Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx
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The ''Sports Illustrated'' cover jinx is an
urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...
that states that individuals or teams who appear on the cover of the ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' magazine will subsequently be
jinx A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. Examples of "jinxing" in the 21st-century press include the suggestion a ship might be "jinxed". The connection was made wi ...
ed.


Explanations

A common explanation for the perceived effect is that athletes are generally featured on the cover after an exceptionally good performance, which might be an
outlier In statistics, an outlier is a data point that differs significantly from other observations. An outlier may be due to a variability in the measurement, an indication of novel data, or it may be the result of experimental error; the latter are ...
compared to their usual level of performance. Therefore, their future performance is likely to display
regression toward the mean In statistics, regression toward the mean (also called regression to the mean, reversion to the mean, and reversion to mediocrity) is the phenomenon where if one sample of a random variable is extreme, the next sampling of the same random var ...
and be less impressive by comparison. This decline in performance would then be misperceived as being related to, or even possibly caused by, the appearance on the magazine cover. Most athletes that seemed to suffer the jinx most typically suffered because of an injury to their body, or some other bad luck following their appearance. One prime candidate for this explanation is
Eddie Mathews Edwin Lee Mathews (October 13, 1931 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 17 seasons for the Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966); Houston Astros (19 ...
who suffered a broken hand while the team's nine game winning streak came to a close following the cover. In this case, the odds are that a player will suffer an injury while playing any given sport. Injuries are a given in a physical contact sport such as American football or baseball, which is what Mathews played. Even injuries in individual sports such as skiing can fall under this explanation as it is common to make a bad move in this sport and get caught up in a massive mistake of the athlete's own doing which results in injury. Finally, winning and losing streaks come to a close in all sports and this includes Milwaukee's nine-game winning streak in 1954. This makes the 1972 Miami Dolphins perfect season, 2007 New England Patriots perfect regular season, and the 2008 Detroit Lions, and 2017 Cleveland Browns winless seasons all the more remarkable. ''SI'' addressed its own opinions on the alleged cover jinx in a 2002 issue that featured a black cat on its cover.


Notable contradictions to curse

While the list of examples of the so-called jinx may be extensive, some records contradict the existence of a curse. *
Vince Young Vincent Paul Young Jr. (born May 18, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Young was selected by the Tennessee Titans as the third overall pick in th ...
discredited the ''Sports Illustrated'' jinx by appearing on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' twice during Texas' National Championship season. *
Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, 13 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys and 2 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals ...
appeared on the cover the same week the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
won
Super Bowl XXVIII Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...
. In the '' America's Game'' documentary, Smith recalled that he adamantly wanted off the cover for fear of the jinx. Regardless, the Cowboys went on to win their second consecutive title of the 1990s, and fourth in team history. *The
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
, who were featured in a 2014 SI cover predicting them to be the
2017 World Series The 2017 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 season. The 113th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers and th ...
Champions, did in fact win the World Series in 2017, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 3 for their first ever title. However, this contradiction may be questioned after it was discovered that the team used a unique series of signals to steal signs.


