A superstition is defined as a belief or way of behaving that is based on fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck. For many athletes, superstitions are almost necessary to compete at peak performance, the most common examples being wearing the same pair of socks or eating a certain meal before a game.
While these repetitive behaviors may seem to have no actual physical benefits to players, the mental aspect is largely affected.
“I usually need to do bad in warmups, I don’t take stretching seriously,” KJ Larson, junior, said. “Last year I tried stretching a lot and warmed up well and had a terrible game.”
A sense of protection is the main reason our minds believe in superstitions so much. Psychologists have studied superstitions, trying to find the reason so many people have them. We believe this stems from generations of people believing in good luck. Once a person correlates winning or something positive from a specific event it may become a habit to always do that.
“I sit on the same spot on the bus every single away game for the past three years, the back left corner. During home games, I read the same bible verse [because] it brings me comfort,” Jayden Jackson, senior, said.
Jerry Tarkanian, former NCAA men’s basketball coach, chewed a wet towel to keep his mouth from going dry every single game. Caron Butler, former Uconn basketball player, would feel the need to drink liters of mountain dew before and during game day. When he turned pro, he continued the superstition.
“Last year I grew out my mustache for the playoffs, I did good, I like to think it worked, well see about it this year,” Connor Sorge, senior, said.
Bad superstitions like walking under a ladder or breaking a mirror almost control us humans as we believe it so wholeheartedly. Testing is an activity that brings along stress and anxiety, superstitions thrive around testing.
“I need to hold my breath when driving past a graveyard, I’m not sure what started it or why, I think I picked it up from my parents,” Camila Forehand, senior, said. “I’m not sure how I’d feel if I didn’t do it. all I know is it’s pretty much automatic, like breathing.”
Not all superstitions are bad or change your performance. A few examples are throwing a coin in a fountain, lifting your feet when driving over a train track or seeing an appearance from a specific animal can be a sign to make a wish or that you will have a good day.
“When I was little, I saw dolphins and the rest of my day was great. A few years later I saw more dolphins and the same thing happened. The day was great. Now I associate dolphins with good luck,” Micayala Dooley, senior, said.
