‘Drake Curse’ strikes again after Shohei Ohtani spurns Blue Jays

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Toronto Blue Jays fans were trolled in the worst way Friday, and the so-called “Drake Curse” is being blamed for Shohei Ohtani’s decision to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Erroneous reports emerged Friday that the two-way superstar was headed to Toronto to sign a multi-year deal with ball club after MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi tweeted that Ohtani was on a private plane headed north from southern California. Thousands of Jays fans eagerly tracked the flight online ahead of its arrival in Toronto.

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The Grammy-winning rapper waded into the fray when he posted a picture of himself to Instagram wearing Ohtani’s 2023 All-Star jersey.

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But as soon as Drake posted the photo that seemingly celebrated Ohtani’s signing, Jays fans immediately started to fear that the two-time MVP was headed to the Dodgers.

“Ohtani is now a Dodger — it’s confirmed,” one fan wrote, while another declared, “[This is an] All-time Drake curse moment if [Ohtani to the Jays] doesn’t happen.”

“I believe the kids these days say this is bad luck so it probably means he isn’t going to Toronto…” a third person lamented.

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Talk of the “Drake Curse” shifted over to Reddit as well, where one MLB watcher dismissed Toronto’s hopes: “If it wasn’t happening before, it is soooo not happening now.”

After the plane landed in Toronto, it was revealed that its occupant was none other than Robert Herjavec — the entrepreneur known to the world for starring on Shark Tank.

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“I’d like to thank the @bluejays organization for signing me today!” Herjavec joked to frantic Jays fans. “All joking aside – I’m not @shoheiohtani and he was not on my plane today! Not sure how it all started but I’m calling the Jays and seeing if they’ll sign my 5-year-old for 600 mil ( he WAS on the plane and throws a mean pitch).”

After Ohtani announced his decision to leave the Anaheim Angels to sign with the Dodgers Saturday afternoon in a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deal, Drake’s premature celebration that Toronto had landed the phenom was being blamed on social media.

For those unaware, the “Drake Curse” emerged after an unscientific study determined that when the One Dance star dons the jerseys of the teams he supports they have a tendency to lose.

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During last year’s World Cup, soccer fans blamed the “Drake Curse” for Team Canada’s opening loss to Belgium.

“We all know the reason,” one person wrote alongside a series of laughing-crying emojis and a pic of Billboard’s Artist of the Decade posing alongside left-back Alphonso Davies.

More pics flooded Twitter featuring the God’s Plan hitmaker smiling with various other players on Team Canada as proof the “Drake Curse” was to blame for the loss.

ESPN noted that Canada was the first World Cup team since 1978 to attempt at least 20 shots and a penalty kick and not score a goal.

While Canada outshot Belgium 21-9, the players only managed to kick three shots on goal.

“Alphonso Davies didn’t listen to the Gods,” one fan tweeted after the match. “Drake’s curse is real.”

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Elsewhere in year’s past, the Toronto musician’s endorsement of sports teams has been cited as proof they are headed for failure.

In 2019, he showed up during Game 4 of the NHL playoffs between Toronto and the Boston Bruins in Maple Leafs gear and guess what? The Leafs lost 6-4.

That same year, after Drake took a photo with Paris Saint-Germain’s Layvin Kurzawa, he was blamed for the soccer club’s 5-1 loss to Lille. As a result, Italy’s AS Roma banned its players from taking selfies with the Juno winner until after its season ended.

During the NCAA football playoffs in 2019, Drake publicly backed the University of Alabama and the team was throttled 44-16 by the Clemson Tigers.

Prior to that, he was in the stands cheering Serena Williams at the U.S. Open in 2015 when she was beaten by an unranked player. And when he trumpeted Conor McGregor, the MMA fighter was smashed by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 236.

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Drake himself is aware of the curse chatter. After the Raptors beat the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA playoffs in 2019, he quipped to reporters, “Want me to talk about the curse or you guys good?”

More recently, he further quieted talk he’s a jinx when he successfully wagered the Kansas City Chiefs to win this year’s Super Bowl LVII (the club beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35).

“Please do not analyze the logic behind these bets,” Drake joked. “There is none.”

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X: @markhdaniell

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