Unlike Michael Scott from “The Office”, a good number of sports fans openly admit they are rather superstitious.
In a survey from the gambling company OLBG about sports betting, they got the opinion of 2,000 people who habitually watch sports. A whopping four in ten called themselves “superstitious,” and admitted to insisting on things like special socks, a special seat in the stadium, or even rituals at home. In their minds, if they don’t do these things, the team is certain to lose.
Making up those figures, 25% of respondents claimed they like carrying out unusual rituals before the game. Each city has its own superfans who do this, with fans of NFL teams being the most prominently known across sports. People like “Pinto Ron” who gets covered in mustard and ketchup at every home (and many away) Buffalo Bills game and do it out of the obsessiveness of it from the year before, and before that, and so on.
For those at home, 23% of them need to sit on a specific part of the sofa. Then you have 24% who are kissing the logo of their favorite team or club. The admission by 22% that they won’t watch with people they deem to be “unlucky” (or a real Mush thanks to “A Bronx Tale”), or the 23% who refuse to wash if they win are both disturbing groups.
For many, these superstitions are beliefs carried over from their days playing sports. No matter if they hung it up at 6 or 36, many who once played the game maintain that same level of belief that they can impact the way goes by doing specific things. These rituals are the cornerstone of fandom, and it has been a driving force behind the spike in ticket prices.
The top 5 most superstitious NFL teams:
- Dallas Cowboys
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- Buffalo Bills
- Green Bay Packers
And just for fun, check out this video to show that fans aren’t the only ones to have their superstitions. Entire teams have them, too:
