Top 8 Most Superstitious Athletes

Image credited to Arul L.

Superstition is key… I guess.

Viraj N., Writer

Professional athletes are very talented and put a lot of hard work and dedication into the sport they play. However, for some athletes, this is not enough and they believe that their superstitious rituals will give them an advantage to help them win. Here are the top 8 most superstitious athletes.

  1. Turk Wendell

Baseball player Turk Wendell chewed on four pieces of black licorice during an inning, spit out the licorice, and brushed his teeth in between each inning. Talk about being OCD. He would also wear a necklace containing the teeth of wild animals that he killed himself. ANIMAL SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE!

  1. Michael Jordan

Arguably the best NBA players of all time, Michael Jordan even had his superstitions. He would wear his University of North Carolina uniform under his Chicago Bulls uniform at every game.  If someone is superstitious and has five MVP awards, I think I better try coming up with my own superstition.

  1. Vladamir Guerrero

Baseball player Guerrero makes sure that his teammates help him by covering his helmet with pine tar before every single game, getting it as dirty as possible. Maybe not a neat freak, but definitely a dirty one.

  1. Glen Hall

Glen “Mr. Goalie” Hall is one of the greatest goalies to play hockey. Here is another gross ritual. He holds the record for most consecutive games started. If you saw him before the game, you would have never thought that he would have been able to play. He purposely vomited before each game because he felt that he could not play to his potential without throwing up. Sounds delightful.

  1. Pelle Lindbergh

Pelle Lindbergh, a goalie of the Philadelphia Flyers, made sure that he drank a special Swedish beer called Pripps between each of the three periods and made sure that it has exactly two ice cubes, or else he would not drink it. I would hate to be the person to deliver him his beer. His superstition proved to be deadly, as he died in a car accident with a high alcohol level.

  1. Serena Williams

Tennis superstar Serena Williams has many superstitions, such as wearing her shower sandals to matches, tying her shoelaces uniquely, and wearing the same pair of socks while maintaining a win-streak in a tournament. I am starting to wonder if athletes put more dedication towards their superstition than their actual sport.

  1. Sergio Goycocheca

Nearing the top of the list we have soccer player Sergio Goycochea. He has been included in many highlight reels for saving penalty kicks. Is there a reason for this? Yep, you guessed it, we have another athlete with a strange quirk. He makes sure that he goes number one (yep, he pees) right on the soccer field so that he can be number one at saving penalty kicks. “I am very subtle and nobody complained,” said Goycocheca.

  1. Lyoto Machida

Finally, at the top of the list, we have MMA fighter Lyoto Machida drinks his own urine every single day. Hopefully he removes the toxins from it. Even though this sounds like one of the nastiest things an athlete could ever do, (do not say that to his face since he is an MMA fighter), it actually seemed to be working for him because he started off his career with a 16-0 record.