Superstition in sports is like peanut butter and jam. The two go hand in hand, but just because almost all the pros have superstitions doesn't mean they’re real. This year the St Louis Cardinals were led to a Major League title thanks to a squirrel running across home plate, totally changing the momentum of the game. Let’s take a look at Kidzworld’s Top 5 Sports Superstitions:
Numbers
Courtesy of the NFL
Some players have their own lucky numbers but the golden rule in sports is that it’s bad luck to wear the number 13. Is it any coincidence that Dan Marino was a NFL quarterback who achieved all the football records, but never won one Superbowl? Maybe his mistake was wearing the number 13 for his whole career.
Jock Strap Jinx
If you’re a hockey player, don’t ever wash or replace your first pro jock strap or you will be jinxed. It must have something to do with the smell. Maybe it scares the opponent.
Madden Football Video Game
Courtesy of EA Sports
Apparently every athlete who has got on the cover of John Madden’s Football Video Game since 1999 has been cursed with an injury or just played really bad the year after. Here is a list of all the players who have suffered:
- Eddie George
- Daunte Culpepper
- Marshall Faulk
- Ray Lewis
- Michael Vick
- Donovan McNabb
- Shaun Alexander
Octopus On the Ice
Courtesy of the NHL
In 1952, someone threw an octopus onto the ice in Detroit before the first hockey game of the playoffs. Back then it only took eight wins to win the Stanley Cup, so it was said that the eight tentacles of the octopus was a symbol for each victory the Red Wings would get. The Wings swept every team and won the Stanley Cup that year, so now every year the Red Wings make it to the playoffs someone throws an octopus on the ice for good luck. Since 1952, they’ve won more Stanley Cups than any other American team.
Serious Silence
The rule in baseball and hockey is that you never say anything to the goalie or the pitcher. If a goalie is about to get a shutout and someone congratulates him before the game is over, it’s almost certain that he or she will let the next shot in the net. And the same goes for a pitcher. Never compliment the pitcher before the game is over. If you do, you’re bound to lose the game.
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