They were the winning team up until that dreaded October day. They were the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles and capture an astounding four pennants in just 10 short years. Everything seemed to be perfect for the Chicago Cubs, but then the goat came.

On Oct. 6, 1945, the Cubs entered the fourth game of the World Series, leading the Detroit Tigers two games to one. William “Billy Goat” Sianis, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, decided to buy two tickets, one for himself and one for his goat Murphy. Sianis was stopped at Gate 4, where he was told that he could not enter with his goat.

Appealing to the owner of the Cubs, P.K. Wrigley, Sianis  was once again denied entrance on the grounds that “the goat stinks.” According to legend, Sianis and the goat became upset, and throwing up his hands, Sianis said, “The Cubs ain’t gonna win no more! The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field.” From then on, the Cubs were “cursed.”

The Cubs would lose game four against the Tigers and would continue to lose in subsequent years. Throughout the course of Sianis’s life, the Cubs would finish fifth place or lower, reversing the team’s former luck. They became known as the “Lovable Losers” and the “Cursed Cubs,” while the “Miracle Mets,” a team that had never finished above ninth place out of 10 teams, reached acclaim.

There would be several tries to remove the Cubs’ curse. In 1973, the Billy Goat Tavern’s new owner, Sam Sianis, tried to bring the goat Socrates, the descendent of Murphy, to Wrigley Field. Sam Sianis and Socrates were both denied entrance, and the curse continued as the Cubs lost their mid-season first place lead.

In 1984, the new owners of the Cubs invited the goat to opening day at Wrigley field. The curse was temporarily lifted as the Cubs made their run to the Series, but lost to the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series when, coincidentally, the goat was accidently left in Chicago.

There would be several more runs to the Series throughout the years, but each time the Cubs had victory in their grasp, they failed to attain the ultimate title. However, in 2016, their chance returned, and this time, they would not fail.

A rain delay and a rousing speech by rightfielder Jason Heyward led the Cubs to final victory. Not only were the Cleveland Indians stunned, but the whole world was stunned. The Cubs, the “Lovable Losers,” the team that was never supposed to win, has finally won their first World Series in 108 years.

The best part about the win, though, was that there was no goat. Us, Cubs fans, never cared about our alleged “curse.” We carried it with us because we were not given a choice, but now the shroud has been thrown off. The Cubs are true champions.

Emily Stancliff is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.