By Bram Mansbach
High school sports, like professional sports, are filled with superstitions. Many players believe an extra knot in a shoelace or a certain piece of jewelry can win or lose a game.

These special habits convince players they will perform to the best of their ability and give them a morale boost during tough games.
From a shirt to a meal, superstitions and rituals seem to play a major role for Grady athletes and fans.

“I’m scared [that] if I’m mean to my sister, my team will lose,” freshman Atlanta Falcons supporter Sam Rose said. “If I’m rude to my parents, the same thing will happen.”

This “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality appears to be prevalent in the sporting world. Many believe that once a simple superstitious task is done, and there is a positive outcome, they should continue this simple task.

“I wear a horseshoe ring under my gloves,” sophomore equestrian Remy Pair said. “I also wear a bracelet that my trainer gave me when she competed in Israel.”
Charms and other lucky objects are common for high school athletes.

“I put my right cleat on before my left at soccer games and then clean my left shoe before my right,” sophomore midfielder Jake Svedberg said.

Athletes tend to know deep down that an extra “High-5” will not acually have any effect on their game, but once a superstitious idea is planted, there’s usually no going back. With pre-game rituals, there is little downside compared to the big mental payoff.

In many competitions, superstitious athletes view their individual rituals as a constant to help cope with the uncertainty of their opposition. This mental illusion can make an athlete feel more confident.

“Before lacrosse games, a few friends and I have to listen to Natasha Bedingfield’s `Pocketful of Sunshine,’” junior Kelley Downes said.
Some of the world’s most famous professional athletes have ways to cope with the unpredictability of their sport, too. Many of these habits were likely developed at a young age.

Tennis star Serena Williams wears the same pair of socks in all her tournament runs. NBA basketball star Jason Terry wears the shorts of his team’s next opponent the night before the game. Former NHL legend Wayne Gretzky put baby powder on the end of his hockey stick before a face off.

Although these rituals may seem pointless to an outside observer who is unfamiliar with sports, they can make all the difference to athletes.

Some sports have widespread superstitious beliefs; many basketball players believe bouncing the ball before a free throw brings good luck. Baseball players believe lending their bat to another player brings a serious jinx, and football players think changing jersey numbers after a trade causes bad luck.

Some families even pass down superstitions.

“The day of all [Florida] Gator games, I have to drink some flavor of Gatorade,” junior Robert Mobley said. “My dad has been doing it for as long as I remember.”

These superstitions also commonly carry over to fans.

“I can’t stop watching a game once it has started, or my team will lose,” Rose said.

It seems no matter the sport or skill level, most players need a bit of help from the supernatural.

“I’m going to keep doing it as long as [it] works, but right now I see nothing wrong with it,” Mobley said.