Stories breaking stigmas
The world of soccer has arguably been the most affected by the Drake curse, with April 2019 being a particularly horrible period.
Manchester United weren't just cursed through Pogba though. Romelu Lukaku also got a picture with Drake before the Wolves game.
So, was the previous month curse-free? No chance! Paul Pogba and Drake got a picture together in March 2019. Well, his then-team, Manchester United, went on to lose to the Wolverhampton Wanderers in their very next game.
A.S. Roma is an Italian soccer team out of Rome. They made headlines after "banning" their players from taking pictures with Drake.
However, Drake's character became paralyzed on the show, ending his pro basketball dreams.
See also: Unexpected celebrity soccer fans
In 2019, the Raptors won the NBA Championship and made Canadian history, with many wondering if the Drake curse had been dispelled. But some say he might have had some bad luck in store for the Golden State Warriors as well, as Drake was also a big fan of them. He mentions the team in his song ‘Summer Sixteen,’ and he raps about “Steph Curry with the shot” in ‘0-100/The Catch Up.’ He also gives a shout-out to Kevin Durant, from his Oklahoma City Thunder days, in ‘Weston Road Flows.’ Durant was injured in that season, and Curry missed that last critical three-pointer, the shot he effortlessly made numerous times throughout the game…
In 2022, Drake placed a US$275,000 bet on UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal to win at UFC 272, but Masvidal ended up losing to Colby Covington. Soon after, he lost US$427,000 betting on UFC fighter Justin Gaethje, who ended up losing to Charles Oliveira in the first round. He ended the year by losing a whopping US$2 million after betting on Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira in UFC 281.
In 2023, Drake bet against Fury in his match against controversial YouTuber turned-boxer Jake Paul. Paul lost to his rival, and Drizzy lost his US$400,000 bet.
On May 18, Tyson Fury faced off against Oleksandr Usyk to determine the undisputed heavyweight champion. Drake bet US$1 million on Fury to take home the title, but he was defeated by Usyk.
Drake also lost over US$230,000 in 2022 when he bet that Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc would win the Spanish Grand Prix, and Leclerc ended up suffering an engine failure.
Even when Drake bets on the right team he seems to be cursed, like when he lost US$1 million despite correctly guessing that Argentina would win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, all because they didn't win in regulation but in a penalty shootout.
For a sports team, having a celebrity fan can go a long way. It can bring attention, fanfare, and exposure to your club, sometimes even pushing the team to the next level. Other times, however, a celebrity sports fan can attract a lot of attention for the wrong reasons.
Drake, the Canadian rap sensation, has apparently been "cursing" sports teams and players for years. The joke goes that if you take a picture with Drake, or if he shows support for your team, you will lose or perform badly.
It's a pretty convincing argument if you consider how much money he has lost on sports wagers recently. He lost a cool US$1 million within the space of a couple of weeks in June. On June 17, the Dallas Mavericks squared off against the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals, and Drake had half a million on the Mavericks to win. They were beaten by the Celtics, leaving a major hole in the rappers's pocket. But a couple of weeks later, he bet a further US$500,000 on the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup on June 25. Unsurprisingly, they lost to the Florida Panthers.
Of course, it’s quite unlikely Drake is some kind of bad luck charm for these teams and athletes, but there’s still a strong argument for the existence of the Drake curse across various sports and clubs. Some have even called a ban on taking photos with him! Click through to see for yourself.
Proof that the "Drake curse" is alive and expensive
Drake loses US$1 million in June with bad bets on Stanley Cup and NBA finals
CELEBRITY Gambling
For a sports team, having a celebrity fan can go a long way. It can bring attention, fanfare, and exposure to your club, sometimes even pushing the team to the next level. Other times, however, a celebrity sports fan can attract a lot of attention for the wrong reasons.
Drake, the Canadian rap sensation, has apparently been "cursing" sports teams and players for years. The joke goes that if you take a picture with Drake, or if he shows support for your team, you will lose or perform badly.
It's a pretty convincing argument if you consider how much money he has lost on sports wagers recently. He lost a cool US$1 million within the space of a couple of weeks in June. On June 17, the Dallas Mavericks squared off against the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals, and Drake had half a million on the Mavericks to win. They were beaten by the Celtics, leaving a major hole in the rapper's pocket. But a couple of weeks later, he bet a further US$500,000 on the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup on June 25. Unsurprisingly, they lost to the Florida Panthers.
Of course, it’s quite unlikely Drake is some kind of bad luck charm for these teams and athletes, but there’s still a strong argument for the existence of the Drake curse across various sports and clubs. Some have even called a ban on taking photos with him! Click through to see for yourself.