Sometimes, superstition is the way.
No, I’m not talking about the Stevie Wonder song (although it is a classic). I mean the bevy of semi-crazed fans who firmly believe that what they wear, where they sit or what they eat affects the outcome of the game.
These are the people who insist their moth-eaten Reggie Miller jersey was the key to a Pacers’ playoff win and demand that a certain brand of “lucky” potato chips be ordered.
The people who will kick their own mother out of the room if she is deemed to be “bad karma.”
Everyone knows somebody who acts like this. Inevitably, he (or she, although it’s mostly us men who are like this) is scorned by his peers and called ridiculous or annoying.
“How will eating only hot salsa make your team win?” they say. “You’re an idiot.”
The naysayers are probably right. But you know what? I love it.
For better or worse, I am one of the superstitious people. Before last week’s NFC Championship, I was relieved to see my friend wearing his Jeremy Shockey jersey. He had worn it the week before when the Giants beat the Cowboys, and the mere sight of it gave me hope.
Later in the game, another friend poked his head into the room just as the Packers threw a touchdown. Needless to say, he was banned from entering the room for the rest of the game.
I know how ridiculous all of this sounds. But in a world where nobody gets excited about anything anymore, where intensity and passion seem only to exist in Mick Jagger, isn’t it refreshing to see people care so much about something?
Isn’t that the point?
The fervor that comes with rooting for a team is what makes sports great. Without it, watching a football game or a tennis match would be a clinical experience, kind of like going to the symphony.
Sports fans should never have to apologize for their passion. And it’s passion that drives people to wear the same lucky shirt for six months without washing it.
So on Sunday, when a Giants or Patriots fan begs you to let him sit in his “special victory seat,” let him. He’s just trying to help his team however he can.
As for me, I’ll be sitting in the same seat as the past two weeks, and my friend will be wearing the same Shockey jersey.
And my “bad luck” friend is not invited.
Assistant sports editor Jake Simpson is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
