Longhorns fans petition to keep Ted Cruz away from big football game, fearing his ‘sports curse’

Fans of college football team the Texas Longhorns have started a petition to ban Ted Cruz from games, fearing the Republican senator’s attendance will curse their chances of victory.

The online petition states that the US senator is “just plain bad luck” and claims his “downright sinister energy” kept the Longhorns from making it to the NCAA football championship previously.

“That’s a risk we cannot take again,” the change.org petition states.

“The Longhorns deserve a season of GREATNESS! We are the best, most passionate fans here in the heart of Texas . We can’t let an outsider like Cr*z, someone who didn’t even go to UT, who roots for whatever team he thinks will get Texans to like him, ruin Texas Longhorn sports.”

The petition, which seeks to have the Republican banned from all Texas Longhorn sporting events for life, has garnered almost 1,500 signatures since being started on September 29.

“Please don’t ruin the streak of the only good sports teams in Texas rn [right now],” one petition signer commented. Another added: “I hadn’t signed a petition in probably half a decade until I came across this one, a cause I care about deeply.”

“No Cruz curse for the longhorns!!!” wrote another.

It comes following increasing chatter about the so-called “Ted Cruz curse," which is derived from the idea that Texas-based teams seem to lose important games when he is in attendance.

The superstition grew most recently after the Houston Astros ALDS lost to the Detroit Tigers, with Cruz in the stands. He also attended the Longhorns’ college football playoff game against the Washington Huskies, where Texas lost 37-31.

Cruz’s opponent in the upcoming Senate election, former NFL linebacker and congressman Colin Allred, even centered a political ad around the supposed "#CruzCurse."

Saturday’s game is one of the biggest of the season for the Longhorns as they take on Georgia who are currently ranked number five.

Cruz is no stranger to controversy, or unfortunate monikers, having infamously taken a trip to Cancun in February 2021 during a severe winter storm that killed 246 Texans and left millions without power and running water.

The scandal, which left the senator with the nickname “Cancún Cruz”, was exacerbated when Cruz attempted to justify his actions by claiming he was just trying to be “a good dad” to his daughters.

During the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, the eventual victor, Donald Trump, dubbed the Texan “Lyin’ Ted Cruz,” insulted his wife and suggested his late father had somehow been involved in the assassination of John F Kennedy. Cruz threw his support behind Trump once he won the nomination.

The Independent has contacted Cruz for comment.