Inside the superstitions of USC athletes

It’s the middle of a match and women’s tennis sophomore Isabelle Lee is exhausted. Every step slowly becomes a struggle. With each point that passes, it’s more of the same — frustration that it won’t end sooner. 

Tennis matches are often grueling, a marathon that can last up to three hours, testing you physically and mentally. The latter part is as important as the former.

When Lee approaches the bench to rest in between games, she finds the water in her bag and takes exactly four sips: no more and no less. 

“I have to have multiples of four,” Lee said.

It’s her superstition, something she’s stuck by for years because her family has four people. Lee believes that four is now her lucky number.  

As she finishes her sips, Lee picks up her racket, gets off the bench and begins to step back toward the baseline, preparing to either serve or return to her opponent. She pays close attention to what’s happening on the court, but it’s not only where you might expect. 

If she’s serving, Lee examines the amount of “fluff” on the tennis ball — the more the better. After each point, the number of tennis balls on her side of the court is crucial.

“I like to play with the [same] ball if I just won the point, and I like to have all the balls on my side of the court if I’m serving, and I don’t want any balls on my side of the court if I’m returning,” Lee said.

She’s not alone in her superstitions. 

Athletes across various sports at USC are in the same boat. They pride themselves on their superstitions, almost married to them and never forgetting to partake in them. Something as small as what they eat the second they get in the locker room can go a long way. 

For some Trojan athletes, superstitions reign supreme.

How superstitions came to life

The history of superstitions began centuries ago. 

The ancient Romans believed mirrors included fragments of our souls and breaking them signified someone’s broken health. In the middle ages, people began to associate black cats with the devil and a symbol of bad luck.

Superstitions are everywhere too, often embedded in our daily lives without our knowledge. Knocking on wood for good luck, picking a four-leaf clover for prosperity and blessing someone when they sneeze are just many examples. 

Tok Thompson, a USC professor of anthropology and expert in folklore and superstitions, said superstitions are a big part of any culture, including sports. 

However, he points out that superstitions are only prevalent in professions with random chance. 

A person’s superstition helps them mitigate the uncertainty involved with sports. It simply calms them down.  

“People tend to be superstitious in part because they’re in situations where they do not have good control over the outcome,” he said. “There’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of uncertainties.”

Thompson highlighted fishermen, gamblers, farmers and actors as others that are likely to have superstitions. Much of their job is up in the air, therefore, their routines are important to follow for better luck. 

On the contrary, an accountant is less likely to be superstitious because “you could just re-run the numbers again and find out what the problem was.” 

Thompson said the origins of superstitions often rise from traditions. The evil eye is a widespread superstition passed down through generations in the Middle East. Where spitting at someone in America might lead to a Will Smith-esque slap, in Islamic culture, spitting on a person can be seen as a blessing. 

Both of these superstitions existed even before writing, Thompson said. It leaves much at a person’s disposal to pick and choose from in terms of their beliefs. 

“There are traditions of superstition about how these things work,” he said. “And then the individual has to put together their own package of what works for them. You, as an individual, what do you choose to believe in?”

Athletes are in the same boat. Some of the greatest athletes were wildly superstitious. 

Michael Jordan wore his North Carolina shorts under his Chicago Bull shorts before every single game. Serena Williams would wear the same socks throughout a tournament run. And Sundays meant Tiger Woods had to wear a red polo. 

Woods’ superstition began because his mom believes red is his “power color.” Thompson said a superstition from a relationship like Woods and his mom is one of many elements that can impact a person’s beliefs. 

Routines are imperative too, especially if they lead to a victory. But, it also adds some comfort mentally. After losses, Williams would sometimes shift blame to her not properly following her routine, a superstition in itself. 

USC athletes are going through the same things.

From salt in shoes to pizza before games

When men’s basketball sophomore guard Reese Dixon-Waters leaves his house on game days, his gear and bag are necessary. Forgetting your shoes on game day would be disastrous. 

But, he also has a superstition based on a book he read growing up called “Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream.” The book is almost self-explanatory, focusing on a kid who would put salt in his shoes before every game. It is written by Michael Jordan’s mother, Doloris. 