Notable incidents


Pre-2000

*January 30, 1955: American alpine skier Jill Kinmont was competing in a giant slalom event in Alta, Utah, when she lost control and crashed into a tree. She suffered a spinal cord injury and lived with quadriplegia for the rest of her life. Kinmont had been featured on the cover of the January 31 issue, which was on newsstands prior to the race. *February 15, 1960: After gracing the cover of the Winter Olympics preview issue, Soviet speed skater Gennady Voronin was hampered by injury and finished out of the medals at Squaw Valley. Troubles mounted after he also missed the 1964 games due to injury, as Voronin began to abuse alcohol. Unable to deal with the success of his wife, fellow speed skater and four-time world champion
Inga Artamonova Inga Grigoryevna Artamonova (; 29 August 1936 – 4 January 1966Great Russian Encyclopedia (2005), Moscow: Bol'shaya Rossiyskaya enciklopediya Publisher, vol. 2) was a Soviet speed skater, the first four-time Allround World Champion in women's ...
, Voronin was convicted of stabbing her to death in 1966 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. *March 28, 1960: For a story on wet fly
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
, the cover featured an array of ten images. They included a photo of the fly-tying pioneer James E. Leisenring (1878–1951) and sketches by artist Anthony Ravielli depicting world flycasting champion Johnny Dieckman (at upper right on the cover) and Vernon S. "Pete" Hidy (on the bottom row of the cover). Less than two years later, the 35-year-old Dieckman was one of 87 passengers who perished in the crash of American Airlines Flight 1. *October 31, 1960:
Formula One world champion A Formula One World Champion is a racing driver or automobile constructor which has been designated such a title by the governing body of Formula One - the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Every Formula One World Champion since th ...
Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in , and , ...
appears on the cover. For the following season, Brabham found himself outclassed by a newer generation of cars, as well retiring from a number of races. *February 15, 1961: U.S. figure skating champion
Laurence Owen Laurence Rochon "Laurie" Owen (; May 9, 1944 – February 15, 1961) was an American figure skater. She was the 1961 U.S. National Champion and represented the United States at the 1960 Winter Olympics, where she placed sixth. She was the ...
and the rest of the 1961 U.S. figure skating team were killed in a
plane crash An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that results serious injury, death, or significant destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not escalate into an aviation accident. Pre ...
in Belgium, en route to the 1961 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Owen was on the cover of the February 13 issue. *May 29, 1961:
Johnny Boyd Johnny Boyd (August 19, 1926 – October 26, 2003) was an American racecar driver. Racing career Born in Fresno, California, Boyd drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series from 1954 to 1966 with 56 starts. He finished in the top ten 31 ...
appears uncredited driving in preparation for the
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...
, he retired during the race with clutch problems. *March 18, 1963: On the Final Four preview cover,
Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the college sports, athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats were pr ...
guard Larry Shingleton was shown cutting down the nets following his team's second straight NCAA championship in 1962. In the 1963 championship game on March 23, Shingleton missed a free throw with 12 seconds left that would have given Cincinnati a three-point lead and all but clinched another title. Instead, Loyola (Chicago) tied the game in regulation and won it in overtime. * July 8, 1963: World champion fisherman Jon Tarantino, featured in a cover story on fly casting, was shot to death 10 years later, on June 11, 1973, in a robbery at his family's San Francisco fish and poultry market. *November 23, 1964: A year to the day after the
assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
of President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
, the cover featured a rendering of his personal ski instructor, Helmut Falch of Austria. An accident would later leave Falch paralyzed, though he went on to win four Paralympic gold medals in alpine skiing. *March 15, 1965: Golfer
Tony Lema Anthony David Lema (February 25, 1934 – July 24, 1966) was an American professional golfer who rose to fame in the mid-1960s and won a major title, the 1964 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. He died two years later ...
, previously featured on the March 23, 1964, cover, appeared this week in an artist's rendition. In July 1966, the 32-year-old Lema and his wife Betty, 30, were killed along with the two co-pilots when the private plane they chartered to travel between tournaments crashed in Lansing, Illinois. *March 22, 1965: Boxer
Willie Pastrano Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano (November 27, 1935 – December 6, 1997) was an American former professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1965. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' light heavyweight titles between 1963 and 1965. Ear ...
, the world light heavyweight champion at age 29, appears with the caption, "Ready to defend his title." On March 30, he lost the WBA and WBC crowns to José Torres on a 9th-round technical knock-out. It would be the final bout of Pastrano's career. *March 29, 1965:
