Turns out Canadians are a little superstitious when it comes to sports.
A new study by Casino Days reveals sports fans’ most-common pre-game rituals that they believe bring good luck.
Of the 1,000 people surveyed by the online casino site, almost 30 per cent said they wear a “lucky” piece of clothing to every game, while over one in 20 Canadians admitted to not washing their “lucky” clothes.
The most common pre-game ritual in Toronto was listening to a specific song, with over a third saying that they participate in this tradition.
Meanwhile, 32 per cent of Torontonians said they like to wear a lucky piece of clothing to pump up their pre-game mood.
The third most common superstition among Toronto residents was to carry a lucky loony, with nearly 23 per cent of participants from the city saying they do this.
According to the survey, Gen Z is the generation most likely to wear the same piece of lucky clothing for every game. However, Millennials are most likely to never wash their lucky clothes.
The survey also revealed that men are twice as likely as women to do a pre-game dance routine. Whereas, women’s preferred ritual is to wear a lucky piece of clothing.
According to existential therapist and psychotherapist, Eloise Skinner, “superstitions and rituals are often associated with a feeling of control over how events will turn out.”
“When we get the outcome we want from an unpredictable situation (for example, a win in a sports game), our minds are likely to track back to reflect on the circumstances of that win,” she explained in a statement.
From this, people attribute the conditions of their environment at the time their team wins to the outcome of the game, which can lead to superstitions and certain repeated behaviours.
“Over time, these superstitions or rituals can begin to strengthen, as we apply them in similar ways on repeated occasions, developing the association further,” Skinner continued.
“Once the behaviour becomes a pattern, we can start to feel a sense of reliance on it. As our connection between the ritual or lucky charm and the particular outcome continues to strengthen, we can feel as if it’s difficult to stop or detach ourselves,” she concluded.
Casino Days surveyed 1,006 Canadian adults online in August 2024 born between 1946-2005.
