Superstitions in Sports

Every sport has it, whether it's the fans or the players— it's there. They go from seemingly normal to just plain odd, but it's a part of the sports world and that's for sure.

When it comes fans, it's normally something as simple as a lucky jersey. For me it's lucky socks and unlucky shoes. If I wear something to a game where my team loses I won't wear it again. Many people I know don't wash their jersey if their team wins, but as soon as their team loses into the wash the jersey goes. Back in high school, alot of the kids wore "lucky" beads. They had to have those things or they thought their team would lose.

It's really funny to me that fans think what they wear or don't wear is going to affect the outcome of the game. I mean I'm just as guilty as the next guy, but the thought is just ridiculous. If I wear my lucky socks that's not going to make the team play harder.

Now the athletes some of their superstitions are a little different.

Some players have to put one sock on before the other in the same order every game.

Others tie their shoes a certain way every game. Some players have lucky wrist bands, gloves, or head bands and if they don't have them then they are just not the same And they think they won't be able to play the same game. Now one thing that the players superstitions have in common with fans is that it's all in their heads and none of it really matters.

Where do these rituals or "lucky" items come from?

From my experience it's just something different that a person does one game, the game turns out in their favor and they just keep doing it until a game goes the other way.

When that happens it's back to the beginning. Now some people don't have these superstitions, but most fans that I know have some sort of superstition in regard to watching or going to sporting events.

Whether you have a superstition— keep doing what your doing.

Because to me the involvement of fans and the feeling of importance they have with their teams (as crazy as some may be), is one of the things that make sports so great.