Superstitions, rituals, and routines for athletes all do the same thing; good luck and better performance.
I mean not really, right?
Some of these superstitions and rituals may seem odd or even crazy to outsiders (to most people), but for the athletes who practice them, they are an essential part of their pre-game routine.
We have compiled a list of the top 10 craziest sports superstitions and rituals of all time. Now these are not in order of least bizarre to most bizarre or vice versa, we’ll let you guys decide which one takes the cake.
Tom Lynch’s lucky meals
Pre-game prep is about the food for Adelaide Crows star Tom Lynch who has to have the same risotto (made by his mate) and a Crunch chocolate the night before a game.
Then for game day he always goes to the same place and orders poached eggs for breakfast.
Michael Jordan's lucky shorts
Michael Jordan is undisputedly considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
His pre-game ritual was to wear his University of North Carolina shorts under his Chicago Bulls shorts in every game he played.
Serena Williams' lucky socks
Serena Williams, a female legend and one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has a lucky pair of socks that she wears during every tournament. She wears the same pair of socks throughout the tournament, and if she wins, she wears them in the next tournament, and so on.
Williams has blamed a change in her routine for tournament losses, so she tries to be vigilantly stinky.
Wade Boggs' lucky chicken dinner
Wade Boggs, a former baseball player, had a pre-game ritual of eating chicken before every game. He believed that the chicken brought him good luck, and he would eat it at the same time every day before the game.
Jason Terry's lucky headband
Former basketball player, Jason Terry wore a headband with the number 31 on it throughout his career. The number represented the number of teams that passed on him during the NBA draft, and he wore it as a reminder to never give up on his dreams.
This one isn’t bizarre in our opinion, but it is one hell of a motivator.
John Henderson's lucky smelling salts
John Henderson, a former NFL player, had a unique pre-game ritual of having his trainer slap him in the face with smelling salts before every game.
We can’t agree that a slap in the face is the best pre-game ritual but we’re not judging!
Rafael Nadal’s lucky OCD
Tennis champion Rafael Nadal is known for his severe OCD on the court. He has a long list of weird habits during matches, such as the infamous adjustment of the shirt, wiping sweat from the nose then the hair tucks routine before every point.
It becomes a game to just watch it all unfold.
Other habits include always pointing the label of his water bottles towards his end of the court, being the first to jump during a coin toss, and the last to stand up after rest breaks. Every. Single Time.
John Terry’s lucky spot
English Premier League legend John Terry likes to keep everything consistent.
He urinates in the furthest urinal to the right before every game, sits in the same seat on the team bus, listens to the same music, and parks his car in the same spot in the team parking lot.
Whatever works, right?
Jason Giambi’s lucky gold underwear
Former New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi revealed that the secret to his success was…a gold thong (A g-string for any of you confused Aussie readers).
His teammates were so impressed that a few decided to try it for themselves,
Moises Alou's lucky hands
Moises Alou, the former baseball player, had a unique superstition of urinating on his hands before every game. He believed that the urine would toughen up his skin and prevent blisters.
Uhh. Gross.
I think we can safely agree to not shake hands with athletes any time soon… just in case.
Whether it's wearing lucky socks or eating chicken before the game, who knows, maybe these superstitions really do bring good luck!
Talking about all these athletes and their tendency for weird superstitions has us remembering Ego Expo’s very own improved 5x5 basketball competition.
Register your team for the best game in streetball this October! https://www.egoexpo.com.au/basketball