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
's
Gail Goodrich Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. (born April 23, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known for scoring a then record 42 points for UCLA in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs ...
was shown shooting against
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
center
Bill Buntin William L. Buntin (May 5, 1942 – May 9, 1968) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. Buntin died of a heart attack at age 26. Coll ...
during the Bruins' NCAA basketball championship win. Buntin died suddenly three years later of a heart attack while playing a pick-up basketball game at age 26. *May 1, 1967:
Chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...
's Jim Hall, who appeared along with his
Chaparral 2F The Chaparral 2F is a Group 6 sports prototype designed by Jim Hall and Hap Sharp and built under their company Chaparral Cars. Built with the intention to compete in the World Sportscar Championship, it competed in the 1967 season, with a ...
on the cover, would go on to suffer from a number of mishaps for the rest of the decade. At the end of the season, that car found itself ineligible for competition through controversial rule changes. For the following year, Hall collided with another car at the Stardust Grand Prix, ending his driving career effectively. In 1969, his Chaparral 2H suffered from a poor season and in 1970, the innovative 2J fan-car, despite its performance, proved to be unreliable and following protests from competitors, was banned from competition at the end of the season. Hall and his team had to wait until the end of the decade for any success, most notably the
1980 Indianapolis 500 The 64th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 1980. Johnny Rutherford won the pole position, led 118 laps, and won the race by a commanding 29.92 second margin. Af ...
, where the Chaparral would win the race with
Johnny Rutherford John Sherman Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 start ...
driving. *June 19, 1967: The boxing success of welterweight "Gypsy" Joe Harris, who lost sight in his right eye at age 11, earned him cover recognition despite the handicap which, at the time, had not yet been publicized nor discovered by boxing regulators. However, on October 11, 1968 (about two months after his first career loss in 25 career bouts) a routine doctor's examination of inflammation in the eye revealed his visual impairment. Stripped of his boxing license and unable to hold gainful employment thereafter, Harris fell into a life of drug and alcohol abuse before dying in 1990 at age 44. *July 31, 1967: An unnamed left-handed pitcher (or model) appeared on the cover for a story on the then-prevalent use of the illegal
spitball A spitball is a now-illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. This technique alters the wind resistance and weight on one side of the ball, causing it ...
pitch. The article prominently mentions Jack Hamilton of the
California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
, with Washington Senators manager
Gil Hodges Gilbert Raymond Hodges (born Hodge; April 4, 1924 – April 2, 1972) was an American first baseman and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played most of his 18-year career for the History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Broo ...
opining that Hamilton throws "the most flagrant spitter I ever saw ... It was the worst exhibition I've seen in baseball ... He made a farce of the game. Everyone knows that 90% of the pitchers in our league have thrown a spitter at one time or another, but none continues to break the rule like Hamilton." On August 18, 1967, an errant Hamilton pitch shattered the face and left eye socket of
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
outfielder
Tony Conigliaro Anthony Richard Conigliaro (January 7, 1945 – February 24, 1990), nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox (1964–1967, 1969–1970, 1975) and C ...
, who was in the midst of a stellar season. Conigliaro (who would appear with his grotesquely blackened eye on the June 22, 1970, cover), was knocked out of action for the
1967 World Series The 1967 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1967 season. The 64th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Leag ...
, missed all of 1968, and continued to struggle with vision problems before retiring at age 30. The incident also scarred Hamilton, who would never again pitch inside so aggressively against hitters and lost effectiveness before leaving the sport less than two years later. Hamilton has steadfastly denied that the pitch to Conigliaro was a spitball despite contradictory statements from his own teammates. *May 13, 1968:
Graham Hill Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver, rower and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "Mr. Monaco", Hill won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles ...
appeared driving the turbine powered and four-wheel drive
Lotus 56 The Lotus 56 was a gas turbine-powered four-wheel-driven racing car, designed by Maurice Philippe as Team Lotus's STP-backed entry in the 1968 Indianapolis 500. All three cars entered and retired from the race with Joe Leonard's car expiring wh ...
in preparation for the
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...
