Don’t step on the baseline after the inning is over. Make sure the last basket of warm-ups goes in. Wait, am I wearing my lucky socks?
Superstitions hold a special place in sports, and athletes might be some of the most superstitious people of all. For many, a superstition might be something fun that they used to believe in as a kid, but for athletes, breaking a superstition could mean an “L” in the boxscore.
Whether it’s not talking to a pitcher who is taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning, or wearing lucky clothing like Michael Jordan, who wore North Carolina shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform, some athletes believe superstitions can play a part in the outcome of games.
Long Beach State is no different with a vast amount of 49er athletes and coaches taking part in many different pre-game and in-game rituals.
Dirtbag starting pitcher Manny McElroy goes to great lengths in his superstitions.
The day of a start McElroy, makes sure to polish his cleats, drink a lemon-lime Gatorade and he must make sure to eat a cookies & cream Promax bar. McElroy doesn’t stop there; he must also listen to George Strait’s “The Best Day” before exiting the locker room.
“It makes me think of my dad and brother,” McElroy said of the song.
Fellow Dirtbag Adam Wilk goes so far as to make sure he puts the same sock on the same foot before each game, McElroy said. Wilk must also remember to tape the middle finger on his right hand.
Men’s basketball head coach Dan Monson said that when he was growing up, his father, who was a coach, had a superstition of touching water fountains. Monson said he felt like he would never be superstitious, but he now finds himself making an effort to not miss a game day where he doesn’t take a jog.
He also said there was a player he coached at Gonzaga who would wear a shirt underneath his jersey, and if the game wasn’t going well, he would change the shirt or take it off at halftime.
The main superstition for the women’s volleyball team is a picture of two former players holding hands during introductions, which the current 49ers touch on their way out of the locker room.
According to head coach Brian Gimmillaro, since the players have started this tradition, “nobody has missed it yet.”
Both coaches agree that routine plays a bigger part in sports rather than real superstitions. Gimmillaro said that players find routines that work, and when they start doing well, most athletes feel the routine plays a part in that. They don’t want to have to blame a loss on not continuing a routine that was working.
Gimmillaro said that he felt like sports are kids’ games that are supposed to be fun and superstitions keep the fun in sports. If superstitions keep the excitement in sports, then Gimmallaro says, “I’m fine with that.”