Who are the most superstitions celebrities out there? Most people would say professional athletes, and they would probably be right. With so much pressure not only to perform well, but to win every time, its no wonder that our sports heroes take up some odd behaviors in the hopes of gaining an edge. Athletes have been known to not wash their underwear during streaks of success, refusing to shave during the post-season, or stick to a special good-luck diet.  Do these bizarre rituals work?  Many athletes will argue that the superstitions that they believe in are just as important as any training they undertake.  Here are a few of the most well-known superstitions.

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan wore his North Carolina Tar Heels shorts under his uniform for every game he played in his professional career. Jordan played for the Tar Heels before being drafted and thought the shorts brought him good luck. Anyone watching him play could see the light blue peeking out of his red Bulls uniform.  Considering Jordan’s successful career, it seems like it may have helped, but probably not more than his ability to fly through the air every game.

Wade Boggs, who played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, was notorious for his superstitious ways. He had a very precise schedule, taking batting practice at exactly the same time every day. Boggs ate only chicken on game days. Although Boggs was not Jewish, he did draw the Hebrew word for life in the batter’s box every time he was up to bat. All of this was done for good luck, and in the hopes that he would not jinx himself or his team.

Stan Mikita, famous center for the Chicago Blackhawks had a pre-game ritual that would definitely not be allowed today. Mikita insisted on throwing a lit cigarette butt over his left shoulder as he and the team entered the ice for every game.  There are no reports that he ever injured a teammate by hitting them with his cigarette butts.

Not all superstitions are player-specific. Each sport has its own unwritten rules that all players are expected to follow. Its very serious business, breaking these taboos can cost a player big. A team loss following such a violation can result in being blamed for the team’s failure.

Baseball may be the most notorious sport for odd traditions, jinxes, and superstitions. Baseball players will almost always sit in the same spot in the dugout for every game, and they will never step on the baselines between innings. Allowing another player to use your bat will always end badly for both players. The most important tradition in baseball is that you never, ever talk about things when they are going well. If a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter, it is assumed that no one will speak to him until he is done pitching.

Professional hockey has its own host of odd behavior. It is considered bad luck to touch any other trophy except for the Stanley Cup, as the Stanley Cup should be the only one that players truly want. Interestingly, the Pittsburg Penguins broke this tradition in 2009 when they won the Eastern Division cup. Each player touched the trophy, and they still went on to win the Stanley Cup against the Detroit Red wings. Hockey players also traditionally tape their sticks the same way before every game, walk out onto the ice in the same order, and refusing to shave during the post-season race for the Stanley Cup.

Professional athletes have engaged in bizarre behavior in order to win games for a long time. Although it may seem like non-sense to some of us, these beliefs seem to work for them. These players go to great lengths to make sure they don’t let their fans or their teammates down.