Last night the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. This would ordinarily not be a huge surprise since the Sox do have the second highest payroll in Major League Baseball. However, the Red Sox did not just overcome the other teams in the league. They also overcame The Curse of the Bambino.
In 1918, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. Following that season, the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000. That is when The Curse began. For the next 86 years, the Boston Red Sox broke the hearts of their fans as they came close to victory but never actually tasted it. Along the way, a series of bizarre and improbable events came between the Sox and a championship. Meanwhile, the hated New York Yankees won 26 world titles.
But, last night the sports world was turned upside-down. The Curse has ended. A new era has begun. And many sports fans are left looking for a new self-image. Yankees fans can no longer view themselves as the invincible Sox killers. And Sox fans can no longer wallow in self-pity. They are now saddled with the expectations of a champion. It will be interesting to see how this affects one of the greatest rivalries in sports.
