Behind the Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 in an unforgettable thriller on Sunday night. You likely have seen that a priest blessed the endzone ahead of the game, but it appears other spiritual forces may have been in play as well.
In a video posted to Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Instagram, just days before the game took place, he attempted to hype up the city and the Ravens fan base for the game. In the full video, Scott appears to be paying back a lost bet to former Steeler Ryan Clark. However, the mayor doesn’t commit and veers back into smack-talking the Steelers. In the relevant part of the video, Scott says, “The one thing you do with this towel is you wipe your butt with it,” and then the mayor mimics using the towel in that way. What Mayor Scott clearly doesn’t understand is that the Myron Cope Curse, sometimes referred to as the Terrible Tower Curse, is very real. And it doesn’t miss.
As the creator of the Terrible Towel, Myron Cope famously said, “The Terrible Towel is poised to strike.” It seems that the Terrible Towel struck the Ravens on Sunday night, costing them an AFC North division championship and a spot in the playoffs.
The idea of the curse has gained traction among fans over the years, with the simple idea that if an opposing team disrespects the towel in any way, their season could be in danger.
The evidence is quite compelling.
Ahead of the Super Bowl, Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett made light of the Terrible Towel in an interview. When asked if he’d heard of the towel, Dorsett responded, “No I haven’t. What the hell is it? The Terrible Towel? That’s a new one. I don’t know what it is.”
To be fair, the towel had only been around since late December of 1975, and likely was not yet as iconic nationally as it is now after several decades of representing Steelers fandom. Any old timers in the comments, feel free to enlighten us!
In response to Dorsett’s dismissal, Cope reportedly replied, “That’s gorgonzola. Dorset was in Pittsburgh in ‘75 when the towel last flew and performed its miracles. And Dorsett just asked me about the towel about a week ago.”
The Steelers would go on to beat the Cowboys 35-31, winning their third title and giving some early legitimacy to the idea of this curse.
Back in modern times, Baltimore botching a clear opportunity to win a back-and-forth game with a 44-yard field goal at the end of the game feels like no coincidence. I, for one, choose to believe Tyler Loop’s hooked kick was another case of Myron Cope’s Curse punishing another foolish opponent for their hubris.
Afterall, the historical evidence behind the curse is quite compelling.
The Bengals had a good year in 2005. Powered by a high-flying offense featuring quarterback Carson Palmer and receivers Chad Johnson...
