NFL
Determining the president

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Since 1933, when the Boston Braves were renamed the Redskins in honor of coach Lone Star Dietz, the result of the team's final home game before the presidential election has always correctly predicted the White House winner. If the Redskins win, the incumbent party wins. If they lose, the incumbent party is ousted.

An election-by-election recap:

1936: Redskins (in final year in Boston) beat Chicago Cardinals 13-10 on Nov. 1. Franklin Roosevelt won re-election over Alf Landon on Nov. 3.

1940: Washington beat Pittsburgh Pirates 37-10 on Nov. 3. Roosevelt won re-election over Wendell Willkie on Nov. 5.

1944: Washington beat Cleveland Rams 14-10 on Nov. 5. Roosevelt won re-election over Thomas Dewey on Nov. 7.

1948: Washington beat Boston Yanks 59-21 on Oct. 31. Incumbent Harry Truman (who assumed office after Roosevelt's death) beat Dewey on Nov. 2.

1952: Washington lost to Pittsburgh Steelers 24-23 on Nov. 2. Dwight Eisenhower beat Adlai Stevenson on Nov. 4, returning the Republicans to the White House for the first time in 20 years.

1956: Washington beat Cleveland Browns 20-9 on Oct. 21. Eisenhower won re-election over Stevenson on Nov. 6.

1960: Washington lost to Cleveland 31-10 on Oct. 30. John Kennedy beat vice president Richard Nixon on Nov. 8.

1964: Washington beat Chicago 27-20 on Oct. 25. Lyndon Johnson (in office after Kennedy's death) beat Barry Goldwater on Nov. 3.
 
1968: Washington lost to New York Giants 13-10 on Oct. 27. Nixon beat Hubert Humphrey on Nov. 5.

1972: Washington beat Dallas 24-20 on Oct. 22. Nixon won re-election over George McGovern on Nov. 7.

1976: Washington lost to Dallas 20-7 on Oct. 31. Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford (in office after Nixon's resignation) on Nov. 2.

1980: Washington lost to Minnesota 39-14 on Nov. 2. Ronald Reagan unseated Carter on Nov. 4.

1984: Washington beat Atlanta 27-14 on Nov. 5. Reagan won re-election over Walter Mondale on Nov. 6.

1988: Washington beat New Orleans 27-24 on Nov. 6. Vice president George Bush beat Michael Dukakis on Nov. 8.

1992: Washington lost to New York Giants 24-7 on Nov. 1. Bill Clinton unseated Bush on Nov. 3.

1996: Washington beat Indianapolis 31-16 on Oct. 27. Clinton won re-election over Bob Dole on Nov. 5.

2000: Washington lost to Tennessee 27-21 on Oct. 30. George W. Bush beat Al Gore on Nov. 7.

2004: Washington hosts Green Bay today. Bush faces John Kerry on Tuesday.

The Associated Press