The so-called Ted Cruz "curse" has apparently struck again, after the Dallas Cowboys were knocked out of the NFL playoffs.
The Cowboys suffered a 48-32 home defeat to the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday. In the first half, the Cowboys found themselves down 27-0. Dismayed fans, shocked by the performance, sought to lay the blame on the Texas Senator.
Cruz is frequently held responsible by Texas sports fans when a team loses if he has attended the game or otherwise declared his support for them, usually online. Ted Cruz posted on X, formerly Twitter on Sunday to pledge his support for the Cowboys.
Let’s go @dallascowboys!
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) January 14, 2024
#SeizeEverything
It isn't the first time Cruz has been shouldered with the blame for a Texas sports team losing. Earlier this month, he attended a Texas Longhorns game at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, with the team losing 37 - 31 to the Washington Huskies. In October, he cheered on the Houston Astros during an MLB play-off game in which they lost 11 - 4.
Cruz has previously hit back at reports his attendance or support is a bad luck charm for football teams. Referring to a report by Rolling Stone, he said he has attended numerous games in which his team has won.
![Ted Cruz](https://cdn.statically.io/img/d.newsweek.com/en/full/2335554/ted-cruz.jpg?w=1200&f=3539b91ea63634a0021c29fef0febc03)
"Lying hacks @RollingStone," Cruz posted on X. "For 7 years, Catherine & I have attended nearly EVERY Astros home playoff game. If they're going to blame me for our recent home losses, pls also credit us for TWO World Series Championships & SEVEN consecutive ALCS's—we were there cheering Stros on!"
Newsweek reached out to Ted Cruz for comment via email after the publication of this article.
Whether Cruz was actually in the crowd for the game on Sunday isn't known, but social media users took to X to express their disappointment at Cruz's endorsement of the Cowboys.
Democrat Representative Colin Allred posted: "We cannot afford six more years of Ted Cruz. #CruzCurse".
One X user, Mark R. Yzaguirre, quoted Cruz's post and remarked: "And then the Cowboys lost. Ted Cruz the jinx, true to form."
Another posted, alluding to the upcoming presidential election: "Ted Cruz is responsible for this Cowboys fans. Let him know in November what you think of his actions."
"Does the Cowboys losing this badly mean that conservatives will finally accept that Ted Cruz is a jinx on professional sports?" asked Jen Ramos.
Correction, 1/16/24, 6 a.m. ET: This article was updated to clarify that Ted Cruz's office was contacted for comment after publication.
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Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more