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đŠ Effie: The ghost of Oklahoma City
When NBA teams travel to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, they typically stay at the cityâs Skirvin Hilton Hotel. Some of the leagueâs biggest stars, like recently-retired Derrick Rose and Metta Sandiford-Artest, have shared stories of spooky interactions or strange experiences after staying there, and many have blamed their unsettling stay for poor performances on the court.
The story behind it? Legend has it, a former hotel employee named Effie (who may or may not have actually existed) had an affair with the hotelâs owner, W.B. Skirvin, and Effie became pregnant.
- To avoid judgment and criticism from the community, Skirvin supposedly confined Effie and their newborn baby to one of the hotel rooms on the 10th floor. After some time locked away, Effie is said to have jumped from the window, ending both her and her childâs lives.
Itâs rumored that Effie and her baby still haunt the halls of the Skirvin hotel. Players and other visitors have reported hearing a crying baby, slamming doors, and other strange sounds throughout the night.
- One game day, nowâDallas Maverick Kyrie Irving said he woke up with several bed bugs on his pillow along with a few bites, which was enough to convince him to produce a movie about the hotelâs hauntedness.
- Bill Simmons of The Ringer wrote about his experience staying in the hotel, saying he thought he heard one of his kids crying before remembering that his kids are no longer babiesâŚand also werenât there in the hotel with him. Spooky.
âžď¸ Eddie Plank: The ghost of Gettysburg
Source: Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images
Eddie Plank was the first left-handed pitcher to win 300 MLB games, playing for the Philadelphia Athletics in the early 1900s. He finished his career with 326 wins and earned a spot in baseballâs Hall of Fame before his death in 1926.
Seventy years later, the owner of Plankâs former Gettysburg residence, Peter Stitt, awoke to loud noises coming from within his home. Stitt said he could hear loud thuds, grunting, a woosh sound, and footsteps.
- As the noises continued, they began to sound familiar to Stitt. He said they reminded him of a pitcher tossing balls and concluded that the ghost of the baseball legend must have returned to his home to continue spring training.
- When the noises halted, just in time for MLB Opening Day in 1996, Stitt, along with many other believers in Plankâs return, surmised that the Hall of Famer must have been satisfied with his final practice session before resting for good.
In 2005, ESPNâs Don Barone went to investigate the ghost story for himself, traveling to Gettysburg with a psychic. While Plank didnât come out and pitch during their visit, the psychic did claim to have a chat with him, during which Plank disclosed that the 1914 World Series was fixed. Spilling piping hot tea from the grave.
- Of course, many donât believe this elaborate story, and the original incident is now thought of as a hoax, but itâs hard to rule out the possibility entirely â especially coming from a mysterious city like Gettysburg.
đ Torontoâs Hockey Hall of Fame
Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Torontoâs Hockey Hall of Fame is home to one of sportâs scariest stories. The building originally housed the Bank of Montreal, where, in 1953, 19-year-old bank employee Dorothea Mae Elliott attempted to take her own life in the womenâs restroom and died in the hospital the next day.
- Soon after, Dorotheaâs former bank colleagues began experiencing strange things, like flickering lights, footsteps following them, shrieking noises, and an overall feeling that someone was watching them â especially while in the womenâs restroom.
- Eventually, due to many reports of strange occurrences and overwhelmingly bad vibes, the bank installed a second bathroom. When the bank relocated, however, the reports from the original restroom continued.
Today, Hall of Fame visitors report seeing a woman with long, dark hair near the womenâs restroom on the second floor, along with the feeling of being watched or hearing footsteps and screams, just like the bank employees long ago. Chills.
âžď¸ Rochesterâs Innovative Field (formally known as Frontier Field)
Source: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
Baseball is one of the oldest sports in North America, so it only makes sense that a handful of strange or unusual events have taken place on the diamond. That said, only one park is âofficiallyâ haunted â Rochester, NYâs Innovative Field, home of the Rochester Red Wings (the Washington Nationalsâ Triple-A affiliate).
- To make things spookier, unidentified bones were found when ground was broken to begin construction for the field. To this day, no oneâs sure if the bones were human or not. *gulps*
Rochester Paranormal declared the field haunted in 2004. Their proof? Photos depicting mysterious figures or âfloating entitiesâ and smoky-looking shapes. But whatâs more convincing are the stories from those who work thereâŚ
- From the clubhouse manager to the groundskeeper, many of the teamâs staff have heard strange noises and seen dark shadows looming around the stadium, not to mention thousands of crows seem to love the location.
đ The Gipper and the Fighting Irish
Source: Getty Images
In 1920, Notre Dame football player George Gipp had been out late celebrating the teamâs win against rival Northwestern. That night, after being locked out of his dorm room, he slept outside and caught pneumonia, which tragically led to his death at just 25 years old.
After his passing, students who lived in his dorm reported hearing (stop us if youâve heard this before) strange noises and footsteps in the halls. There were also reports of loud horns going off in the middle of the night.
- Moments before he died, Gipp told legendary coach Knute Rockne to âwin just one for the Gipper,â a phrase still heard among Notre Dame players and fans when they need a rally. His full speech is even showcased on a plaque in the locker room.
- Gippâs legacy even made it to the big screen: Prior to his days as president, Ronald Reagan played him in a movie about Coach Rockne and, in Rudy, the title character reads the plaque during his epic speech. Weâre not crying; youâre crying.
Students still report being spooked by what they assume is Gippâs ghost in the halls, but most arenât afraid for long â âThe Gipperâ is known as a friendly spirit on campus. Very NearlyâHeadless Nick of him.
đŹ Variety pack
Source: Tom Forget / MLB.com
While we couldnât list all of the chilling stories from around the sports world, todayâs as good a day as any to learn about a few more.
- Baseball has its own version of the Skirvin Hotel â the Pfister in Milwaukee has certainly caused a stir among MLBers. And then thereâs Camp Randall Stadium â home of the Wisconsin Badgers â and its ties to the Civil War.
- Hop across the pond and dive into Londonâs Langham Hotel, with cricket players fleeing to its third floor due to âsomething weird going on.â
Sports fans are known to be superstitious, but whether you believe in ghosts or not, itâs certainly fun to learn the sports folklore of communities from all over. Happy Halloween!
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