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Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
The Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx has been scaring athletes for decades. Athletes fear being cursed by injury or poor performance after being featured on the cover of the sports magazine. How much do you know about the jinx? We promise, nothing bad will happen to you if you do well.
Take the Quiz: SI Cover Jinx
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Great Quiz!!
I only got 40%, but I enjoyed it anyway.
posted by Tex on 3-5-2009 at 11:51 am
HA! That black cat looks just like my kitty, who happens to be named Jinx.
posted by Chelsea on 3-5-2009 at 12:20 pm
8 out of 10, and I really wanted to say 30-40%, but guessed higher.
As I recall from reading that article, they concluded that while 37% of cover athletes see a downturn or “jinx” after appearing on the cover, this is to be expected in a sport where outcomes are not controlled.
In other words, sometimes even good players lose. Is winning 63% of the time all that bad? And the truly bad results, such as Giamatti’s death or the skier’s accident are even rarer. Most often a player gets on the cover during a playoff run, only to lose the championship.
Well, someone has to lose the championship game, right? And that’s basically an either/or proposition, so a cover athlete winning 63% of the time is much better than 50-50.
The Jinx is a myth, a very good one, but still a myth.
posted by Jonny on 3-5-2009 at 12:57 pm
It’s like the Madden Cover Curse…
posted by SArah on 3-5-2009 at 4:18 pm
Oh no, that’s real Sarah. ;)
posted by Jonny on 3-5-2009 at 4:26 pm