The Most Superstitious Sports Fans in America

Unwashed lucky socks. Endless trays of “winning” nachos. Sports superstitions are serious. Regardless of the sport or the team, the world of sports is full of diehard fans who will do whatever it takes to help their team win.

At Solitaired we know that any game, whether it be Klondike Solitaire or football, requires skill, but there’s also an aspect of luck and belief—luck that the shuffle of the deck offers a quick and easy win and belief that if you wear your hat sideways for a field goal, it will be good.

That’s why we set out to learn where sports fans in America are the most superstitious. To do this, we surveyed residents in each state about the rituals they have on game day. We then awarded points to these superstitious habits and calculated an average score by state and adjusted that score on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most superstitious. In addition to the local ranking, we also calculated the scores by sports league and team in each league.

Key Takeaways

• Sports fans in Alabama, Florida, and Arkansas rank as the most superstitious in the U.S.
• Sports fans in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Maine rank as the least superstitious in the U.S.
• Nearly 1 in 2 sports fans wear a specific jersey, shirt, or hat on game days for superstitious reasons.
• Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, and Carolina Panthers' fans are the top three most superstitious in the NFL.
• 1 in 6 sports fans with a ritual or lucky charm are very confident it affects their team's performance.
• 1 in 5 sports fans believe without a doubt that fans as a whole can influence the outcome of a game.

Where Americans Are Most Superstitious on Game Days

Sure you may consider some fan groups to be more die hard than others, but what about sport fans on a state level. Does one specific state come to mind for the most superstitious fans? Perhaps you’re imagining that one college whose fans seem to take over any stadium they travel to, or maybe it’s that hockey team that you feel dominates the sports scene in one state. Well, you don’t have to guess any longer, because we have crowned Alabama fans to be the most superstitious with a score of 98.04 out of 100.

That’s right. The state without a NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL team ranks first. Overall, Alabama residents are the most likely to have skipped a major life event like a wedding or funeral just to ensure they follow their game-day ritual. The state leads the way for two rituals with 29% saying they watch games alone to avoid bad luck, while another 43% say a specific phrase or cheer before kickoff/tip-off.

Second on our ranking is Florida with a superstitious fan score of 96.15 out of 100. With a variety of Division I college programs and professional sports teams, the Sunshine State is home to many dedicated fans. So dedicated in fact that 1 in 6 fans say they don't wash “lucky” clothing until the season ends.

Coming in third place is Arkansas where nearly 2 in 5 fans sit in the same seat or spot every game just to bring their team extra luck. Additionally, nearly 1 in 6 fans stand for the entire game as their way of showing support by sticking to their superstitions.

In general, 1 in 6 sports fans with a ritual or lucky charm say they are very confident it affects their team’s performance. While each generation has their own superstitions, we discovered that Gen Zers are the most superstitious overall.

Most Popular Rituals and Habits Across the U.S.

Next, we turned our attention to the rituals and habits that are most popular among Americans, and it may be simpler than you expect. Up first, nearly 1 in 2 sports fans admit to wearing a specific jersey, shirt, or hat out of superstition. It is common to see stadiums and arenas full of people wearing their favorite player’s jersey or hat with the team logo. While some fans are simply doing it because they like it, others do it in an effort to give their team extra luck.

Similarly, wearing the same color jersey as the team on game day is the second most common ritual with nearly 2 in 5 fans doing it. This is followed by the nearly third of fans who avoid talking about the team’s chances before the game ends. From avoiding the word “shutout” during a hockey game to mentioning the potential for a “no-hitter” at a baseball game, many fans take these jinxes seriously.

For nearly 1 in 4 fans, superstitions even impact the drinks they have on game days as they only sip on specific beverages during the game. Coming in fifth for the most common superstitions is sitting in the same seat or spot every game. Whether it’s as simple as a spot on the couch or as dedicated as a seat in a stadium, 22% of fans have an assigned spot on game days.

So what happens if your team loses even after doing all of your rituals? For nearly 1 in 4 fans with a ritual, this led to them giving up on the habit for a short period, but for 11% of fans with a ritual, they never did it again after a loss.

The Teams with the Most Superstitious Fans

After uncovering the states with the most superstitious fans, we turned our attention to four professional sports leagues: the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA. Across each league, we found it’s basketball fans with the most superstitions as the National Basketball Association (NBA) earned a 94.59 out of 100 on the superstitious fan scale.

Leading the way among those teams are fans of the Atlanta Hawks (97.06), Dallas Mavericks (85.13), and Chicago Bulls (81.45). One Hawks’ fan shared that they once “stayed in the exact same sitting position the entire game.” Saying they “didn't move [their] legs or any other body part.” We found one Dallas Mavericks’ fan who took a unique approach to helping their team as they shared, “[I] bet against them, because I usually lose bets, so that they would win.”

Next up among the sports leagues is the National Hockey League (NHL) with a superstitious fan score of 86.18 out of 100. Up first as the most superstitious fan base in hockey is the Florida Panthers, who have won the Stanley Cup twice in the past two years—it seems like those game day rituals are paying off. The Los Angeles Kings are up next with one fan saying they once avoided washing their game day jersey for an entire season.

The National Football League (NFL) is up next with a score of 81.45 out of 100. Here, we find another Atlanta fanbase leading the charge, with Atlanta Falcons’ fans ranking first for superstitious fans in the NFL. They are followed by the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers’ fans with one Panthers’ fan saying they once bought “everyone that came to view [the] game [the] same football jersey.”

Finally, Major League Baseball (MLB) rounds out the ranking with a superstitious fan score of 80.85 out of 100. Leading the way for baseball are New York Mets’ fans with one fan saying they have avoided watching the game live because they consider themselves to be bad luck. Good thing games can be recorded and watched later. The Colorado Rockies are up next, followed by the Chicago White Sox.

Overall, 1 in 3 people doubt fans as a whole can influence the outcome of a game, but they find it fun to think it can. On the other hand, 1 in 5 fans are confident that fans’ energy matters and that it can impact the game.

Start Your Gamedays with Solitaired

While every sport has its fair share of action, they also have plenty of down time that can leave fans feeling impatient and even bored. So next time you’re sitting around during halftime or a never-ending commercial break, let Solitaired help you pass the time.

From Spider Solitaire to Pyramid to Tri Peaks, we have a variety of games that will make you feel lucky, even if your game day ritual doesn’t. After all, whether it’s wearing a lucky jersey or sticking to your favorite card game, rituals make game day more fun. Why not add a round of Solitaire to yours?

Methodology

In this study, we set out to learn where the most superstitious sports fans live in the U.S. To do this, we surveyed 2,000 sports fans about their rituals and game-day habits and awarded points to any they take part in. In addition to the specific rituals, we also awarded points to respondents who have skipped life events to follow rituals and those who are confident their rituals affect the team's success. We then averaged points by state and adjusted the scores on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most superstitious fans.

We followed these same steps in creating a superstitious sports fan score by age, gender, sports league, and each professional sports team across the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. This study only surveyed U.S. residents, so some Canadian team fans may have been excluded from this study, resulting in a lack of respondents for their team.

States not included due to lack of responses: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Teams not included due to a lack of fan responses:

• NFL - Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• MLB - Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, The Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals
• NBA - Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and Washington Wizards
• NHL - Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Utah Mammoth, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets