Superstitions in Sports (1999)

Superstitions have been around since the dawn of man. In our contemporary age, we do as much as anyone has in history perpetuating superstitions. "Superstitions tend to be passed down from one generation to the next through the strong oral tradition of the locker room"(Sports Illustrated p.88)

Athletes seem to be heavily burdened with the mysterious beliefs of superstitions. Sport contests of today involve athletes trained at their highest maximum potential, meaning that most of the time, athletes compete with other athletes - all of whom possess equal skill levels. Whether it is an individual sport or a team sport, a win that has had to be scraped up by a close call, one point difference, or last minute play, usually falls credit to some kind of luck in the eyes of a majority of athletes. In the world of competition, athletes love to win, not surprisingly, and they will do whatever it takes to keep winning, whether it