Tonight I received a breathless email from my colleague, Spam Sherman.
According to Spam, the winner of tonight's Redskins vs. Cowboys came would be a reliable predictor for the presidential election. As my friend tells it, the fate of the incumbent always correlates with how the Redskins do on their last Monday Night Football appearance before the elections. The Skins lose, the incumbent loses. The Skins win, the incumbent wins. If you'll recall, 4 years ago the Skins lost a close and controversial contest...a la Albert Gore!
The Redskins lost tonight. So if Spam is right, John F. Kerry will now be our next President.
But, as usual, in his excitable state my friend Spam Sherman forget to do his fact checking. The Center for Policy and Public Affairs accurately explains the real Redskins Rule:
THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS RULE. This one has an impressive winning streak--for 72 years, the victory or defeat of the Washington Redskins in their last game before the election has predicted whether the incumbent party holds the White House. If the Redskins lose or tie, the incumbent party loses the election. If the Redskins win, so does the incumbent party. By any measure the accuracy of the Redskin rule is notable. It has correlated with presidential electoral outcomes in 18 of the past 18 elections back to Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. ...The probability of a Redskin victory or defeat correctly forecasting the presidential election 18 elections in a row has been calculated to be about one in 260 million.
This really is incredible! But note that it has nothing to do with Monday Night Football. For those who care, the Redskins' last game before the election is against the Green Bay Packers on October 31.
No offense to my Cheesehead colleague The Wewinator, but: Go Skins! I predict it'll be a decisive win.
