The 20 Strangest Athlete Superstitions in Sports History

Image via Complex Original

Sports and superstition go together like NBA GMs and bad decisions. Zing! Hockey and baseball are by far the worst, with most players not being able to touch this or do that before and during games. There's innocent ones like jumping over base lines or not talking during a no-no, but then there's the weird somewhat creepy superstitions. Like Jason Giambi and gold thongs or Turk Wendell and his love of teeth. Better yet, how about Juan Manuel Marquez drinking his own urine or Patrick Roy having conversations with his goal post? Athletes believe that everything from having sex before and after games (#cosign) to wearing the opposing team's shorts to bed the night before playing them (kinda weird, JT) can give them the upper-hand.  Check out those and many more in the 20 Strangest Athlete Superstitions in Sports History....

20. Alex Ovechkin

SPORT: Hockey
SUPERSTITION: Sex before and after games.
Alex Ovechkin isn't your typical athlete. During the offseason, he drinks beer, gains weight and smokes hookah. So would you be surprised to hear that Ove believes in having sex before and after games? Probably not. But when you're scoring as much as he is these days (we're only talking about on the ice here), could you argue with his methods?

19. John Henderson

SPORT: Football
SUPERSTITION: Pre-game slaps to the face.
John Henderson doesn't want that Drew Brees inspirational pre-game speech. It takes too much away from his preparation. Instead, Henderson prefers having his assistant team trainer Joe Sheehan slap him in the face before each game. And we're sure that if he's playing like crap at any point during the season, the coaches have no problem offering to "pump him up." Pause.

18. John Wetteland

SPORT: Baseball
SUPERSTITION: Wore the same hat season after season.
Every closer can attest to the fact that finishing off a game is a high-pressure situation. And John Wetteland was one of the best to ever do it. He thrived with the game in his hands and the sweat-drenched cap on his head. Not even a brand new season could make him break out a brand new hat. C'mon man, everyone likes a fresh Yankee fitted, especially when it's for free!

17. Manny Pacquiao

SPORT: Boxing
SUPERSTITION: Blood hoarding
So, you want to know one of the many reasons why we may never see the Pacquaio v. Mayweather super fight we've been dying for?! Floyd Mayweather demands Olympic blood testing which can be done within 24 hours of the fight and Pacquaio will do testing but not on fight day because he feels it will take strength away from him before the bout. SMH, Mayweather v. Pacquiao is set for Nevuary of next year.

16. Tiger Woods

SPORT: Golf
SUPERSTITON: Rocks the red shirt during final rounds.
Even back in the days when Tiger was dominating the field, you could always bank on him wearing red during the final rounds on Sundays. Woods later explained the reasoning of this superstition during an interview with David Letterman. He said he wears read because his mother told him as a child that his power is his highest when he wears red as the color is tied to his Capricorn sign. Considering his lack of power as of late, dude may want to just go all out with the Suge Knight look.

15. Wade Boggs

SPORT: Baseball
SUPERSTITION: Ate chicken, kept the same practice times, drew the the word "Chai" in the dirt before at-bats.
Throughout his 17-year career, Wade Boggs would eat chicken before each game, take batting practice at 5:17 and run sprints at 7:17. He would also draw the word "Chai" (Hebrew for "life") in the dirt before coming up to bat despite not being Jewish. Chicken x hard work x a search for a bit of divine intervention = Hall of Fame career. #nuffsaid

14. Kevin Rhomberg

SPORT: Baseball
SUPERSTITION: Touching
Kevin Rhomberg had that the type of superstition that was borderline OCD. No, check that, it was OCD. When someone touched Rhomberg, he needed to touch them back. Even if it included getting involved in pursuing the person for hours in a wild goose chase throughout the stadium or touching everyone on the team if he didn't know who laid the finger on him. Sounds kind of pause-worthy to us. But seriously, if your superstition lasts for more than a couple seconds, you need to see a doctor.

13. Pelle Lindbergh

SPORT: Hockey
SUPERSTITION(S): Multiple
Everyone has a favorite t-shirt that we wear for several months or even years then throw out once it starts to fall apart. You know, like most normal people would do? Not Pelle Lindbergh, though. The late goaltender would have his favorite orange t-shirt from a Swedish sporting goods company resewn after it began falling apart and would wear it beneath his jersey and equipment before each game. He would also only consume Pripps (a Swedish drink) during games and the beverage had to have exactly two ice cubes in the cup and had to be delivered by a particular team trainer. Dude's lucky he had some nice teammates because if assholes like Sean Avery were on his team, it'd be a wrap. #justsayin'

12. Sidney Crosby

SPORT: Hockey
SUPERSTITION: Multiple
Sid the Kid is deep in the game. Not only does he not talk to his moms on game day he has to eat at the same restaurants in every city he plays in. He also has this thing about taping his stick. Sidney is the only one allowed to do it and if someone touches it, The Kid re-tapes it. In an ironic twist, Crosby talked his teammates into touching the 2009 Eastern Conference Championship Prince of Wales Trophy, which is forbidden in hockey lore. That myth has proven to be false, the Penguins won the chip in '09.

