Browns were at the center of arelocation controversy in 1995.[10] The decision by then-Browns ownerArt Modell to move the Browns, which had been an 11–5 team theprevious season, toBaltimore infuriated and confused Browns fans.[11] After negotiations with the NFL and the city of Cleveland, Modell was allowed to move the team's personnel to Baltimore, where it became a new franchise known as theBaltimore Ravens. The Ravens won aSuper Bowl in only their fifth year of existence, doing so with former Browns tight endOzzie Newsome as their general manager. In addition to Newsome's success, coachBill Belichick, who was fired as Browns' head coach soon after the 1995 season,[12] became head coach of theNew England Patriots five years later. With the Patriots, Belichick coached only four losing seasons and won nine AFC Championships and six Super Bowls. The struggles of the Browns since rejoining the NFL, as well as the success of both Newsome and Belichick, were chronicled in the NFL Films featureA Football Life: 1995 Cleveland Browns.[13]
The Browns returned to the NFL in1999, after a three-year period of deactivation. In the1999 NFL draft, the Browns selectedTim Couch, hoping he would be a franchise quarterback.Ty Detmer was brought in to usher in the planned "Couch era", but after a string of dismal performances by Detmer, Couch was rushed into the starting position.[14] Couch struggled to perform without a talented roster around him, which led to his eventual departure from the Browns after2003. The Browns could have selectedKurt Warner in the1999 NFL expansion draft, as theSt. Louis Rams left him unprotected. However the Browns chose not to do so. Warner would go on to win theNFL Most Valuable Player Award in the 1999 and 2001 seasons and also helped the Rams winSuper Bowl XXXIV. The Browns suffered through losing seasons in their first three seasons after their return, but returned to the playoffs in2002, losing to thePittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round despite having a 24–7 lead in the 3rd quarter of that game. The Browns would not have another winning season until2007, when they went 10–6. The Browns missed the playoffs because they lost the divisional tiebreaker to theSteelers on account of a head-to-head sweep and the wild card tiebreaker to theTitans based on head-to-head record against common opponents.
The Browns never finished better than 7–9 in the 2010s. In the2011 NFL draft, the Browns held the sixth overall pick, but traded back with theAtlanta Falcons. The Falcons would use that pick to selectJulio Jones while the Browns used the third overall pick in2012 to selectTrent Richardson. Jones would go on to be considered one of the best wide receivers of the 2010s with Atlanta, while Richardson only appeared in 17 games before being traded to the Colts in 2013 for a2014 first-round pick. The Browns used the first-round pick they received from the Colts to selectJohnny Manziel, whose career was overshadowed by numerous off-field issues and played his last game in 2015. On November 30, 2015, the Browns played the Baltimore Ravens in their firstMonday Night Football game in six years. After trailing 17–3 in the second quarter, the Browns rallied behind quarterbacksJosh McCown andAustin Davis to tie the game at 27 with 1:47 left. Browns cornerbackTramon Williams intercepted a pass at mid-field with 50 seconds left. The Browns attempted a 51-yard field goal with three seconds left to win the game, only to see the attempt blocked and returned by Ravens safetyWill Hill for a touchdown, handing the Browns their most painful loss in recent history.[15][16] The event was called "The Block" by some disgruntled fans on Twitter only moments after the end of the game.[17]
The Browns’ struggles continued after the Curse ended in 2016. After going 1–15 in2016, the Browns arguably hit rock-bottom in the2017 season, where, under head coachHue Jackson, the Browns went a league-worst and franchise record-worst 0–16, becoming just the second team in NFL history since the implementation of the 16-game season (joining the2008 Detroit Lions) tolose every game in a season.[18] The Browns eventually posted a winning record and returned to the playoffs in2020 and2023.
TheCleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team who have played in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) since1970.
Over the franchise's first 16 years, the team produced just three winning seasons, the highlight being the1975–76 "Miracle at Richfield" team, whose improbable playoff run was doomed by an injury toJim Chones.[19] The early-mid 1980s saw the franchise ruined by ownerTed Stepien's decision to trade away every first-round pick the Cavaliers held for inferior talent, while those picks turned into players such asJames Worthy andDerek Harper. Despite this, the Cavaliers gained respectability towards the end of the decade and the early 1990s, making the playoffs with players such asMark Price,Brad Daugherty,Larry Nance,Hot Rod Williams andCraig Ehlo on their roster.
