Redskins Football Games Predict Election Winner 91
jangobongo writes "The folks that investigate urban legends at Snopes.com have looked into the rumor going around on the internet that says, "The outcome of Washington Redskins football games has correctly predicted the winner of every U.S. presidential election since 1936." Their findings? It's true! The predictive game for this year will happen on October 31 vs. Green Bay. Which team are you gonna root for?"
Redskins!! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Redskins!! (Score:2)
Re:Redskins!! (Score:1)
~Lake
This has to be a coincidence. (Score:1)
Re:This has to be a coincidence. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This has to be a coincidence. (Score:2)
Re:This has to be a coincidence. (Score:1)
Just because two events may coincide does not mean one is a result of the other.
Quirks of history (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Quirks of history (Score:3, Informative)
Besides, these days, I suspect everyone is a little sensitive about the idea. A little superstition like this seems really immature in this context (as if it ever didn't).
Re:Quirks of history (Score:3, Funny)
Because you're hanging out with the wrong crowd to find people that have heard of the Curse of Tecumseh.
Besides, it's more discriminatory than that, or else Bad Things would have happened to Jefferson (1800) and Monroe (1820). It began with W. H. Harrison, hence the "Curse of Tecumseh" name. And even then, while they may have been elected to a prior term in a year divisible by 20, occas
Re:Quirks of history (Score:1)
Bush will be re-elected... and die in office? (Score:2)
If Bush is re-elected, then dies in office, it would fit the pattern.
What we've seen is that it isn't just the curse of Tecumseh, this view of things also involves astrology. Every 20 years, a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn takes place. Every 20 years since 1840, it has taken place in either Taurus, Capricorn, or Virgo (known in western astrology as "earth" signs). The one exception to this was in 1980-81, when the conjunction took place in Libra (an "air" sign). This would explain how Reagan surviv
Re:Bush will be re-elected... and die in office? (Score:1)
Why did Reagan survive? Becuase the bullet missed his heart and he was able to get immediate medical attention.
Re:Bush will be re-elected... and die in office? (Score:1)
Complexity (Score:5, Informative)
Some ways to interpret:
incumbent vs challenger
republican vs democrat
the inverse of each
=4, making it 1 in 8192
X big teams (I have no idea how many, not a sports fan). Lets say 64.
So 1 in 128 of a big sports team randomly predicting 15 elections in a row correctly, or somewhat greater considering the average odds of winning (team or president) is not exactly 50-50.
And there are easily a couple hundred other possible predictors that people could identify with.
So lets say the odds were 0.99 in 1 of finding something like this.
Re:Complexity (Score:1)
Either they (some sports team) win or lose. 50/50 chance.
Bush wins out of Bush or Kerry. 50/50 chance for either.
Re:Complexity (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Complexity (Score:3, Informative)
Which is very real in a race where people don't follow the actual issues. Conservatism vs Progress Pessimism vs Optomism.
Re:Complexity (Score:3, Informative)
Even that's not true. Among equal teams, the home team will win over 60% of the time.
Re:Complexity (Score:2)
Actually it's not one penny that is flipping, you have 'several pennies' as there are several teams, many sports (Why not basketball, squash or golf?). In that environment, one of thousands of pennies flipping 1 a bit too long wouldn't be that unexpectable.
Re:Complexity (Score:2)
Actually, the chances of a coin turning up heads 17 times in a row is identical to the chance of it turning up heads once. This is because past performance doesn't influence future performance in any way. So while it may seem at first glance to be unlikely that a coin would turn up heads any number of times in a row, it's not.
The football thing is a little weird, since the odds of a team winning a football game have many variables that affect it, and the odds of a candidate winning an election also have
Re:Complexity (Score:2)
Where? Did I attempt to predict the future somewhere?
Either they (some sports team) win or lose. 50/50 chance.
Bush wins out of Bush or Kerry. 50/50 chance for either.
Are all things created equal?
Re:Complexity (Score:2)
Re:Complexity (Score:2)
If you were talking about the chances of that comnnection being held 12 opr so times, then youre right... but those 12 or so do not hold this current game to that same percantage of win. It's still 50% chance.
Re:Complexity (Score:4, Insightful)
Also I think its significant that this is a Washington DC team, and there certainly aren't that many pro sports teams in DC
Still, I think its just a big coincidence. Interestingly, both teams are at the bottom of their division with only 1 win since the start of the season, so it should be interesting to see if the rumor holds true.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Complexity (Score:1)
Re:Complexity (Score:1)
I think we are currently missing Arena Football, and pro-lacrosse tho.
Re:Complexity (Score:4, Funny)
I want REDSKINS to lose for two reasons:
1. I support Kerry - Edwards
2. I have Ahmed Green (GB) on my fantasy football team.
Re:Complexity (Score:1, Funny)
So I'm planning on pledging my allegiance to the Lions anyway. Isn't it about time that we allowed a third team to have at least one player in this game?
Re:Complexity (Score:4, Funny)
R = Redskins win
L = Lions win
Then,
P(B|R) = P(B|L,R) * P(L|R) / P(L|B,R)
It's a true statement! The election depends upon the Lions game outcome!! But wait...