11. Serena Williams

SPORT: Tennis
SUPERSTITION: Multiple
This is the list of things Serena is weird about: She has to bring her shower sandals to the court, has to tie her shoelaces a certain way, she wears the same pair of socks during a tournament run, bounces the ball five times before her first serve and twice before her second. She also must go ape shit on line judges if she's losing in a Grand Slam. We kid on the last one but considering her history it could be true.

10. Larry Walker

SPORT: Baseball
SUPERSTITION: No. 3
Larry Walker and his love for the number three run deep. From wearing number 33 to having his clock set to 33 minutes past the hour to having one of his contracts worth $3,333,333.33. That's cool and all, but all we're wondering is if Larry only rocked with threesomes (II)? Just askin'...

9. Jason Terry

SPORT: Basketball
SUPERSTITION: Eating chicken before games and rocking the opposing teams shorts.
OK, eating chicken before every game isn't too big of a deal because to be honest it tastes awesome and Hall of Famer Wade Boggs used to do the same thing. But wearing the shorts of the opposing team to bed the night before playing them? Yeah, that's kind of out there. Certainly brings a different meaning to the saying "getting in their drawers." Ayo!

8. Patrick Roy

SPORT: Hockey
SUPERSTITION: Had pre-game conversations with the goal post.
Athletes can sometimes have a funny relationship with the sports equipment they use. If it's an off shooting night it could be the ball to blame or the bat's fault if they didn't get any hits. Patrick Roy knows better than waiting till after the game to place blame, he got things straight with the goal post ahead of time by having a pre-game pep talk. Considering the fact that he's widely considered the greatest goaltender of all time, we have nothing bad to say about Mr. Roy. That being said, only in sports can early signs of schizophrenia be looked at as genius.

7. Mark Fidrych

SPORT: Baseball
SUPERSTITION: Talked to the ball.
Some pitchers lick their fingers before touching their balls (yeah that was meant to sound as bad as it does). Others spit on the ball before gripping it in their hands. All of which is some pauseworthy stuff. So when a guy decides to talk to the ball and convince it where to go, it could be a lot weirder.

6. Steve Finley and Darin Erstad

SPORT: Baseball
SUPERSTITION: Wears a mineral pouch necklace.
Over the last decade, baseball has received its fare share of scrutiny over steroid scandals. Rather than suffer the effects of big heads and small balls, Darin Erstad and Steve Finley turned to mineral pouches worn around their necks to ward off injuries and increase their performance. Word is these girls use the same theory except with pearl necklaces rather than mineral ones.

5. Bruce Gardiner

SPORT: Hockey
SUPERSTITION: Toilet dunking.
In his rookie year, Bruce asked vet Tom Chorske for some advice on how to get out of a slump he was in. Naturally, Chorske suggested that the rookie should dunk the blade of his hockey stick into the locker room toilet. Gardiner listened and next thing you know he's out of his slump. From that day forward, whenever he can't score any goals he dips his stick in the shitter. Yikes!

4. Turk Wendell

SPORT: Baseball
SUPERSTITION: Would wear an animal tooth and nail necklace and brushed teeth every inning.
During his career, former MLB relief pitcher Turk Wendell would wear a necklace containing the teeth and nails of animals he had hunted. The necklace contained parts of such beasts like the teeth of a mountain lion and claws of a polar bear. He also brushed his own teeth between every inning. Bass Pro Shops x Colgate sponsorship in the future?

3. Jason Giambi

SPORT: Baseball
SUPERSTITION: Would wear a gold thong to break out of hitting slumps.
So, it wasn't the 'roids, it was a gold thong? Whenever Jason was in a major slump on the Yankees, he pulled out the g-string. The secret? It's so uncomfortable that you don't think about your swing. Giambi admitted that it works every time and even got Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Jorge Posada to wear them. We leave you with this quote from the Captain, "I was 0-for-32 and I hit a homer on the first pitch. That's the only time I've ever worn it."

2. Juan Manuel Marquez

SPORT: Boxing
SUPERSTITION: Used to drink his own pee before fights because it's healthy and helps him win.
In an episode of HBO's 24/7 Mayweather v. Marquez, the Mexican boxer was shown drinking his own pee and said he does so because it has proteins and vitamins. If we're not mistaken, isn't urine waste the body doesn't need? Why doesn't he eat shit? Thankfully dude got rid of this ridiculous training habit before he faced Pac-Man and fared much better than he did against Money Mayweather. Simple logic, FTW!

1. Sergio Goycochea

SPORT: Soccer
SUPERSTITION: Uses the bathroom on TV before penalty kicks.
Goycochea pissed before penalty kicks against him. On TV. It worked for him once, so he decided to carry on tradition. Sergio was quoted as saying. "It was my lucky charm and I went before every shoot out. I was very subtle, nobody complained." He's just "subtly" taking a piss in the goal in this pic. Could you imagine this happening in the good ol' U S of A? Of course, Sergio is known for his uncanny ability to block penalty kicks. So, what do we know?