June 22, 2023 • 7 mins
Routine is an important part of being a pro athlete. But sometimes there's a fine line between ritual and irrational. Whether it’s Rafa Nadal refusing to walk on tennis court lines or Tiger Woods always wearing a red shirt on Sundays, for some reason, athletes are a superstitious bunch.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Steve war is truly one of the greats of Ossie cricket.
The ever reliable batsman led Australia to fifteen consecutive Test wins.
No doubt, Steve was a talented player and a fearless leader.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
But when standing at the crease, there.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Was one thing that he'd never be without his red handkerchief.
Actually it was more like a rag, a small cutoff
from an old towel, but to Steve War it was precious.
He always kept the red cloth in his left pocket
when batting and used it to wipe away sweat. You see,
(00:40):
Steve believed it brought him luck. It may seem like nonsense,
but Steve isn't alone. Rituals and lucky charms are pretty
common in sports, whether it's Matthew Lloyd throwing grass in
the air under a closed roof or Tiger Woods always
wearing a red shirt on Sundays. For some reason, athletes
are a super pistitious bunch. Hey, welcome to the pull room,
(01:09):
where we celebrate the winners, losers, and the weird stuff between.
I'm Tony Armstrong and cross your fingers because today we're
talking sporting superstitions. Most superstitions tend to begin the same
(01:31):
way an athlete wears a particular pair of underwear or
something they have an absolute blinder of a game, and
then attribute that success to the item in question. So
what's the story behind Steve Waar's lucky red handkerchief. It
all started during a nineteen ninety three Test match in Leeds.
(01:56):
Steve was next in the batting order and stuck the
old bit of red cloth in his pocket so he'd
have something to wipe his sweaty face with nothing special. Well,
that day, Steve scored a century. From then on, the
humble towel became as much a part of Steve's kit
(02:16):
as his helmet and pads. He rarely washed it and
always made sure the cloth was in his cricket bag,
except for a tour of Pakistan in ninety eight when he.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Left it at home.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Without his lucky charm. Steve still scored one hundred and
fifty seven runs in the first Test, but his superstitious
beliefs didn't end there. After years of use, the handkerchief
was beginning to wear. On one occasion, a few threads
broke off and landed on the bat increase at Steve's feet.
Some cricketers might have taken this as a bad omen,
(02:50):
but at that moment, Steve was convinced it was good luck.
Steve Wore's red handkerchief became so iconic that for the
final match of his career, commemorative replicas were handed out
to fans in the stadium. Most athletes will tell you
(03:14):
they know their superstitions aren't rational, but they still can't
shake them. Tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are
two of the most prominent examples. Serena used to wear
the same pair of socks throughout the whole tournament yuck.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
And Raffa's quirks are well known. Between points. The former
world number one.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Refuses to walk on the court lines, and his strength
bottles need to be lined up perfectly. Sometimes these habits
become ingrained in an athlete's strict game day routine, which
does help them focus, But other times there's no obvious
methods to the madness. Take the playoff beer in the
(03:54):
National Hockey League. I know it sounds weird, but I
promise it'll grow on you. Sorry, this one goes back
to the nineteen eighties.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Some will tell you the Detroit Red Wings were the.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
First team to grow beards for good luck, but the
New York Islanders were actually the originators. The Islanders were
a new team in nineteen seventy two. Their first appearance
in the playoffs came in seventy five. They then made
it to the semifinals in nineteen seventy six, seventy seven,
and seventy nine, falling short of the championship series. So
(04:34):
in nineteen eighty they were determined to finally turn their
fortunes around. With another trip to the playoffs ahead of them.
Superstitious thinking dominated the team, and when the Islanders called
a winning streak, they didn't want to jinx it by
changing anything about their preparation, so they decided to go unshaven.
(04:56):
Some grew thicker beards than others, but it didn't matter
as as long as they stuck with it, and it worked.
The Islanders defeated Philadelphia in the nineteen eighty Stanley Cup Finals,
but their successful run was just beginning. The Islanders went
on to win four straight championships between nineteen eighty and
(05:19):
eighty three, and the one constant the winning teams all
grew playoff beards. Although the Islanders dynasty eventually came to
an end, the hairy superstitions persisted. Growing beards during the
playoffs has since become one of the more absurd NHL traditions. Lastly,
(05:41):
we need to touch on perhaps the most superstitious sport
of all. Baseball. Left fielder Kevin Romberg was once called
the crazy kid in Cleveland by an opponent. His career
in the major leagues lasted only a few years, playing
in just forty one games, but his numerous superstitions in
(06:04):
shore he'll never be forgotten. Before stepping up to the plate,
Kevin had to touch his bat, boots, and helmet four times.
If someone touched Kevin during a game, he had to
touch them back. Now, remember this is a sport where
tagging someone out is a regular occurrence. It resulted in
(06:25):
endless taunts from other players who would tag Kevin and
then run off before he could return the favor. This
would drive Kevin mad. One time, the umpire was even
forced to pause a game to tell Yankees players to
leave Kevin alone. Even stranger, though, was Kevin's refusal to
turn right. Because batter's advanced counterclockwise around the bases, Kevin
(06:51):
wouldn't move in the opposite.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Direction when fielding.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
If the ball came bouncing his way, Kevin would turn left,
then spin around in a circle before picking up the ball.
