Professional sports display some of the greatest athletic talent in the world; they truly are among the best of the best. Many athletes, however, feel that they need a little extra “luck” before they play. As a result, superstitions are rife in the world of sports, be they mundane or absolutely wacky. Some could be as simple as not shaving during a playoff run for good luck. Others, however, can  be much more extreme.

    People never think of the greatest athletes of all time needing any sort of luck or mental boost, but that is exactly what Michael Jordan needed. During every NBA game he ever played in, Jordan wore his college game shorts from North Carolina under his NBA game shorts. Some may think it is crazy to attribute any success Jordan had to wearing his North Carolina shorts, but he might say otherwise.

One sport in particular where superstition is almost synonymous with success is baseball. There are many common baseball rituals that players perform. Some do things such as sleep with their bat the night before a game or draw some kind of symbol or message in the dirt before an at-bat. Some rituals are more out of the ordinary; former Major League pitcher Turk Wendell was guilty of several ridiculous habits including wearing a necklace of the body parts of animals that he hunted and brushing his teeth between innings. It is interesting to see what different athletes do to ease their minds before, during, and after they play.

    The fans, however, can be just as superstitious as the athletes. Many sports fans perform some type of ritual that they believe will help their team to a victory. Superstitious fans will usually sit or stand in the same spot during a game if their team is doing well. They might also wear their lucky jersey or eat their game-day meal. Fan superstitions have become so popular in the NFL that Bud Light produced a series of commercials featuring fans doing their good luck superstition. These commercials vary from fans calculating the angle where they should hold their beer bottle to a man bringing a chair to Stevie Wonder to rid the chair of luck. The airing of these commercials has increased the popularity of superstition in sports. Bud Light partnered with KRC Research and conducted an online survey to measure the superstition in each NFL team’s fanbase. According to the results, New York Jets and New York Giants fans ranked 7th and 8th in the league, respectively, coincidentally in the regions where these ads were aired most. Do these displays of devotion, however, help the team win? Both teams did not finish above .500 and missed the playoffs, so maybe not.

    Sports, though, are not completely about winning or losing. Like our Little League coaches used to say, “All that matters is that you have fun.” Superstitions are a fun way to feel apart of your team. Whether you are an athlete or a fan watching, the devotion one shows for one’s team is a victory all in itself. The great thing about superstition is that everyone can find one that works (or so they think). Michael Jordan and a man in Ohio both believe they help their team win with their superstition. And that is why sports are great.