I̢۪m a curse.

Any athlete I like is doomed to falter in their career.

Take, for example, the most recent incident.

I have been a fan of former Fresno State quarterback David Carr since he came to Fresno for his jersey retirement.

And since then, he has stumbled significantly.

Back in 2002, he was the No. 1 overall NFL draft pick and spent five years in Houston.

When he signed on with the Carolina Panthers as their No. 2 quarterback, he was thought to be an upgrade.

In week three he took over when Jake Delhomme suffered an injury to his elbow.

Carr was plagued with inconsistency and injuries of his own and was soon demoted to third string behind 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde and rookie Matt Moore.

Last Wednesday, the Panthers let him go.

If that isn̢۪t convincing enough that I̢۪m bad luck, here̢۪s another example.

Remember back in September when I stated I was a fan of freshman running back Ryan Mathews?

He had a stellar career as a freshman but at the New Mexico State game in November, he tore a muscle near his collarbone.

He left that game in the third quarter just shy of 100 yards and did not play in the bowl game.

Still not convinced?

OK, next example is my favorite baseball player, Laynce Nix.

I became a fan when he was with the Texas Rangers.

Since being traded to Milwaukee in 2006, Nix has played for the Nashville Sounds – the Triple-A club for the Brewers.

The only good thing for me is when the Sounds come to Fresno and play against the Grizzlies. When they do, I get a chance to watch him play and meet him.

If he plays in the majors, that is pretty much impossible.

Last season, he was hitting .268 with 24 HR and 74 RBI in 95 games.

Right now, during spring training, he̢۪s a non-roster invitee.

It may be a coincidence but it̢۪s awfully weird that athletes I tend to like have these things happen to them.

Maybe I̢۪ll start pretending to like teams that I really don̢۪t to give them some bad luck.

Knowing my luck though, it would probably have a reverse effect.

And since I̢۪m a fan of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez now, the Yankees better not win the World Series.

Either way, I can̢۪t win.

Comments may be used in the print edition of the newspaper. Be sure to pick up next Friday̢۪s issue of The Collegian for featured comments.