Photo by Wikimedia Commons 2.0
In the world of fine margins, analysed percentiles and with every move under the microscope, athletes and sport stars can be forgiven for looking for divine intervention.
The concept of superstitions tends to get plenty of coverage in the sporting sphere, with those on the field of play always in the glare of the public eye.
From the order in which socks are put on, through to a pre-match ritual, there are heaps of weird and wonderful superstitions that players adopt to try and get themselves in their optimum mindset.
To the outside, these superstitions can appear unnecessary but with most athletes being famously ritualistic in big moments and matches throughout their career, adopting certain superstitions can sometimes be attributed as a different maker for some.
In the world of sports betting, many punters will also have certain superstitions they undertake, as they look to get one over the bookmaker.
Inevitably, most online betting sites UK and beyond will not be influenced or swayed by superstitions but they can have an impact on the mentality a gambler uses when betting on specific sporting actions.
Over time, sport has been awash with an array of famous superstitions in the professional world and here is a look at some of the weirdest:
Tiger Sees Red
Few sporting megastars have transcended their particular discipline more than Tiger Woods has in the game of golf and his legacy looks set to continue for many generations to come.
In his pomp, as tournaments ticked over to Sunday, the image of Tiger Woods striding down the fairway in his infamous red Nike polo shirt became synonymous with golf for many years in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
Of course, simply wearing red didn’t always yield a return for Woods but just his presence alone would strike fear into opposing players down the closing stretches of many tournaments.
With 15 major titles to his name and over 80 wins on the PGA Tour, very few players can compete with Woods when it comes to accolades won in the game – with most of them being clinched in his infamous red Sunday shirt.
Neat Nadal
The individual nature of tennis makes it a Petrie dish for superstition and very few to have lifted a racket were as meticulous as Rafael Nadal.
Throughout his stellar career, Nadal would never venture out of the mental zone required to fight for every ball, something he attributed to his pre and in-match rituals.
When sitting down in his chair before every match, Nadal would ensure that his water bottles were placed in exactly the correct position, with the labels facing forwards.
Once the action began, he continued to make tweaks and checks in every aspect of his game – particularly when serving.
The self-paced nature of a tennis serve is a facet of the game that certainly lends itself to superstition and Nadal was famously pedantic with his pre-serve routine.
Bouncing the ball while adjusting his hair, shirt and stance would seem to take an age for the spectator and his opponent but for Nadal, it was part of maintaining his focus throughout every match he played.
Michael Jordan’s Lucky Shorts
An age old superstition that plenty of amateur players can relate to, iconic Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan was a long term exponent of the lucky shorts.
Hailing back from his college basketball days with North Carolina, Jordan infamously wore his training shorts under his playing ones for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.
Of course, the effectiveness of this superstition can never be quantified but with Jordan being part of a Bulls team that won six NBA championships, he can be sure that his lucky shorts certainly didn’t hinder his performances.
A quirk of this superstition saw many players and fans follow suit in terms of basketball fashion.
Quickly, players were also wearing shorts under their playing kit, with on court apparel becoming baggier and longer, to accommodate the change in trend, exemplifying just how influential Michael Jordan was and is, on the game of basketball.
Rugged Bjorn Borg
One of the great pinups in a golden age of tennis, eagle-eyed fans would often notice a stark difference in how Bjorn Borg looked at the beginning of a tournament and if he progressed to the latter stages.
This was due to his shaving superstition.
When a certain tournament began, Borg wouldn’t shave his facial hair until the conclusion of the event, giving him a very different complexion if he went the distance in a Grand Slam.
During the 1970’s and 1980’s, the effervescent Borg was a serial winner, particularly at Wimbledon and his meticulous approach on and off the court, is something he attributes to his multiple successes at SW19.
Wade Boggs’s Chicken Run
Nutrition and science in modern day sport is a multi-million dollar industry, as players look to maximise their diet to impact upon on-field performance.
In years gone by however, it was viewed very differently and Wade Boggs affliction to chicken, is a perfect representation of that.
The big-hitting Boggs was known as ‘the chicken man’ quickly during his decade long tenure at the Boston Red Sox, simply as he ensured he ate chicken before every game that he played.
He carried this monicker through his career at the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, before being inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2005.
Whether the chicken played a part or not is still up for debate however!
