LSU Tigers coach Les Miles and Bronco football coach Chris Melson have something in common: they both eat something before a game. Miles picks up a hand full of grass when he walks out of the tunnel and eats it. Melson gets a burger before every single football game.
Superstitions are commonly known as faith in magic and luck. Many people think superstitions consist of just luck, or that they only last for a short time. The people who have these rituals don’t play a game without performing them. For example, Michael Jordan always wore his blue North Carolina shorts under his Bulls uniform. Brian Urlacher eats two chocolate chip cookies before every game.
In basketball, players wipe the soles of their shoes hoping it will cause them to perform better. Superstitions also involve numbers, such as players’ jerseys. The playoff beard is also a superstition for almost all of the teams entering the playoff race in hockey, football, baseball and basketball. Superstitions on what one must drink before a game also exist.
“People assume you should drink a lot of water and gatorade to prepare for a game,” junior volleyball player Shawna Mosby said, “but when I drink soda before a game, I tend to play better.”
In baseball, if the pitcher throws a perfect game, his team can never tell him how he’s performing or it’ll “jinx” him. Some people think stepping on the chalk line could bring bad luck. Others never let anyone so much as touch their glove or bat.
“I am very superstitious about my glove,” junior baseball player Dalton Dunn said, “I will not let anyone put their hand in or on my glove. I think it is bad luck.”
Even fans do unusual gestures before, during or after a game. A fan of the Duke Blue Devils wears the same color shorts as the Blue Devils every game day. Sports Illustrated athletes featured on the cover allegedly get jinxed 37.2 percent of the time after being placed on the cover. There have been many alleged season-ending injuries, car crashes, family tragedies, batting slumps, chokes and shocking upsets due to the jinx Sports Illustrated allegedly puts on players and teams.
Senior running back Kijana Amous listens to the same few songs every time he mentally prepares for a game. Sophomore quarterback Chase Tennyson does not throw more than 22 passes before a game, and does not speak to anyone. Superstitions remain myths for some. For others, they possess the hidden key to winning a game.
“A lot of my teammates think my superstition is funny,” Chase Tennyson said, “But my ritual works every time.”