Not very efficient, but whatever works for you, keV. Thanks
(07:21):
for hanging out.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
In the poolroom. I hope you enjoyed this one. I'm
Tony Armstrong and this has been an iHeart production. See
you around
Steve war is truly one of the greats of Ossie cricket.
The ever reliable batsman led Australia to fifteen consecutive Test wins.
No doubt, Steve was a talented player and a fearless leader.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
But when standing at the crease, there.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Was one thing that he'd never be without his red handkerchief.
Actually it was more like a rag, a small cutoff
from an old towel, but to Steve War it was precious.
He always kept the red cloth in his left pocket
when batting and used it to wipe away sweat. You see,
(00:40):
Steve believed it brought him luck. It may seem like nonsense,
but Steve isn't alone. Rituals and lucky charms are pretty
common in sports, whether it's Matthew Lloyd throwing grass in
the air under a closed roof or Tiger Woods always
wearing a red shirt on Sundays. For some reason, athletes
are a super pistitious bunch. Hey, welcome to the pull room,
(01:09):
where we celebrate the winners, losers, and the weird stuff between.
I'm Tony Armstrong and cross your fingers because today we're
talking sporting superstitions. Most superstitions tend to begin the same
(01:31):
way an athlete wears a particular pair of underwear or
something they have an absolute blinder of a game, and
then attribute that success to the item in question. So
what's the story behind Steve Waar's lucky red handkerchief. It
all started during a nineteen ninety three Test match in Leeds.
(01:56):
Steve was next in the batting order and stuck the
old bit of red cloth in his pocket so he'd
have something to wipe his sweaty face with nothing special. Well,
that day, Steve scored a century. From then on, the
humble towel became as much a part of Steve's kit
(02:16):
as his helmet and pads. He rarely washed it and
always made sure the cloth was in his cricket bag,
except for a tour of Pakistan in ninety eight when he.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Left it at home.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Without his lucky charm. Steve still scored one hundred and
fifty seven runs in the first Test, but his superstitious
beliefs didn't end there. After years of use, the handkerchief
was beginning to wear. On one occasion, a few threads
broke off and landed on the bat increase at Steve's feet.
Some cricketers might have taken this as a bad omen,
(02:50):
but at that moment, Steve was convinced it was good luck.
Steve Wore's red handkerchief became so iconic that for the
final match of his career, commemorative replicas were handed out
to fans in the stadium. Most athletes will tell you
(03:14):
they know their superstitions aren't rational, but they still can't
shake them. Tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are
two of the most prominent examples. Serena used to wear
the same pair of socks throughout the whole tournament yuck.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
And Raffa's quirks are well known. Between points. The former
world number one.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Refuses to walk on the court lines, and his strength
bottles need to be lined up perfectly. Sometimes these habits
become ingrained in an athlete's strict game day routine, which
does help them focus, But other times there's no obvious
methods to the madness. Take the playoff beer in the
(03:54):
National Hockey League. I know it sounds weird, but I
promise it'll grow on you. Sorry, this one goes back
to the nineteen eighties.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Some will tell you the Detroit Red Wings were the.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
First team to grow beards for good luck, but the
New York Islanders were actually the originators. The Islanders were
a new team in nineteen seventy two. Their first appearance
in the playoffs came in seventy five. They then made
it to the semifinals in nineteen seventy six, seventy seven,
and seventy nine, falling short of the championship series. So
(04:34):
in nineteen eighty they were determined to finally turn their
fortunes around. With another trip to the playoffs ahead of them.
Superstitious thinking dominated the team, and when the Islanders called
a winning streak, they didn't want to jinx it by
changing anything about their preparation, so they decided to go unshaven.
(04:56):
Some grew thicker beards than others, but it didn't matter
as as long as they stuck with it, and it worked.
The Islanders defeated Philadelphia in the nineteen eighty Stanley Cup Finals,
but their successful run was just beginning. The Islanders went
on to win four straight championships between nineteen eighty and
(05:19):
eighty three, and the one constant the winning teams all
grew playoff beards. Although the Islanders dynasty eventually came to
an end, the hairy superstitions persisted. Growing beards during the
playoffs has since become one of the more absurd NHL traditions. Lastly,
(05:41):
we need to touch on perhaps the most superstitious sport
of all. Baseball. Left fielder Kevin Romberg was once called
the crazy kid in Cleveland by an opponent. His career
in the major leagues lasted only a few years, playing
in just forty one games, but his numerous superstitions in
(06:04):
shore he'll never be forgotten. Before stepping up to the plate,
Kevin had to touch his bat, boots, and helmet four times.
If someone touched Kevin during a game, he had to
touch them back. Now, remember this is a sport where
tagging someone out is a regular occurrence. It resulted in
(06:25):
endless taunts from other players who would tag Kevin and
then run off before he could return the favor. This
would drive Kevin mad. One time, the umpire was even
forced to pause a game to tell Yankees players to
leave Kevin alone. Even stranger, though, was Kevin's refusal to
turn right. Because batter's advanced counterclockwise around the bases, Kevin
(06:51):
wouldn't move in the opposite.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Direction when fielding.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
If the ball came bouncing his way, Kevin would turn left,
then spin around in a circle before picking up the ball.
Not very efficient, but whatever works for you, keV. Thanks
(07:21):
for hanging out.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
In the poolroom. I hope you enjoyed this one. I'm
Tony Armstrong and this has been an iHeart production. See
you around
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