Dirty socks, a Papa Smurf action figure, a rabbit?s foot, same undershirt since childhood, and a bowl of ice cream-chocolate.

Welcome to the world of superstition.

Though some people would dismiss such antics as foolish and wasteful, many athletes believe that crossed fingers, four-leaf clovers, and lucky t-shirts are what give them the edge over their opponents. They don?t tend to analyze their beliefs, for questioning them may lead to an irreversible slump or other possible misfortune. A number of athletes feel superstition is as fundamentally part of their respective sport as lacing up their shoes.

“I don?t feel right without my bowl of ice cream before the game, preferably something with chocolate,” Sac State pitcher Kurt Mendonsa said.

It?s a habit that has been with the left-handed junior since high school and he won?t dare change it now.

“One time in high school I didn?t eat ice cream and we lost a playoff game and I haven?t skipped since,” said Mendonsa, standing in his green pin-striped uniform after a victory over Chicago State earlier this year. Mendonsa also swears by his lucky sliding shorts that are torn to shreds.

“I don?t care, I still wear them?I?m a big believer in the baseball gods.”

Mendonsa is not alone with his divine intervention subscription, as teammate Ryan Brown, a senior outfielder goes to the ballpark every day with his duffel bag that has plastic action figures, including “Papa Smurf,” “the Hamburglar,” and “Betty the Buttermilk Pancake,” to name a few. And despite his low batting average this year (.182) and bad luck this season (season-ending shoulder surgery), Brown insists that the extra things contribute.

“They all help me out,” Brown said.

So the natural question is what is superstition and why do so many athletes believe in it?

According to Webster?s Dictionary, superstition is a belief, half-belief, or practice for which there appears to be no rational substance. Encyclopedia Britannica also tries to explain its usage by explaining: Those who use superstition in their life may imply that they have certain knowledge or superior evidence for their own scientific, philosophical, or religious convictions. Athletes may have a more laymen definition.

“Superstition is just part of my mental preparation, a mental checklist? I need my lucky pair of shoes and my spaghetti dinner (the night) before I run,” said senior cross-country runner Craig Farley.

Farley, who insists that socks make him slow, will not run without an extended visit to the restroom before a meet.

“Something is wrong if I don?t go to the bathroom before a meet,” Farley said.

While bowel movements might be the trick for Farley, a more traditional ritual??listening to heavy metal??is what prepares football wide receiver Brian Howells. The sophomore listens to AC/DC before each game and wears his favorite Wayne Cherbet (NY Jets wide receiver) t-shirt under his pads each time he plays.

Superstitious athletes are not only on campus at Sac State, but across the country, as well. In a recent study conducted by JLM Sports Agency, a whopping 64 percent of athletes surveyed said they had at least one superstitious belief.

Yet athletes are not alone in their ways. Many coaches and fans of athletics practice rituals as well.

Following a surprising Hornet victory over Montana State University near the end of the basketball season, assistant men?s basketball coach Bob Cantu wore the same suit the next game, which actually ended in a tough loss. In spite of this setback, Cantu, along with many of his coaching peers, will continue to practice their superstitious ways.

Sports fans are also residents of the superstitious world.

A softball mother, Wendy, who would not give her last name, wears a “rally cap,” a practice of wearing a hat inside-out in hopes of spurring her team to a comeback victory. Besides her cap, Wendy has other ways to spurt the Hornet softball team. She believes that it helps the women out.

“I usually cross my fingers,” she said. “Or if we are doing well, I stay in the same spot.”

Since the beginning of competitive sports, superstition has been found. There have been documented stories of athletes holding a sacred stone or lucky piece of rope while competing in the ancient Olympics of Greece. Today?s athlete is no different. Or, then again, an athlete could be like freshman soccer forward Dave Frasier.

“I?m not superstitious at all? I wear number four because that?s the number I was given.”

In the end, all that really matters is the outcome of the game. Superstitions are replaceable and easily discredited when they don?t work. If eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream, playing with dolls, or making a trip to the nearest restroom are a part of the winning formula, they become ritual. If not, they fall into oblivion, never to be thought of again.