The Curse of the Billy Goat

A tavern owner was reportedly kicked out of the 1945 World Series for bringing his pet goat — and the Chicago Cubs then didn't win another championship for 71 years, a drought long enough to become one of the most famous curses in American sports.

The Curse of the Billy Goat is a popular sports legend attributing the Chicago Cubs' extremely long championship drought to a 1945 incident in which tavern owner William Sianis was reportedly ejected from a World Series game for bringing his pet goat, after which he allegedly cursed the team. The Cubs did not win a World Series championship for 71 years afterward, finally breaking the drought in 2016.

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Quick facts

→William Sianis, owner of a Chicago tavern, brought his pet goat to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series, reportedly holding tickets for both himself and the animal.
→Sianis and the goat were ejected from the game, reportedly due to complaints from other fans about the goat's smell, after which Sianis allegedly declared the Cubs would never win another championship.
→The Cubs lost the 1945 World Series and did not win another World Series championship for 71 years, one of the longest championship droughts in major American professional sports history.
→The Cubs finally won the World Series again in 2016, ending the drought, with numerous fans and media outlets explicitly framing the victory as "breaking the curse."

Entities on file

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William Sianis (person)

Chicago tavern owner whose 1945 ejection from a World Series game for bringing his pet goat originated the Curse of the Billy Goat legend.

→ allegedly cursed → Chicago Cubs◐reported

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Chicago Cubs (organization)

Major League Baseball team that went 71 years without a World Series championship following the 1945 Billy Goat curse legend, finally winning again in 2016.

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