Superstition quite common among sports fanatics
Sport and superstitions have a complicated relationship that sometimes goes against the principles of basic common sense. Let’s face it, folks, some sports fans are strange and they allow their passionate and fanatical support to plunge them into the realm of the bizarre when their teams play.
These are men and women who believe without question that their actions in the weeks, days or hours leading up to the teams’ matches have a direct bearing on the outcome on match day.
These are men and women who follow strict routines, habits and rituals that boggle the mind. Don’t try to convince them otherwise.
By the way, superstitions are not limited to the fans. Players the world over have rituals of their own, which they follow religiously on match days.
I was reminded of this curious side of sport at the weekend when a couple of friends nonchalantly communicated their plans ahead of the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against Japan and Kaizer Chiefs’ edgeof-the-seat Telkom TKO last-16 match against Cape Town City.
Both guys follow strict routines on match days. But interestingly, both are adamant that they are not superstitious. They could have fooled me.
My friend the rugby fan likes to wake up early in the morning when the Boks have a tough match and relieves the stress by cleaning the house while his family is still asleep.
He then makes breakfast for the wife and kids, attends to their every need while they are still in bed and is pretty much the nicest guy in the world. He will do this even if he fought with the wife the previous night.
Let me put it this way, I reckon the man is nicer to his wife and children on Bok match days than he ever is on their birthdays, Christmas Day, Valentine’s Day or even New Year’s Eve.
The poor bastard temporarily abandoned his routine during Allister Coetzee’s time at the helm because he soon realised that the nicer he was, the more matches the Boks lost.
I remember him close to tears when Ireland beat the Boks 38-3 in Dublin in 2017. That result was one of many unwanted records that were accumulated under Coetzee.
In contrast, Rassie Erasmus has been an absolute dream and only the Lord knows what sort of rituals he’s got in store for his family should the Boks reach the World Cup final.
The ritual didn’t work when the Boks faced the All Blacks in the opening match of this World Cup and he now believes normal service has been restored after the South Africans reached the semifinals a few days ago.
And then there is my friend the soccer fan.
The man is not too fussy and likes to wear the same underpants every day on the week of the Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates, matches against Mamelodi Sundowns and cup games.
Don’t get me wrong, he swears he washes the bloody thing as soon as he gets home after work but makes a point of putting it on the next day whether it’s dried or not.
The above might sound like things that should be featured on Ripley’s Believe It Or Not to some. But to the staunch sports fan, this is hardly a big deal.
All of this reminds me of an interview I once did years ago with an old-timer who was a staunch supporter of Moroka Swallows.
You could never miss this super fan in the stands as he would arrive at stadiums on match days decked out in a flowing graduation gown that matched the club’s maroon and white colours.
He loved Swallows so much he arrived at the conclusion that the club couldn’t win a game without him in the stands. The club had lost a match in his absence before and, after taking stock of what happened, he decided to never take chances.
He would go on to miss funerals, weddings, graduations, baptisms and so on, and when his family finally realised that he would always choose the Swallows above everything else, they simply synchronised their schedules with Swallows’ fixtures before setting dates for events. They’ve lived happily ever after since then.
Talk about dedication to superstition!