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We’ve all heard the famous line “beware the ides of March” from William Shakespeare’s legendary play “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” But if you’re a Washington D.C. sports fan, you may want to start praying that your favorite team takes the day off on November 18.
The 18th of November has quickly become an absolutely brutal omen for both Washington sports fans and their favorite athletes.
It all began in 1985 when superstar Washington quarterback Joe Theisman was sacked by New York Giants tandem Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson. The hit and resulting fall caused Theisman to break both his tibia and fibula. He was rushed to the hospital and never returned to the football field.
Fast forward 33 years to November 18, 2018. Quarterback Alex Smith has Washington at 6-3 and right in the thick of the playoff hunt. But exactly like Theisman, Smith took a sack from Houston Texans defenders JJ Watt and Kareem Jackson. And, like Theisman, he broke both his tibia and fibula. Washington went on to lose the game 23-21, just like it did against the Giants in 1985, and went just 1-5 the rest of the season to miss the playoffs.
Smith briefly returned to football, but he was never the same player.
Now is probably when you’re thinking to yourself, “Surely it can’t get any worse, right?” Well…
Let’s fast forward again, this time just six years to November 18, 2024. The Washington Capitals are off to a surprising start and lead the NHL’s Metropolitan division. Superstar Alex Ovechkin leads the league with 15 goals and is quickly tracking down Wayne Gretzky to become the league’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Ovi went down hard and couldn’t put much weight on his left leg. Then he got helped to the dressing room.
What an awful — and rare — sight it is to see him helped off the ice.pic.twitter.com/0towYHAIar
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) November 19, 2024
But in a game against the newly founded Utah Hockey Club, Ovechkin collides with forward Jack McBain. The collision sends Ovechkin tumbling to the ice. The 39-year-old suffered a fractured left fibula and is expected to miss a significant period of time.
Who knows when Ovechkin returns or how he looks when he does? But it’s becoming increasingly clear that Nov. 18 is a day to fear for Washington D.C. sports fans and their favorite athletes.