Life of a Superstitious Sooners Fan

I decided to start a running log of the small superstitions that drive my day leading up to a Sooners game. As a brief history of what I go through on game day and throughout the season, I will give you some of my highlights.

I start the the season deciding on my game day outfit down to the underwear. If the team plays great, nothing changes the next week. I wash everything. I do not believe in superstitions that compromise personal hygiene, but the game day outfit does not get changed until a loss, or if I feel like I need to do something drastic to change the team momentum. I would consider outfit the most important superstition. Here is a list of others that I am bound to during a football season.

1. I avoid talking to certain people on game day.

2. I make sure I talk to certain people.

3. I never shave, but sometimes I feel like I need to shave the day before a game.

4. I make sure I am showered and clean to watch the game.

5. I have certain shirts that I avoid wearing to bed the night before (most of them are actually OU shirts), and in really stressful seasons (this being one of them), I am concerned with every article I wear or don't wear to bed the night before.

6. I have a game day beer brand, much like the outfit, when I am watching the game at home. The beer doesn't change unless there is a loss while drinking that beer.

7. I make sure I drive the same way home if I work on a game day.

8. I arrange or build things like beer can pyramids to change momentum during a game. That one worked pretty well 2000 against A&M when OU came from behind to win.

9. I change viewing positions in the house.

10. I change shirts, wear more than one shirt, and when all else fails, I just take off my shirt.

There are several other small ones that I will take note of during the course of the day. Tomorrow's game will have a lot of new things I try because we are coming off of a loss. It should be a relatively easy win for the Sooners in Norman which may limit some of my superstitious antics, but we'll see. I will keep a running log and post the results Sunday.

RESULTS

Friday, Nov. 13


7:00 p.m. I am concerned keeping a log of my superstitions is bad luck.

7:15 p.m. Bite a fingernail and consider it bad luck. Stop biting fingernails.

9:28 p.m. Lose to wife in a game of Popomatic Trouble. Worry it is a bad sign.

11:50 p.m. Move coffee table to play Wii. Make sure I put it back in the exact same place when I am finished.


Saturday, Nov. 14 Game Day


7:11 a.m. Realize it is going to be sunny, consider this a good sign.

10:09 a.m. Realize I slept in the same underwear I wore last week during the game and consider this bad luck.

3:30 p.m. Decide not to change sponge head while washing dishes, could be bad luck.

4:25 p.m. Push myself very hard at gym for good luck.

4:45 p.m. Worry I worked too hard at the gym and I won't have enough energy for the game.

4:47 p.m. Debate whether or not to use conditioner while in shower, decide to use conditioner.

4:50 p.m. Contacts are stinging my eyes and I worry about having to wear glasses during the game.

4:50 p.m. Wonder if wearing glasses will actually be good luck.

4:51 p.m. Deliberate on which pair of glasses are more lucky to wear.

4:52 p.m. Consider cologne options and decide Polo Sport is bad luck, wear different cologne

4:59 p.m. Choose outfit very carefully, taking note which articles of clothing seem lucky. Decide to go with Peterson jersey over Bradford.

5:08 p.m. A friend invites me to bar to watch game, decline immediately (I don't go out in public during OU games unless I am watching live).

5:24 p.m. Wife goes to grocery store. Concerned about her beer selection.

5:25 p.m. Worry again about recording superstitions.

5:30 p.m. Wonder if I should get beer from fridge or wait for wife. Decide to wait.

5:36 p.m. Consider calling Dad then reconsider and decide it is luckier to call closer to game time.

5:50 p.m. Change channel to station game is on ten minutes early.

6:11 p.m. Turn off computer sitting on coffee table. Consider screen bad luck.

6:14 p.m. Decide to get a beer from fridge since wife is still not home. Next play after opening beer OU scores defensive TD. Realize I will keep drinking these beers because they are good luck.

6:34 p.m. Change seat after OU continues to struggle offensively.

6:39 p.m. Wife gets home. Offense scores TD. Wife is lucky.

6:55 p.m. OU turns ball over while FSN shows a cut away story between plays, consider the story unlucky.

7:05 p.m. Game is tight, worried about underwear selection.

7:06 p.m. Concerned about superstition log.

7:07 p.m. Lay down, offense makes nice play. Worried sitting up will be bad luck.

7:08 p.m. Sit back up.

7:09 p.m. Lay back down.

7:10 p.m. Sit back up.

7:17 p.m. Switch beer brands.

7:19 p.m. Consider jersey change.

7:24 p.m. Looks like beer change is working.

7:35 p.m. Worry about taking last swallow of beer during a play.

7:38 p.m. Stand up.

7:38 p.m. Sit back down.

7:40 p.m. Getting the feeling glasses are lucky.

8:00 p.m. Everything is working. Gonna wear glasses every time I watch OU on TV going forward.

For those that watched the game you know at this point the Sooners took control and it became a blow out. I shut down the superstitions once the game was in control. It was nice to see the 60+ point mark cracked again. I didn't realize last week was Friday the 13th, until today. I don't follow any traditional superstitions. Mine are my own.

Well, there you have it. A sampling of my life on a game day. Good thing the game was only in question for a little over a quarter or this would be a much longer post.