Game day rituals, part 2

It’s pretty easy to understand why athletes have game day rituals, but it cracks me up that parents and fans have game day rituals, too. Here are some fan behaviors recently observed:

• Closing eyes tightly during the team's free throws
• Moving to a new place in the stands if opposing team takes the lead
• Wearing a lucky shirt
• Wearing lucky underwear (I haven’t actually observed this one, which is probably good)
• Leaving the gym altogether and wandering the halls during a very close game
• Screaming like a crazy person at the referees (OK, that’s not a ritual, it’s just a bad habit)

Can fans (or their lucky underwear) affect the outcome of a game? I firmly in the camp of "no." Even if you agree, do you have game day rituals you secretly practice, anyway?

Game day rituals

It’s no surprise that athletes have game day rituals. Michael Jordan purportedly wore his Tar Heel shorts under his Bulls shorts. Kevin Garnett claps chalk at the scorer’s table and screams before his games. My son likes to eat soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for his pre-game meal. How about your athlete? What pre-game rituals do they have?