The MVP Jinx

With finals finally over, I can get back into my blog. Perhaps the biggest story that developed since my last entry was the shocking elimination of the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks to the #8 seed Golden State Warriors. The greatest upset of NBA history that no one saw coming, besides Warriors fans and my brother, who has a habit of going out a limb even if the prediction seems totally out there. It did get me thinking that maybe we should've expected it; not because the Warriors were 3-0 against the Mavericks in the regular season, but because we all knew that Dirk Nowitzki was going to win the MVP trophy. What does this have anything to do with the Mavericks getting eliminated? Let me begin...

Everyone likes to talk about the Sports Illustrated Jinx and the Madden Jinx. Maybe we need to look at a jinx that has been in affecting most athletes for quite some time: the MVP Jinx. Dirk Nowitzki just won the MVP award a couple of days ago and he was forced to accept the award in a suit due to the fact that the NBA can't give him the award before a playoff game since the Mavericks are now eliminated. We should go back and take a look at the list of past MVP's. The last two years Steve Nash has won the award only to have the Phoenix Suns eliminated in the conference finals both times. Kevin Garnett won the award in 2004 where the Minnesota Timberwolves were eliminated in the conference finals as well. Tim Duncan won the award in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated in the conference semi-finals. The Spurs did manage to win the championship in 2003. In fact, Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal are the only two MVP's who got a chance to hoist the Finals trophy the year they hoisted their MVP trophy in the past eight years. Allen Iverson's Sixers were eliminated in the NBA Finals in 2001, and Karl Malone's Jazz were eliminated in the conference semi-finals in 1999.

The NBA is not the only league that is affected by the MVP Jinx. In the NFL, there has been only 2 MVP's who have won the Super Bowl in the past ten years, Terrell Davis' Broncos in 1998, and Kurt Warner's Rams in 1999. Most recently, LaDanian Tomlinson's Chargers lost in the divisional playoffs; Shaun Alexander's Seahawks lost in the Super Bowl in 2005; Peyton Manning's Colts lost in the divisional playoffs in 2004; and Co-MVP's Peyton Manning and Steve McNair lost in the divisional playoffs and conference championship in 2003.

In Major League Baseball, the affects of the MVP award have been much more devastating. No one has hoisted both the MVP trophy and the World Series trophy in the same year in either league for the past ten years. In fact, the last time it happened in the National League was 1988 when Kirk Gibson's Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series. In the American League, the last person to hoist both trophy's was Willie Henderson of the Detroit Tigers in 1984. Notable MVP's whose teams failed to win the World Series are Alex Rodriguez's Yankees and Albert Pujol's Cardinals in 2005, Barry Bond's Giants in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, Chipper Jones' Braves in 1999, and Ken Griffery Jr.'s Mariners in 1997.

The MVP Jinx affects college sports as well, who don't even call their athlete's most valuable players. In football, the only Heisman trophy winners who won the national championship in the past ten years were Matt Leinart of USC in 2004 and Charles Woodson of Michigan in 1997. Notable Heisman trophy winners who failed to win the championship include Troy Smith of Ohio State this past year, Reggie Bush of USC last year, Carson Palmer of USC in 2002, Eric Crouch of Nebraska in 2001, and Ricky Williams of Texas in 1998. The Heisman Jinx goes far beyond just failing to win the championship. Many of the athletes who receive the trophy fall off the radar in the NFL. Troy Smith fell to the fifth round this past year. Jason White of Oklahoma has disappeared along with Eric Crouch of Nebraska. Chris Weinke of Florida State is a backup who has been forgotten along with Ron Dayne of Wisconsin. Finally, Ricky Williams of Texas is struggling to stay in the NFL despite his talent due to drug related issues.

In NCAA Basketball, only Shane Battier of Duke has won the Naismith Award as well as the Tournament Championship in the past ten years. Before him, Christian Laettner of Duke managed to do so in 1992. Notable Naismith Award winners who failed to win the championship include Kevin Durant of Texas this past year, J.J. Redick of Duke in 2006, T.J. Ford of Texas in 2003, Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati in 2000, Elton Brand of Duke in 1999, and Tim Duncan of Wake Forest in 1997.

With few MVP's who managed to help their team win the championship the same year over time, a jinx has to have affected these sports. One explanation could be the opponent's strategy of eliminating the threat of the MVP in the postseason; another explanation could be cockiness. Whatever it is, I sure wouldn't want players on my team to win the award from now on. Call me superstitious but the facts don't lie, there is an MVP Jinx in effect.

Sources: Basketball-Reference.com, Baseball-Reference.com, ProFootball-Reference.com

Sports Moment of the Week:

The baseball rally's on Mother's Day. The Boston Red Sox rallied from 5-0 down in the 9th inning to win 6-5. The Oakland A's rallied from 7-5 down in the 9th inning to win 10-7.