During Dixon-Waters’ first USC game day in December 2020, his mother sent him a picture of the book — it held a special place in his heart. He proceeded to find the saltiest salt shaker in his kitchen and poured some salt into his shoes, hoping it would give him some good luck.

He’s done it every game day since his first with the Trojans. It makes him feel comfortable.

“For me, I just loved the book so I just took that from it,” Dixon-Waters said. “It makes me feel like when I play well, it’s just a superstition.” 

He has no hopes of ending the superstition either: “I’m for sure doing it this year,” he said. 

USC athletes may not all put salt in their shoes on game day, but meals with salt are often involved in their superstitions.

Football redshirt senior center Brett Neilon likes to have a 20-minute meditation before going out to stretch on the field. But, as soon as he enters the locker room, he makes sure he grabs his favorite snack: a pack of Ritz Sour Cream Bites. 

“They’re like little toasted bites, I don’t know,” he said. “I grabbed them the first game [of the season] and now every time, I have to eat them.”

His teammates, sophomore defensive back Calen Bullock and redshirt freshman defensive back Anthony Beavers Jr., follow a similar routine with food. 

The two roommates prefer Domino’s Pizza, ordering the same pizza the night before a game even if on the road. Just don’t let the football nutritionists find out.

“[It’s the] same pizza, no mix up,” Bullock said. “Probably bacon and pepperoni [pizza].” 

It isn’t just all about food, however. Naps are game-day essentials for some.

At times last season, men’s basketball redshirt junior forward Joshua Morgan found himself unusually tired during games. Even a good night’s sleep wouldn’t make a difference. 

USC’s games usually tip off near 8 p.m., leaving Morgan playing one hour before his usual bedtime. Therefore, he had a simple solution — take naps two to three hours before game time, a necessity he adopted midway through last season. It’s a must for him now. 

“If I don’t get it in, it’s just bad,” Morgan said. 

His teammate, senior guard Boogie Ellis, shares his napping superstition in addition to a few others. If he plays well in a certain shoe, he’ll keep wearing that pair, and he always makes sure to work out the morning before home games.

He acknowledged though that he can’t really do the same during road games. Therefore, the status of working out on game days as a superstition won’t pass the jury.   

For most USC athletes, listening to music on game days is about as important as eating a good meal. Hip-hop is an important part of their routines. 

Ellis prefers rapper Lil Baby. Bullock and Beavers listen to Rod Wave among others. Dixon-Waters enjoys slower music, gravitating toward the legendary Isley Brothers.

Even with the many superstitions among USC athletes, there are some who believe in having none of them — a superstition in itself, one could say. 

Men’s basketball sophomore forward Harrison Hornery keeps it simple on game days. He makes sure to wake up early, then heads to shoot around. After that, much is left up in the air. 

“Whatever happens, happens. I try not to do something in particular because I don’t want to mix it up,” Hornery said. “Stay away from superstitions.”  

Luck might play a role in athletes reaching their full potential, but superstitions add a different layer. It begs the question — is there any relation between superstition and performance? 

Well, that’s still up in the air. 

“I am ready to believe that some athletes do have certain superstitions — how such are attained I know not — but I have no idea at all what these might do to how they play/perform on the field or court or in the pool,” wrote USC sports psychologist John Callaghan in an email. “I cannot recall to my knowledge any great athlete depending on such to produce an elite performance.”

Thompson, though, doesn’t see a reason why there wouldn’t be an impact. 

He prefers to use the word “folk beliefs,” instead of superstitions because of the connotation, one that he says might hinder a person’s perception of the impact it truly has. 

“Calling it folk belief helps remove that idea that it’s necessarily false. It’s not necessarily false,” he said. “Maybe having a little salt in your shoes is a really good thing. I don’t know.”

Many of the superstitions athletes have rely on building self-confidence. Having a certain folk belief could make a difference in an athlete’s performance, according to Thompson, however, evidence is fairly limited on the subject.

Don’t tell your favorite athlete though. It might become their new go-to superstition.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with an additional photo since publication.