Newton jersey talk results in sports superstition discussion

Some friends and I were talking last Thursday about the fact that Carolina Panther quarterback Cam Newton is now wearing jersey No. 1 instead of the No. 2 jersey that he wore when he starred at Auburn.

Eventually, the discussion turned to how some players are superstitious about their jersey numbers and before it was over with, we were in a full-blown conversation about sports-related superstitions in general.

Most of the superstitions I was familiar with growing up had to do with baseball. If a pitcher had a no-hitter or perfect game going, it was an unwritten rule that you were never supposed to mention it to him because you didn’t want to jinx him. There were also a lot of players who believed that you were never supposed to step on the white baselines when walking on or off the field.

I did a little research and discovered that there were many more sports-related superstitions out there. Here are a few that I found that apply to baseball, basketball and football.

· Almost every pro athlete puts on his uniform the exact same way every time.

· Bouncing the basketball before you shoot a free throw is supposed to bring good luck.

· Double numbers (11, 22, 33, etc.) on a football player’s uniform is good luck.

· If you’re an athlete on the road, you’re supposed to pick up a penny regardless of what side it’s on.

· It’s bad luck for a pro football player to take a different number when he’s traded to another team.

· Lending a baseball bat to a fellow player is supposed to put a major jinx on him.

· Many college football teams slap or punch their logos on the way out of the locker room or the tunnel.

· No player from any sport is supposed to ever put their hat or helmet on a bed. If you do so, it will supposedly deteriorate your skills or bring a quick end to the season.

· Position players in baseball tend to avoid the pitcher’s mound because walking across the mound could send you into a hitting slump.

· Some baseball players actually sleep with their bats in order to help them snap a hitting slump or keep a hitting streak going.

· Some baseball players believe it is good luck to step on a base before running off the field at the end of an inning.

· Spitting into your hand before picking up a baseball bat is said to bring good luck.

· Sticking a wad of chewing gum deliberately on another baseball player’s hat is supposed to bring him good luck.

· The last basketball player to shoot the ball during warm-ups will have a good game. If the ball boy takes the last shot, then a cheerleader will supposedly give him her phone number before the end of the night.

· Wearing your baseball cap inside out or folding it just so on top of your head, known as a “rally cap,” from the seventh inning on when your team is losing is supposed to bring good luck.

· Wiping the soles of your basketball shoes is supposed to bring good luck.

In the end, let me know if you’ve ever heard of any other sports-related superstitions. I’d like to hear about them, so e-mail them to me at courantsports@earthlink.net.