Last night, the Chicago Cubs’ season came to an abrupt end following an 8-3 loss to the New York Mets, capping off a 4 game sweep to send the Mets to the World Series. Another year, the most promising one since 2003, and another season without a World Series victory for the team from the North Side of Chicago. It has now been 107 years since the Cubs have won the pennant. However, while this year may seem like a disappointment, Chicago has a lot to build off of and even more to look forward to for the next couple of years. The Cubs have one of the most exciting, young lineups in baseball that will only continue to get better. A core group of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, and Kyle Schwarber look to take that seemingly impossible next step to bring their beloved Chi-Town fans a World Series title. However, to completely understand just how much these Cubbies want a championship, you have to know the story behind the almighty “Billy Goat Curse”.

The exact origin of the curse is debatable, yet the result of it is indisputable. In 1945, Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, was denied entry to a 1945 World Series game with his pet goat Murphy. Sianis is said to have declared, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more,” and later sent a telegraph to team owner Philip Wrigley saying, “You are going to lose this World Series and you are never going to win another World Series again. You are never going to win a World Series because you insulted my goat.” The curse has been effective, and has prevented the Cubs from returning to the World Series since 1945, Sianis’ word proving true.

Some say that the curse doesn’t exist, but the results don’t lie. Even in the “friendly confines” of their home stadium, Wrigley Field, the Cubs hadn’t won a series since the stadium was built in 1914. The Cubs made a deep run into playoffs this season, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the wild card game and defeating the St. Louis Cardinals, who held the best record in baseball, in 4 games. However, Chicago came up just short yet again. The Cubs have a lot of young talent that will only continue to improve, but the Cubs have had talented teams in the past. So, the question remains, can this group be the team that finally ends the worst title drought in sports history?