By Hugo Vera – Staff Writer
It is beyond question that the realm of sports has a sphere of influence that transcends sports and crosses into everything from art to politics and popular culture.
This Halloween, we take a look at some of the most uncanny, eerie and fascinating rituals that have affected athletes and fans alike for centuries.
The infamous “Billy Goat Curse,” which was “lifted” after the 2016 World Series, was the prime example of a “curse” in sports. It was said to have doomed the Chicago Cubs’ hopes from winning the World Series.
During Game 4 of the 1945 World Series, Chicago tavern owner William “Billy Goat” Sianis attempted to bring an actual billy goat to Wrigley Field.
Sianis had even purchased the goat its own ticket, but the staff at Wrigley Field ultimately forbade him from bringing his goat inside the stands — on the account that it smelled and the ballpark had a strict “no pets” policy.
Legend has it that Sianis, bittered by the denial, told workers and fans in attendance: “You are going to lose this World Series and you are never going to win another World Series again.” While the initial proclamation and empty threat made by a dissatisfied fan, the “curse” remained intact with the Cubs’ performance over the next 71 years.
The Cubs only made seven postseason appearances since the proclamation of the curse and the team came closer than ever to winning a third MLB title in 2003 — during the National League Championship Series.
Chicago was leading 3-0 at the top of the third inning when a ball in play was intercepted by Cubs fan Steve Bartman.
This blunder then led to a rally by the Florida Marlins and ultimately cost the Cubs the series and their hopes at a World Series title.
While the general public opinion has grown more sympathetic towards Bartman in years since, the interference delayed the Cubs yet again until they finally won the 2016 World Series after overcoming a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians.
The 71-year losing streak attributed to a goat is hardly an outlier in the mystics of sports.
Fans of the Detroit Red Wings have a long-standing tradition of throwing dead octopi onto the ice during playoff runs.
The rather grotesque tradition began in 1952 when a fan threw an octopus onto the ice. The eight tentacles symbolized the eight wins needed to clinch the Stanley Cup at the time.
In addition to fan-folklore, certain athletes have also had bizarre pre-game and postgame rituals.
Former Sacramento Kings point guard Mike Bibby had a nervous habit of biting his fingernails while sitting on the bench during game time.
The habit overtook Bibby to the point that whenever he was benched, the team staff, as well as Bibby’s teammates, would always hand him a pair of nail clippers.
Sports superstitions have also proved to be lethal.
In 2008, the Zimbabwean soccer team Midland Portlands Cement’s coaching staff had its 16 players bathe in the Zambezi River in an effort to “cleanse the team of bad spirits.”
Unbeknown to the team, the area of the Zambezi that they bathed in was closed to the public due to rampant crocodile infestation and its strong currents.
One player never returned from the trip and the situation was seen as a pan-African embarrassment only two years before South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Despite the ever-growing popularity of superstition in sports, not all remained convinced that forces outside of science and religion can really have an impact on athletes or fans.
“I feel like a lot of my teammates were religious and that’s why they never worried about [superstitions] or rituals,” said SJSU women’s track and field alum Madiha Raza.
“I’m personally not religious so I didn’t participate in a lot of pre-game praying or any other type of ritual. In a sport like track and field, everyone races at different times so it’s not like we can do a ritual together.”
For many fans, participating in strange rituals is their form of contributing to their team’s success – and for San Jose Sharks fan Kody Simmons, it’s no different.
“For Sharks games, I always enter through the same gate,” he said. “I walk around the entire concourse two times before the first period and I only eat from the same concession stand.”
Simmons is a season ticket holder for the Sharks, the San Francisco 49ers, and the San Jose Earthquakes.
“I typically drink [alcohol] at 49ers and Earthquakes games, but I make an effort to stay entirely sober at Sharks games,” Simmons said. “I did that this season during the playoffs, and it worked right up until we lost to Vegas.”
From bizarre pregame habits to ultimately having sport-themed funerals, superstition and sports are interwoven in each other’s DNA. What can be seen as an act of lunacy by some, is a religion for fans and players alike.
Follow Hugo on Twitter @HugoV_II