M = your mamma
P(B|R) = P(B|M,R) * P(M|R) / P(M|B,R)
Wow! Ugh oh... Whether Bush is reelected also depends upon your mamma! Dammit Bayes Rule!! I thought I was the only one depending your mamma for a piece of...
Re:Complexity (Score:2)
Re:Complexity (Score:2, Informative)
In Communist Russia... (Score:5, Funny)
...the incumbent party decides what the outcome of the games are...
OK, not funny, I know, mod me down...
It's unbeatable! (Score:5, Funny)
And I'll lay money that the same happens this year.
Re:It's unbeatable! (Score:2)
Hardly any odds at all (Score:1)
packers, hey packers! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:packers, hey packers! (Score:2)
Re:packers, hey packers! (Score:2)
I dunno... Green Bay isn't the team that it used to be. Heck, even the Bears kicked their ass.
heh. heh.
Re:Patterns in randomness (Score:1)
Third party? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Third party? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Third party? (Score:2)
Re:Third party? (Score:2)
Actually it's not, ties happen in the NFL every few years. There was one in 2002 [about.com] the last one before that was in 1997. Ralph Nader winning the election would be more like the team planes for Every NFL team other than the Miami Dolphins going down in the same weekend and the Dolphins winning the superbowl by default.
Re:Third party? (Score:1)
Untrue !! (Score:1)
regards
dbcad7
correction (Score:1)
shoulda Preveiwed, but who'd a thunk I could mess up such a short post
dbcad7
Re:correction (Score:1)
Re:correction (Score:2)
Get a BJ...get impeached.
Fuck up the country and take part of the world with you...4 more years?
I'll never understand.
I think I understand.. (Score:3, Funny)
If this were true. . . (Score:5, Funny)
Two days after the game, Jeff Fisher, the Titan's coach, would have mailed a red flag to NFL headquarters, thereby challenging the play. The NFL commisionner would have informed him that the referee on the field that day had final discretion. The referee would have been Jeff Fisher's brother, Jeb Fisher. Jeb would have claimed that the tocuhdown never happened.
Steve Spurrier would then appeal the decision with Paul Tagliabue who, after long deliberation, would have ruled that the final decision lies with the scorekeeper. The scorekeeper would have been found to be keeping tally of the score using marbles. He would eventually admit that he wasn't quite sure how many marbles had been on his table and how many of them had been in which team's box. He would however claim that he was almost entirely certain that there had been more marbles in the Titan's box than in the Redskin's. Eventually everybody would have been confused to the point of desperation and the Titans would have been handed the victory by the gist of having won three of the four quarters.
Considering the facts... (Score:2, Insightful)
Mike Sherman's playbook was posted online somewhere in PDF format - because no team has been surprised at anything they've been doing.
I'm a nerd, but I support my team - I just wish they didn't suck ass this year...
Re:Considering the facts... (Score:1)
Re:Considering the facts... (Score:1)
Re:Considering the facts... (Score:1)
It would be funny if the stadium fell down or the field suddenly flooded. What kind of a sign would that be?
Re:Considering the facts... (Score:1)
Re:Considering the facts... (Score:2)
Packers D is pretty laughable, but the Redskins have something like 2 defensive starters brought over from last year. Arrington is injured, Coles can't catch shit and Portis on the some kind of "learn the new offense by fumbling" plan.
It should be an interesting game, in the same way that the Arizona - San Francisco game this week was interesting.
I still have t
Re:Considering the facts... (Score:1)
Someone please take the defensive line, coaches, and trainers out back and shoot them.
Streaks (Score:1)
Re:Streaks (Score:1)
Re:Streaks (Score:2)
Okay, tell me quickly... (Score:2)
Re:Okay, tell me quickly... (Score:1)
Redskin's chances (Score:2)
Re:Redskin's chances (Score:5, Funny)
Kind of like the major-party presidential candidates.
Re:Redskin's chances (Score:2)
If you weren't being such an asshat, I wouldn't point out that the Panthers are the only team the Packers have beaten this year, nor that the Packers are at the BOTTOM of the NFC North just like the Redskins are at the bottom of the NFC East, but since you are, I will.
God Damnyankee Packers fans, only capable of posting as Anonymous Cowards. Have you recovered yet from last weekend, when the real men from Tennessee rode through and
Nader Has A Bye Week (Score:2, Funny)
Joe Gibbs payoff? (Score:1)
Makes you wonder which political party paid off Joe Gibbs to come back to the Redskins in an election year?
A real coincidence is that even with Gibbs, they still can't win
Both stink (Score:1)
Perhaps that's the most telling thing of all.
To clarify an ambiguity... (Score:2)
Are you refering to both candidates, both teams, or both the sport of football and the presidential election process?
I'm hoping for a tie. (Score:1)
Lambert Field (Score:2)
Go Bush, Go Packers, Go Football Fans For Truth. [footballfansfortruth.us]
Re:Lambert Field (Score:1)