The internet is in a frenzy after a bizarre incident during Super Bowl 59, in which a Kansas City Chiefs-hating Eagles fan was caught on camera practicing “witchcraft” on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The video that went viral, shot in the Caesars Superdome, shows a green-clad woman repeatedly stabbing a small voodoo doll wearing a white No. 15 jersey that eerily resembles Mahomes.
For Chiefs fans, it was already a night to remember. Kansas City was defeated in a shocking 40-22 loss to Philadelphia, putting many in shock. However, for a few, a reason for Mahomes’ subpar play can be found in the unsettling video of the woman’s ritual.
In the infamous video, she is sitting in her seat, bobbing up and down, embracing the small doll wearing a white No. 15 jersey. She repeatedly stabs it with a pin, which seems dedicated to her quirk. Nobody is sure if she was joking around or believed that it would work. The internet was quick to have its say on it, though.
Social media was set aflame in response to the takes that ranged from humorous to straight-up terrifying. Some fans joked that the infamous “curse” was working—Mahomes finished the game with a paltry quarterback rating of 11.4, getting six sacks in the process.
Others weren’t having it, though. “Not just a superstition—straight-up witchcraft,” one user raged on X (formerly Twitter). “Ban her from playing every game going forward!”
While it’s easy to mock a voodoo curse having a bearing on a professional athlete, sports have always been fraught with superstitions. From LeBron James spitting on the chalk line before a game to baseball players not showering in their uniforms during a winning streak, players and fans alike have their rituals. This one was different, though, in that it was targeted at a player amid action.
Skeptics dismissed the incident as a mere joke. “She was just having fun with a doll, guys. Relax,” one wrote. Another joked, “If it was going to work, why didn’t she stab him in warm-up?”
Some Chiefs fans observed that Mahomes did seem strangely off during the game. One fan speculated, “I noticed he was pale and didn’t seem well. I figured it was just stress, but now I’m wonderin’.
This isn’t the first controversy caused by Eagles fans. Just a year ago, an overzealous fan was banned from Lincoln Financial Field after he harassed a Packers fan. The incident stirred Eagles and Packers fans, indicating that sportsmanship is more highly regarded in Philly’s fan base than behavior of that nature.
Although Mahomes didn’t mention the voodoo video, he did take total responsibility for the loss.
“I take ownership in the loss, probably more than anyone in my career, I put us in some bad spots.”
He said after the game.
He acknowledged that his decision-making must be better, continuing,
“There’s instances when guys aren’t open, I need to get rid of the ball or check it down and allow guys to make plays happen. I get to a point sometimes where I want to make a splash play to get us going. That’s something I’ve struggled with my whole career.”
Sports fans are a vast lot. Some sit in the same jersey each game. Others won’t move their seats. And it would seem some resort to voodoo dolls. Did the so-called “witchcraft” actually affect Mahomes? Most likely not. Did it give one of the more absurd Super Bowl moments in recent memory? Certainly, and the internet won’t soon let anyone forget it.
