Curse of the Muppets
The dreaded Sesame Street jinx claims another victim
Posted: Thursday December 17, 1998 12:12 PM
| |
Terrell Davis joins the list of star athletes who have mingled with the Muppets |
Call it the Sesame Street Spell.
Or, maybe, Elmokablooie.
Whatever, the world-famous Muppets, those furry denizens of the most
famous roadway in children's television, have reaped their mayhem on the
sports world once again.
Terrell Davis, the Denver Broncos' star
running back and the NFL's MVP-to-be, filmed an appearance Monday on Sesame
Street, thus joining a growing list of sports stars smacked by misfortune
in the same year they've appeared on the venerable children's show.
And they say there's a Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
Davis is at least the fifth athlete to appear on the show who has suffered
at the hands of the marauding Muppets. Though Davis ran for 147 yards on
Sunday, the Broncos lost a bid at the NFL's first perfect season since 1972
when the New York
Giants shocked them, 20-16.
Coincidence? Maybe not. Let's see what some digging by CNN/SI Research
Chief Desmond Wallace has turned up.
In 1996, San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson appeared with the Street
gang -- the same year he broke his foot and appeared in only six games.
In 1990, two-sport star Bo Jackson did a bit with Big Bird & Co. -- the
same year he broke his hip while playing for the Los Angeles Raiders.
Martina Navratilova lost her first Wimbledon in seven years back in 1988
-- yep, the same year she made a stop on Sesame Street.
Even Julius Erving couldn't find a cure for the spell when he did his
stint in '82. His Philadelphia 76ers lost the NBA Finals in the 1981-82
season to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luckily, every athlete who has appeared on the show has not had to deal
with the jinx. There have been at least 18 athletes to do their piece in
the 30-year history of the show, and most have reported no side effects.
Davis' Sesame Street episode -- his co-stars in a locker room scene were
Elmo, Telly and a singing football -- has not yet aired.
| 
