The sports world is full of superstitions. Players have pregame rituals (Lebron James has a history of tossing chalk into the air before he takes the court) and celebratory rites (Novak Djovokic enjoyed his most recent grass snack after winning Wimbledon) that they take extremely seriously. When it comes to victory, no precaution is too small.
Some superstitions have become so widely accepted that they’ve even been institutionalized at the highest level. Others are so well known that players from across sports and disciplines are wary of crossing them. Of course, others think they are complete BS. But would you be bold enough to take that chance?
Check out how these famous sports superstitions came to be—and see if you believe the hype.