With Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman securing the overhyped “award” of appearing on the cover of a game that uses the meaningless concept of a cover athlete to tempt folks who otherwise wouldn’t be inclined to buy this year’s edition of the same old product, Sherman steps into the cross hairs of the so-called Madden curse.
And Sherman shrugs at the so-called Madden curse.
“I don’t believe in curses,” Sherman said Friday, via Terry Blount of ESPN.com. “I believe in God.”
To be fair, the two concepts aren’t mutually exclusive. (Anyone of Italian descent knows this.) Setting aside the philosophical question of whether it’s possible to believe in both God and curses, the message here from Sherman is that he doesn’t believe in curses.
Of course, those who believe in curses would be concerned that Sherman has tempted fate by questioning the existence of the curse, which necessarily invites the curse to remind the doubter of its existence. But a curse derives its power from those who believe in it, with the curve-believer’s confidence being undermined by the belief that someone bad is predestined.
If Sherman truly doesn’t believe in curses, then it doesn’t matter that he called the curse out. But if Sherman really does believe in curses and dismissing the curse was his way of giving curses the Crabtree treatment, Sherman may be doubly cursed.