Superstitions and Rituals

“Fear is the main source of superstition and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”

Bertrand Russell

Most athletes and fans have never heard of Bertrand Russell, who was a British philosopher, that can be accredited with the above quote that explains the main motive behind superstitions and rituals. 

There isn’t an athlete anywhere who at some time or another hasn’t been superstitious or competed against a superstitious believer. 

First off, clothing is always a target item for superstition. If a team and/or athlete is having success, they don’t wash their clothes or they make sure they wear the same gear. A prime example would be basketball player, Michael Jordan. No matter what team Jordan played for, he always wore his blue North Carolina shorts under his uniform. I do think that having great basketball skill and a drive to succeed and be the best also didn't hurt Mr. Jordan either. 

Back in the Jordan’s glory days, there was and still continues, in this day and age to be the Cover jinx. If an athlete or team was selected to be the printed on the cover of a newspaper, and/or magazine, it usually resulted in less than desireable results.  

  Sports Illustrated cover jinx has always been a problem for elite teams and competitors, it seems that luck is not on the side of the team that is chosen for covers of the Magazine. The specific sports previews, make it seem that the individual experts, don't have a clue between good and bad teams at the beginning of the season. Its not an absolute crap shoot, in no way should a team be chosen as the preseason number one, and then struggle to finish over .500. Even Punxsutawney Phil gets it right most of the time, and he is a non omniscient animal. 

In this day and age, it is much easier for teens and adults to relate to television and video games. Everybody has their opinion on the good and bad influences of video games on society, but one fact that holds true is the superstition of being printed on the cover of the Madden NFL video game. Since 1999, every Madden NFL cover boy has been hurt or performed at a subpar level during the season, such players that come to mind are Eddie George, Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk, Ray Lewis, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Shaun Alexander and last years cover boy Brett Farve. You tell me, why nobody wants to be on the cover of the highly touted Madden video game?

Baseball pitchers and Hockey goaltenders are quite similar when it comes down to superstitions. When success is occurring during a contest, whether be a shutout, perfect game, and/or no hitter, in no instance should any teammate or coach speak of the shutout, perfect game and/or no hitter. Pitchers and Goalies like to separate themselves from the others on an island, so accidental communication doesn’t occur. 

 Patrick Roy, the all-time NHL leader in wins, shutouts, and playoff games played, is very experienced with the superstitions. Roy is one of the most superstitious and his stats speak the truth as he speaks to the posts on the goal, instead of teammates during the game. They have helped him, so something must be the difference?

Hockey is a very superstitious sport, possible near the most. Pittsburgh Penguin superstar, Sidney Crosby went against the traditions and superstitions by touching the conference championship trophy after the Penguins won the Eastern Conference, and as history has shown, nobody that is soon to win the Stanley Cup has touched the conference title hardware. Will history repeat itself?