Terrible Curse

The Terrible Curse refers to a sports superstition that holds that desecration of the Terrible Towel causes misfortune to befall the offending team. The Terrible Curse is a relatively new phenomenon, as the curse has only been noted recently.

The curse has appeared on several occasions in recent years. In 2005, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh shined his shoes with a Terrible Towel during a regular-season game between the Bengals and Steelers. The Bengals went on to lose to the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs.

The curse appeared twice during the 2008 NFL playoffs. During the Baltimore Ravens' 13-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, Titans running back LenDale White fumbled in the red zone and cost his team a field goal opportunity that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. White had stomped and spit on a Terrible Towel a few weeks earlier, at the end of the Titans' regular-season win against the Steelers.

The curse showed up again in Super Bowl XLIII. During a Super Bowl pep rally, Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon blew his nose into a Terrible Towel and threw it on the ground. The Cardinals' mascot wiped its armpits with the towel. Although Gordon later apologized, the damage was done and the Cardinals lost the Super Bowl.

The curse didn't strike immediately in 2004, when the Patriots mockingly waved Terrible Towels at Steeler fans during the AFC Championship Game. However, the Patriots haven't won the Super Bowl since that year and Spygate later caused many fans to question the legitimacy of their championships.