Football Superstitions - What’s Yours?


 


“When you believe in things 

You don’t understand

Then you suffer 

Superstition - ain’t the way, yeah…”

              

                              Stevie Wonder


Uh oh. Only 5 minutes before kickoff, and I’ve got things to do.  Quickly I round up both my dogs and pet them 7 times each - the last stroke from the tip of their nose to the end of their tail. Then I run to my drawer and put on my Alabama tee shirt that came from the holy city of Jerusalem. Now and only now can I sit down in my special chair and watch the game knowing I have done all I can do to help my team.  I suppose some people would call me superstitious, but I prefer to say I’m making sure all of my pregame rituals are completed. 


Who am I kidding? It is  superstition. And it’s something that’s   interwoven into the fabric of every sport we watch, especially college football. 


For me, it began when I was in college.  I went to my first bowl game and it was a big one. The 1973 Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Notre Dame was going to decide the national championship.  My fraternity brothers and I were in the stands where the beer was flowing freely - it was New Orleans for goodness sake.  One of my brothers, Hank, was imbibing from the opening kickoff.  Soon he realized that every time he went to the bathroom, Alabama did something good.  


Near the game’s end, Bama was trailing by a point when a perfect punt pinned the Irish down on their one yard line. If we could hold them, we would get the ball back with plenty of time to kick a game winning field goal. It came down to one play - third and 10.  Hank’s  bladder was exploding, but he chose to stay in his seat  - and watched in horror as Notre Dame completed a long pass for a first down, ran out the clock, and won the championship. 


To this day, Hank believes  that if he had only gone to pee, Alabama would’ve won the game. I wholeheartedly agree. What other logical explanation is there?  


By the way, I am not alone. Recent research found that 2/3 of sports fans are superstitious when it comes to game day. 


Apparently people aren’t taking any chances when it comes to helping their team. 50% of the fans surveyed say they wear a specific shirt or jersey during the game, and  44% don’t wash it until the season is over. So that means when the last game of the season is being played, 44% of fans are probably watching it alone. 


There’s more: 43% sit during the same spot every game, and a whopping 62% have blamed themselves for their team’s loss because they weren’t wearing the right shirt or sitting in the right place.  There was no survey done about going to pee, but I personally know that one is true. 


On this particular Saturday, Alabama was playing Texas and all the good luck charms in the world weren’t helping. They looked terrible on both sides of the ball.  It was one of their worst performances in years. As they fell further behind, my anger grew. In fact, at the end of the third quarter, I took off my Alabama tee shirt, then grabbed two leashes, and decided to take my dogs for a walk.  There was no reason to torture myself by watching the rest of this garbage. 


I timed the walk perfectly, stepping in the house minutes after the game ended. That’s when I heard the TV announcers talking about Alabama’s incredible 4th quarter comeback that resulted in a one point win.  What?  I stood there in stunned disbelief - and then I saw it.  Before I walked out the door with my dogs,  I had thrown my special Alabama tee shirt on the floor right in front of the television. It must’ve been close enough to the TV to work without me.  So, to all the Alabama fans reading this article, you're welcome.  


When I went to church the next day, one of my friends walked up to me and said soberly, “I almost screwed up yesterday. I forgot to wear my lucky red shirt. Thank heavens I put it on at the start of the 4th quarter.”


I nodded, but deep inside, I thought, “That’s ridiculous.”  Everybody knows it was my Alabama tee shirt.  


What superstitions do you have about your team?  


Joe Hobby is a stand up comedian, an author, and a blogger. Visit https://mylifeasahobby.blogspot.com/?m=1. for more.  


Also, follow him on Facebook at: Joe Hobby Comedian- Writer. 







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