The Halftime Curse (reprinted with permission)
It’s that time of year again when we all become enamored
with sports curses, trying to decide if some are true, and some are not. The
Red Sox have suffered the Curse of the Bambino since 1918, the Cubs from the
Curse of the Billie Goat since 1908, and unsuccessful athletes from the Curse of
the Sports Illustrated Cover. But, some of you may not be aware of the curse
that exists right here [at this high school], the Halftime curse.
Our football squad is playing fantastic ball, and we’re all lovin’ it, but isn’t it interesting that the team’s only loss this year came when they interrupted their own Marching Band at halftime by taking the field before the completion of the band’s performance. A close game was then lost in the second half – Coincidence? – I think not!
The curse was predicted many years ago in Don McLean’s #1 hit “American Pie” from ‘72 (which, by the way, if you reverse 72, you get 27, the calendar date in August in which the lone loss occurred, hmmm!): verse 3, “Cause the players tried to take the field; the marching band refused to yield. Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died?”
So, advice to our beloved football team: don’t let the music die - make sure when you return during halftime during the band’s performance, that you let them complete the show. Otherwise, they can’t be held responsible for the final score!