. He crashed out during the race; his teammates retired the race with fuel shaft failure. Turbine power and four-wheel drive was banned at the end of the season. *June 7, 1971:
Al Unser Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Ri ...
and
Peter Revson Peter Jeffrey Revlon Revson (February 27, 1939 – March 22, 1974) was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and . Revson won two Formula One Grands Prix across five seasons. Born and raised in New York, Revson was th ...
appeared on the cover celebrating their 1st and 2nd finish in the
1971 Indianapolis 500 The 55th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was a motor race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 29, 1971. Al Unser Sr. won for the second consecutive year, dominating most of the race. Unser became th ...
. Shortly after this publication, Unser began his string of retirements for the rest of that season. *June 5, 1978:
Al Unser Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Ri ...
appeared on the cover celebrating his third Indianapolis 500 win; in the next two rounds, he did not finish at Mosport (crash) and
West Allis West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 census, making it the eleventh-most populous city in Wisconsin. His ...
(out of fuel). However this jinx was short lived as he scored a win at the Pocono 500 and later claimed the Triple Crown by winning on the USAC Championship Trial the California 500, winning the series' three major 500 mile races. *May 25, 1981:
A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American former racing driver who competed in numerous disciplines of motorsport. He is best known for his open wheel racing career, and for becoming the first four-time winner of the India ...
appeared on the cover with the headline "Foyt Goes for a Fifth 500". Despite starting third, he ended up finishing 13th. *June 3, 1985:
Danny Sullivan Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...
earned his cover appearance following his remarkable "Spin and Win" victory at the Indy 500. A day prior to this appearance, he had already begun a string of retirements for another two months. *July 21, 1986:
Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers o ...
was shown in a
New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...
uniform in a preview of the 1986
United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
season. The USFL lost its pivotal antitrust lawsuit eight days later, and Kelly would never play for the Generals, joining the NFL's
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
in time for the 1986 preseason. *April 6, 1987: The preview issue of the
1987 Major League Baseball season The 1987 Major League Baseball season ended with the American League Champion Minnesota Twins winning the World Series over the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals, four games to three, as all seven games were won by the home team. I ...
featured
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
players
Joe Carter Joseph Chris Carter (born March 7, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays ...
and
Cory Snyder James Cory Snyder (born November 11, 1962) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 1994 for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, San Fr ...
with the headline "Indian Uprising", predicting the Indians to finish with the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
's best record. However, Cleveland ended the season with baseball's worst record, going 61–101. *April 24, 1989: In the preview issue for the
1989 NFL draft The 1989 NFL draft (also known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting) was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft was held April 23–24, 1989, at the Marriott Marquis in Ne ...
, football player
Tony Mandarich Ante Josip "Tony" Mandarich (born September 23, 1966) is a Canadian former professional American football player who was an offensive tackle for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Referred to as "the best offensive line prospe ...
was featured on the cover, with the label of "best offensive line prospect ever." Mandarich has been widely regarded as a bust in the NFL. In fact, he would appear on the cover again three years later under the headline "Incredible Bust". *May 8, 1989: Jon Peters of Brenham High School in Texas set the national high school record for games won by a pitcher, with a 51–0 record. The next game after the cover, he lost for the first (and only) time in his high school career. *June 5, 1989: After the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
swept the
Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...
in the NBA Western Conference Finals to go undefeated to that point in the playoffs, that week's cover featured Lakers forward
James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wor ...
with the word "SWEEP!" in large letters and, in smaller letters, the caption: "James Worthy and the Lakers beat the Suns to go 11–0 in the playoffs." The Lakers would go on to lose in the
1989 NBA Finals The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1988–89 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Ea ...
, being swept 4–0 by the
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
after losing starting guards
Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...
and
Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a role player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during the ...
to hamstring injuries.


