In today’s society athletes are in a world of their own. We look at them as they are on some sort of pedestal, however they are human beings just like you and I. Most of them have their own daily routines, whether it be specific pregame meals, workouts, or just something they believe helps them perform better at their sport. Doesn’t matter what sport they play, superstitions are always part of the game.
Probably one of the most well known superstitions in NBA history was how Michael Jordan wore his UNC shorts under his uniform throughout his entire career. I mean even Space Jam proved how superstitious MJ was, and clearly the UNC shorts helped because he obviously had a successful career.
In addition to Michael Jordan, we have heard Sidney Crosby is one superstitious human being. Whether it be stick handling around the outline of the Mcdonald’s logo on the ice of PPG Paints Arena in warmups or wearing the same jock he wore in midget hockey (Crazy, I know), Crosby stays true to his routines.
Dallas Stars Center, Tyler Seguin is another player that has his own pregame ritual. Seguin has always makes it his mission to be the last man off of the ice during warmups. Well it’s always easier said than done, especially when your opponent knows you take pride in being the last man off.
Seguin has continued his routine during the Stanley Cup Final, and just like previous encounters his opponents continue to challenge him. Before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Mikhail Sergachev stepped into the battlefield. You can see Sergachev stares Seguin down, and waits until he is in the runway before he exits the ice, but Tyler will not take the loss and quickly jumps back onto the ice for a final encore skate.
As you can see some superstitions can be quite funny, whereas other ones may have emotional meaning for a player. It seems to me superstitions occur in every sport whether it be professional, minor league, or a recreational league. I mean even I have my own superstitions when playing inline hockey. For instance, I always put my left skate on first, do one lap around the net before touching a puck in warmups, and when I play goalie I make sure to hit each post three times when I get into the crease for the start of each period. Do these superstitions work? Oh yeah they do, just kidding probably not, but by doing them it gets me in the right mindset to play the game. If I forget to do something, then I feel like my whole mojo is off.
Some people may not think they have routines or superstitions when it comes to playing sports, but I feel like if you think about it you can come up with something you make sure you do before every game. If you have one, let’s hear it! I’m always interested in learning more about superstitions whether they be funny, meaningful, or just strange in general.
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