In 1989, the Cavaliers faced theChicago Bulls in the first round of theplayoffs. In the decisive fifth game,Craig Ehlo had given the Cavaliers the lead with three seconds to play. However, the Bulls'Michael Jordan jumped over Ehlo to make the game-winning shot, known asThe Shot, and the Bulls won the game, 101–100, to clinch the series.[20][21] Despite six trips to the playoffs between 1988 and 1994, including a1992 Eastern Conference Finals appearance, the Cavaliers never made it to the NBA Finals, as Jordan's Bulls defeated them in the playoffs five times during theDaugherty–Nance–Price era.[22]
In 2007, Ohio nativeLeBron James led the Cavaliers to their firstNBA Finals appearance. However, they were swept by theSan Antonio Spurs. Two years later, the Cavaliers, despite posting a conference-best 66–16 record, lost the2009 Eastern Conference Finals to theOrlando Magic, 4–2.[11] In the following season's playoffs, though his team always possessed home-court advantage, the reigning two-time MVP James and the2009–10 Cavaliers (61–21) were defeated by the visitingBoston Celtics in Game 5 of theEastern Conference Semifinals, 120–88. The Cavaliers went on to lose the series, 4–2.[23]
During the 2010 NBA free agency period, James was featured in a television special titledThe Decision. Having notified the Cavaliers just moments prior to the television event, James announced "In this fall — this is very tough — in this fall I'm gonna take my talents to South Beach and join theMiami Heat." The quote was heavily criticized.[24][25] James, along with the help ofDwyane Wade andChris Bosh, led the Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, winning twice, while the Cavaliers' record fell to the bottom of the NBA echelon.[26] In those four years without LeBron, they acquired three number-one picks (Kyrie Irving in 2011,Anthony Bennett in 2013 andAndrew Wiggins in 2014). The team struggled to win games, setting an NBA record for most consecutive losses with 26 in the2010–11 season.
After the 2013–14 season, James opted out of his contract with Miami and returned to the Cavaliers.[27] After signing James, the Cavaliers traded their two most recent number-one draft picks, Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, for Minnesota Timberwolves starKevin Love to form their own "Big 3," which was rounded out by Irving. The Cavaliers advanced to the2015 NBA Finals. However, several Cavaliers players were injured during the season, includingAnderson Varejão with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Love with a dislocated shoulder, and Irving with a fractured patella in Game 1 of the Finals.[28] Though losing nearly all of James' supporting cast, the Cavaliers took a 2–1 series lead before falling to theGolden State Warriors, 4–2.[29]
The next season, despite a 30–11 start, the team fired coachDavid Blatt and replaced him with assistantTyronn Lue.[30] It was revealed that Blatt had a turbulent relationship with James as well as several other players. The Cavaliers lost to theChicago Bulls 96–83 at home in Lue's debut as Cavaliers' head coach. The Cavaliers finished the season 57–25, earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They advanced to the NBA Finals, losing only two games on the way.
.jpg)
The Cavaliers defeated theGolden State Warriors in the2016 NBA Finals which was a rematch of the previous season's Finals.[31] Through the first four games, the Cavaliers were trailing the record-setting 73-win Warriors in the series, 3–1. However, the Cavaliers won the next three games to win their first NBA championship in franchise history, becoming the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3–1 deficit, and the first team since 1978 to win a Finals Game 7 on the road. A particularly memorable moment in Game 7 was when James successfully pursued and blockedAndre Iguodala on a fast break late in the fourth quarter, a defensive play known among Cavaliers fans asThe Block. Following would be a three-point shot byKyrie Irving, to put the Cavaliers ahead for good at 92–89 with 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Following that, Cavaliers' forward Kevin Love was switched and forced to play one-on-one defense againstStephen Curry. Curry tried an array of dribbling moves but ultimately missed his 3-point attempt, with the typically slow-footed Love staying in front of and pestering the Warriors guard.[32] This game is being called "The Comeback" and "The End" as this win ended Northeast Ohio's 52-year championship drought.[33]
The then-Cleveland Indians (now known as the Cleveland Guardians), like the Browns and Cavaliers, also experienced the curse. The Indians' failure to win aWorld Series since1948 has led theCleveland Scene to dub the team's shortcomingsThe Curse of Chief Wahoo.[34]Chief Wahoo was a Native American caricature which served as the Indians' cap insignia prior to being discontinued in 2018. The Chief Wahoo insignia had beencontroversial. The Indians considered changing it in 1993,[35] but the logo was retained on the home caps, alternate away caps, and jersey sleeves until 2019. In 2002, the Indians introduced a script "I" alternate logo and cap insignia. In 2011, the alternate logo was changed to the block "C." The Block "C" became the team's primary logo beginning in 2014. The team ultimately dropped the "Indians" name in 2022 in favor of "Guardians". TheCurse of Rocky Colavito is another phenomenon that is supposedly preventing the team from winning a World Series.[36] The 1989 filmMajor League was based on the Indians' poor performance since 1954, as the Indians had finished within five games of a playoff berth just three times between 1955 and 1989.[37]
In1954, the Indians had one of the greatest seasons in baseball history, winning 111 games in what was the only time from 1949 to 1958 in which theNew York Yankees did not win the American League pennant. Heavily favored against theNew York Giants in the World Series, the Indians seemed poised to break the game open in the top of the eighth inning of Game 1, when Indians first basemanVic Wertz hit a deep fly ball to center field. Since the game was held at thePolo Grounds (which was 483 feet from home plate to center field), the ball remained in play, even though it would have been a home run in any other ballpark. As such, Giants center fielderWillie Mays made an improbable, over-the-shoulder, no-look catch on the run to rob Wertz of an extra-base hit, leaving the game tied at two in a play that became known asThe Catch. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Giants batterDusty Rhodes hit a walk-off home run to give the Giants the win. The Giants went on to sweep the Indians in the World Series in what became one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. In 1969, Major League Baseball expanded its postseason and introduced divisional play, the Indians were placed in theAmerican League East. Despite the introductions of divisions and expanded playoffs, the Indians found themselves unable to win the AL East division, as they finished above .500 on just four occasions during their time in the AL East from 1969 to 1993. The Indians did not return to the postseason until the postseason was expanded further in 1995.
