'Redskins Rule' Points to Romney Victory on Tuesday
The Washington Redskins lost on Sunday to the Carolina Panthers and if history is any indication, that is not a good sign for President Obama.
It has been called the "Redskins Rule" and it has successfully predicted presidential elections dating back all too way 1940, with the exception of 2004, when George W. Bush defeated John Kerry.
The rule is fairly simple: if the Redskins win on the Sunday before Election Day, the party that won the popular vote in the prior election will win the Electoral College in the upcoming election. If the Redskins lose, the incumbent will not win reelection.
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Dating back to 1940, the Redskins have won nine times before Election Day with the incumbent party winning in each of those nine years.
On the flip side, of the nine times the Redskins lost the game previous to the election the incumbent president has lost, with the only inconsistency coming in the 2004 election.
"Everybody likes coincidences and streaks, especially in the sports world. It's been fun to talk about and I'm glad I found it," Steve Hirdt, executive vice-president of the Elias Sports Bureau, told ESPN.
"I'm kind of resigned to the fact that the 'Redskins Rule' will probably be on the second or third paragraph of my obituary ... whenever that may be," he added.
But the Redskins rule is not the only sports game that has relevance when it comes to presidential elections.
College football also plays a role in presidential elections, with specific universities predicting victories for both parties.
Since 1984 the game between the University of Alabama, which unofficially has been labeled the Democratic team, and Louisiana State University, representing the Republican party, has successfully predicted the winner of the White House.
Alabama, which has been the most dominant team in college football in recent years, beat fifth-ranked LSU 21-17 in a fierce game on Saturday night, leaving this presidential election wide open.