2000 and later

*September 4, 2000:
Ryan Leaf Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2 ...
appeared on the cover with the headline "Back from the Brink" after a 24–20 win by his
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
over the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
characterizing his comeback as "an ascent from pariah to possible standout pro passer". Full-size image of cove
here
This did not improve his team's performance during the season through Leaf's injuries and poor attitude, leading to his release, and ultimately, his career never recovered. *September 2003: The
Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...
were placed on the cover after starting 4–0 and upsetting
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. They lost their next three games. They did not recover from the losing streak, as they finished 8–5 and lost to
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
in the
Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...
31–30, with Minnesota kicking a game winning field goal with 23 seconds left. *August 25, 2008:
Michael Phelps Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold me ...
appeared on the cover following his Olympic triumphs and reappeared in December 8 issue as
Sportsman of the Year Since its inception in 1954, ''Sports Illustrated'' has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Ame ...
. In February 2009, publication of a photograph of Phelps using a
water pipe Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses pipes, valves, plumbing fixtures, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. Heating and cooling (HVAC), waste removal, and potable water deliv ...
, a device used for smoking tobacco or
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
, surfaced on a British newspaper resulting in the loss of
Kellogg's Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets con ...
as a sponsor, as well as a three-month suspension imposed by USA Swimming. *In January 2010, Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was on the cover with the headline "Favre on Fire" before the NFC Championship Game and lost. New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez was on the cover in the Northeast and lost the AFC Championship Game. *October 11, 2010: David Price (baseball), David Price was shown on the cover of the magazine's Major League Baseball playoff issue, the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher had a poor outing in the first game of the 2010 American League Division Series, allowing 4 earned runs on nine hits, including two home runs, in a 5–1 loss to the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Price went on to pitch in Game 5 of the series and lose by the same score of 5–1 to end the Rays' playoff run. *March 24, 2011: 2010–11 BYU Cougars men's basketball team, BYU Cougars guard Jimmer Fredette appeared on the cover after the Cougars beat 2010–11 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team, Gonzaga to take them to their first NCAA tournament Sweet 16 since 1981. In the next game, Fredette only hit 11 of 29 shots in a loss to 2010–11 Florida Gators men's basketball team, Florida. *August 21, 2011 – Nebraska Cornhuskers football, Nebraska defensive lineman Jared Crick was featured front and center on the college preview cover. He did not finish his senior year because of a torn pectoral muscle. *March 26, 2012: Albert Pujols was featured on the ''Sports Illustrated'' baseball preview cover. Next to the cover photo was the caption, "The game's greatest slugger starts over with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Angels". Pujols did not hit a home run with the Angels until May 6, 2012, his 28th game and 111th at-bat of the season. Prior to 2012, Pujols had hit 445 career home runs, 32+ home runs in each of his 11 Major League Baseball, MLB seasons (including 37 in 2011), and 3 home runs off 3 different Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers pitchers in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series, tying Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in a World Series game. *May 23, 2012: The Los Angeles Dodgers (specifically Matt Kemp and
Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...
) appeared on the cover. They held the best record in baseball (30–13) at the time and looked poised to sweep the 19–25 Arizona Diamondbacks who had been struck by injuries. They went on to lose to the Diamondbacks the same night in an 11–4 blowout. Ted Lilly received his first loss of the season. Clayton Kershaw lost to the Astros the following night. The Dodgers were then swept by the Milwaukee Brewers and then lost a series with the Colorado Rockies, Rockies. They lost 8 of the next 11 games. Matt Kemp's seemingly minor injury became much more serious hamstring injury and the team was without his services for over two months. Furthermore, this was a start of an injury plagued portion of Kemp's career as he finished 2012 by playing through a shoulder injury. In 2013, Kemp got his 1,000th hit, but he also appeared in only 73 games as he battled ankle and hamstring injuries. Finally, Kemp struggled through the 2014 season to the point that he got switched to left field and was traded to San Diego Padres, San Diego in the offseason. As a team, the Dodgers failed to make the 2012 playoffs as they finished second in the NL West. *June 11, 2012: Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton was featured on the ''Sports Illustrated'' cover. On June 15, Hamilton was hospitalized because of an intestinal virus. *June 2, 2014: The New York Rangers had gone up 3 games to 1 against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals. Ryan McDonagh was featured on the cover celebrating Game 4's overtime goal scored by Martin St. Louis. After they went on to win the series 4 games to 2, they faced the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals only to lose 4 games to 1, with many of the losses being heart-breaking and controversial. *June 24, 2014: Luis Suárez (who has had previous behavioral problems on the pitch) had just finished a successful season with Liverpool F.C., having won the PFA Player of the Year Award and avoided any controversial incidents. Suarez' reputation was improving and many supporters saw this as the start of a new chapter for him. However, less than a month after being featured on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'', he bit Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder during Uruguay's 1–0 win over Italy in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and received a four-month ban from football, one of the longest in the history of the sport. *August 14, 2014: Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller was featured on one of the five regional college football preview covers. Days later, he re-injured his surgically repaired right shoulder, resulting in him missing Ohio State's