Redskins Rule

The Redskins Rule is an observed longstanding coincidence between the National Football League (NFL) game results of the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, and the results of subsequent United States presidential elections. Briefly stated, when Washington won its last home game prior to the presidential election, the party of the incumbent president retained the presidency; when Washington lost, the opposition party won. This coincidence was noted by many sports and political commentators, and held true for the first sixteen elections after the franchise first moved to Washington in 1937. The rule was first broken in 2004 and has since held true only once.