Paul the Psychic Octopus. With six consecutive correct predictions, I am tempted to write about the statistical significance of such a record. However, I'm rather more concerned with another issue.

Soccer is a zero-sum game, so there is always one team that wins and one that loses. In some formats, like the group stages, it is possible for the game to end in a draw, but to some supporters a draw is as bad as a loss (remember "USA wins 1-1 [against the English]"?) Regardless of the results, one team's supporters are going to be upset, unless it's an S-League match, but I digress. Thus it is an inevitability that Paul the Octopus will get some hate, from the English, Argentinians, or recently the Germans. It is not difficult to imagine that such hate will be directed to other octopuses, in the form of nom-nom'ing some of Paul's peers, after every match.

Note that the importance of this discussion does not lie in Paul's prediction, nor even Paul's species. Because soccer is a zero-sum game, there will always be haters who are going to hate. And even if Paul was a trout, or a stingray, or any edible animal, the relevant specie is going to be consumed because of the fame of Paul. This unfortunate phenomena can only be blamed on the fame-hungry keeper of Paul, who have cursed a thousand octopuses to their early death. How cruel humans can be, when we can take away a thousand lives just for a silly joke.