entire 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, 2014 season. * October 27, 2014: Kansas City Royals closer Greg Holland appeared on the cover to commemorate the Royals' return to the 2014 World Series, World Series after a 29-year absence. However, the Royals would lose the series to the San Francisco Giants in seven games thanks in large part to Madison Bumgarner's outstanding pitching. * November 10, 2014: 2014–15 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, Kentucky forward Alex Poythress was one of 5 different players to have been given a cover shot for a college basketball season preview. On December 11, 2014, Poythress suffered a Anterior cruciate ligament injury, torn ACL during a team practice while on an uncontested breakaway layup, ending his season after 10 games. * January 12, 2015: Oregon Ducks football, Oregon Ducks wide receiver Byron Marshall was featured on the cover, which was the day of the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship. Additionally, Andy Staples' prediction of an Oregon victory by the score of 45–41 was also featured on the cover. Oregon, led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, were defeated 42–20 by the Ohio State Buckeyes football, Ohio State Buckeyes. * May 25, 2015: In an unusual twist on the curse, John Forbes Nash, Jr., subject of a A Beautiful Mind (book), biography and a A Beautiful Mind (film), film titled ''A Beautiful Mind'', died in a car crash the week a headline titled "Chip Kelly's Beautiful Mind" appeared on the cover. The reason was for a series of questionable moves made by Kelly in the offseason. The Eagles later fired Kelly on December 29, as the team was 6–9 and was well out of the playoff race. * August 31, 2015: Serena Williams appeared on the cover promoting her possible Grand Slam victory. However, she lost to unranked Italian Roberta Vinci 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 in the semi-finals. * October 19, 2015: Leonard Fournette appears on the cover with the tagline: "Thank you for the comparisons, but 5–0 LSU Tiger will do just fine." The Tigers lose three straight games from November 7–21, knocking themselves out of CFP contention. * November 24, 2015: The 12–0 Iowa Hawkeyes appeared on the cover but lost to the 11–1 Michigan State Spartans in the 2015 Big Ten Football Championship Game 16–13. Michigan State ended up in the College Football Playoff. The Hawkeyes were later forced to go to the 2016 Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl, where they lost to Stanford, 45–16. * January 5, 2016: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson appeared on the cover promoting the Vikings' NFC North title. However, the Vikings lost to the Seattle Seahawks 10–9 thanks to kicker Blair Walsh's missed chip shot field goal. * February 2, 2016: Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton appeared on the cover promoting their appearance in Super Bowl 50. However, the 17–1 Panthers were defeated by the Denver Broncos, 24–10, thanks in large part to the Broncos' top-ranked defense holding the Panthers to their lowest point total for the 2015 season. * March 5, 2016: Conor McGregor appeared on the February 29, 2016, issue of ''Sports Illustrated''. He was initially scheduled to fight Rafael dos Anjos, but it was cancelled due to Anjos' broken foot. The fight was rescheduled to be against Nate Diaz on March 5. McGregor lost in a second round submission. * Michigan State men's basketball players Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes along with mascot Sparty appeared on the cover of the March 2016 cover of ''Sports Illustrated for Kids''. However, the 2-seeded Spartans were upset by 15-seeded Middle Tennessee State 90–81 in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. * March 28, 2016: Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield appeared on the cover hyping Oklahoma's appearance in the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2016 Men's Final Four. However, the Sooners were blown out by the Villanova Wildcats 95–51 as Hield was held to just nine points. * May 30, 2016: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant appeared on the cover promoting the Thunder's possible upset over the defending NBA Champions Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. But the Thunder blew a 3–1 lead to the Warriors as the Warriors won the series 4–3. In the offseason, Durant left the Thunder to join the Warriors. * September 4, 2017: Three NFL players featured on covers – Aaron Rodgers, J. J. Watt, and David Johnson (running back), David Johnson – all had their seasons ended early by various injuries. Johnson dislocated his wrist in week 1, Watt suffered a tibial plateau fracture in Week 5, and Rodgers broke his collarbone in Week 6. All were placed on injured reserve, and only Rodgers returned from his injury, only to be placed back on injured reserve after the Packers were eliminated from playoff contention following a Week 15 loss to the Carolina Panthers. *March 12, 2018: The issue had three covers promoting the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament with one of those covers featuring Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball, Virginia Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins; however the Cavaliers would 2018 UMBC vs. Virginia men's basketball game, become the first no. 1 seed to lose to a no. 16 seed as they lost to the UMBC Retrievers men's basketball, UMBC Retrievers, 74–54. *March 27, 2019: Free-agent signee Bryce Harper, stated within the magazine to have "joined a team with real World Series hopes", appeared alongside three of his new Philadelphia Phillies teammates on the cover of SI's MLB season preview; not only did the Phillies finish with a .500 record and miss the playoffs, Harper's former team, the division rival Washington Nationals – who in four attempts had never won a postseason series during his time there – would for the first time in franchise history 2019 World Series, win the World Series after he left. *December 10, 2024: Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback of the NFL team and two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s December issue. Two months later in Super Bowl LIX, Mahomes had perhaps the worst game of his career in a 40–22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, in which he threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Mahomes was also sacked six times, and lost a fumble to account for every single one of the Chiefs’ turnovers, and his completion percentage was down a full percentage point from his career mark from 66.6 to 65.6%.


See also

* Sports-related curses


References


Further reading

*Wolff, Alexander. "Unraveling the Jinx." ''SportsIllustrated.com''. January 15, 2002. *"That Old Black Magic." ''Sports Illustrated''. January 21, 2002, 50–61. {{Sports-related curses Sports-related curses Sports Illustrated, Cover Jinx American urban legends