The historic1995 season saw the Indians win 100 games and make it to theWorld Series for the first time in 41 years, but lost in six games to theAtlanta Braves, led by the Braves'Big Three ofGreg Maddux,John Smoltz, and World Series MVPTom Glavine. The Braves' victory was their only World Series win in their 15 consecutive trips to the playoffs between 1991 and 2005. In1996, the Indians won 99 games, which was the most in the American League. However, they lost theALDS in four games to theOrioles. The Indians returned to theWorld Series in 1997 and were leading 2–1 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7, only forJosé Mesa to blow the save toCraig Counsell's sacrifice fly, allowing theMarlins to tie the game in the ninth and win in the 11th on a walk-off single byEdgar Renteria that deflected off the glove of Indians pitcherCharles Nagy.[38][39] The Indians failed to return to the World Series in1998, losing theALCS in six games. In1999, the Indians went up 2–0 against theBoston Red Sox in theALDS, only to give up 44 runs in the last three games of the series en route to a loss.
After winning division titles six times in seven seasons from 1995 to 2001, the Indians only appeared in the postseason twice in 14 years under the often frugal Dolan family ownership (Larry Dolan bought the team in 2000). In the2007 American League Championship Series, the Indians were up 3–1 and one win away from advancing to the World Series, but they lost the last three games to theBoston Red Sox by a combined score of 30–5, denying the team a World Series berth.[40] In 2013, the Indians won their final ten games of the season to make the playoffs again, but lost theWild Card game to theTampa Bay Rays.[41]
_(cropped).jpg)
Even after the Cavaliers 2016 NBA title, the Indians continued to come up short in the playoffs. Later that same year, the Indians advanced to theWorld Series, giving Cleveland a chance to become the first city sinceLos Angeles in 1988 to have both NBA and MLB championships in the same year. The Indians held a 3–1 lead against theChicago Cubs, but the Cubs rallied to win the last three games to breaktheir own curse; as a result, the Indians became the team with the longest active championship drought in baseball. Cleveland’s drought now stands at 77 seasons.
In 2017, the Indians returned to the playoffs as a heavy favorite to return to the World Series. They won 102 games, highlighted by an American League record 22-game winning streak. However, the Indians lost theDivision Series to theNew York Yankees 3–2. Cleveland returned to the playoffs in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2025 but failed to advance past the ALCS.
The Cleveland sports curse has generally centered around its major teams.[42] However, other teams based in Cleveland won championships during the city's major title drought, and oneGreater Cleveland native won a world championship individually.[43]
TheCleveland Crunch, anindoor soccer club, won three championships in theNational Professional Soccer League (NPSL) during the 1990s. In 1994, the Crunch won their first title – and the first title for any professional Cleveland team in 30 years – defeating theSt. Louis Ambush 3–1 in a best-of-five championship series. The team went on to win two more titles, in 1996 and 1999, before the league disbanded in 2001.[44] The Crunch would eventually be revived in 2020, playing in theMajor Arena Soccer League 2 (M2), and in their first season won the 2021 M2 Championship.[45]
On June 11, 2016, theLake Erie Monsters of theAmerican Hockey League won theCalder Cup, defeating theHershey Bears atQuicken Loans Arena to win the series 4–0.[46] The team, also owned byDan Gilbert, shares its arena with the Cavaliers, who won the NBA title eight days later.
It was the 10th overall Calder Cup won by a Cleveland team. The originalCleveland Barons that played from 1937 to 1973 won it nine times, with the last in 1964 - coincidentally the last time one of the major sports franchises in the city won a championship prior to the 2016 Cavaliers.
.jpg)
On May 14, 2016, mixed martial artistStipe Miocic, a native ofEuclid, a Cleveland suburb, won theUFC Heavyweight Championship atUFC 198 inCuritiba, Brazil, knocking out Brazil'sFabricio Werdum. Three hours prior,ESPN had aired a30 for 30 episode called "Believeland," documenting Cleveland's major-league title drought. The Indians and Cavaliers Twitter accounts congratulated him shortly afterwards.[47] They and the Browns had earlier wished him luck.[48] He tweeted encouragement to the Cavaliers, who hoped to keep the winning streak alive in the2016 NBA Playoffs.[49] Some media outlets characterized Miocic's title as having ended Cleveland's 52-year championship drought, as well as Miocic himself in the post-fight interview.[50][51][52] Most either continued to portray the curse as ongoing with the Cavaliers poised to break it,[53][54][55] or recognized the Cavaliers as having ended the title drought following their win in the 2016 NBA Finals.[4][5][6][7]