By Cynthia Riveles

We have all heard of superstitions practices that sport fanatics perform before a game in order to lead their favorite team to victory. The most common superstitions are wearing the team's jersey, applying body paint using the team's colors, wearing a hat a certain way and even cutting hair some crazy way before a big game.

You may be shocked, though, to hear that even professional athletes have their superstitions. The greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, would wear his University of North Carolina shorts under his uniform in every game for good luck.

Wade Boggs, a retired Red Sox Hall of Famer, was known for a specific quirk. Before every game, Boggs would eat chicken as part of his good-luck routine, earning him the nickname Chicken Man.

Arizona Western College, too, athletes have their unique superstitions.

AWC baseball player Judah Zickafoose describes his own routine: "I listen to a certain song before a game. I also put on my jersey the same way, until I have a bad game. That's when I start changing the way I put on my jersey."

Female athletes have their personal superstitions, too, like freshman softball player Ashley Van Why: "I always have my lucky penny, and I do the same thing in the batter's box every time.

"I usually wear my hair the same way," adds Van Why. "If something is off, I will gradually start to change something, whether it's my hair or nail polish color."

So what seems to be the consistent pattern? If an athlete starts to see that things going South during the match, it may be time to change up superstitious ritual.

Graphic by Pam Black