ELI5: are san diego sports cursed

San Diego sports teams are not actually cursed by magic, but they have experienced decades of bad luck and heartbreak that make people feel like they are.

Imagine you enter a giant neighborhood bake-off every single year. You work really hard, your treats smell delicious, and sometimes you make it all the way to the final tasting. But right before the judges take a bite, your cake suddenly collapses, the oven loses power, or your best recipe blows away in the wind. That is what being a San Diego sports fan feels like in everyday life.

People talk about the San Diego sports curse because of a few major reasons:

• No big trophies: San Diego has gone over sixty years without winning a major championship in top professional sports like football, baseball, or basketball. It is currently the longest title drought for any major American city with a sports team.
• Heartbreaking moments: The baseball team, the San Diego Padres, made it to the ultimate final series twice, but they were easily beaten by powerhouse teams both times.
• Teams packing up and leaving: Even worse than losing is when a team moves away. The city used to have two basketball teams (the Rockets and the Clippers) and a football team (the Chargers). All three left town to play in other cities because of disputes over money or new stadiums.
• Superstar luck elsewhere: Great players often play in San Diego, win nothing, and then win a championship immediately after joining a new city.

Still, living in San Diego is great because the weather is always warm and sunny. Even when their favorite team loses in a sad way, fans can shrug it off, put on their sunglasses, and go to the beach.