The 7 Most Bizarre Sports Rituals in the World
Robert Wabash When the 2010 World Cup was at its peak, we all heard a barrage of Vuvuzelas and like most of the world we asked ourselves "Why, God, why?" So, now we take a look at all the weirdest sports rituals from around the world and how they've affected their respective games. Here are the most bizarre sports rituals from around the world.
- 1
Urinating On Hands Instead of Wearing Gloves
The strangest and arguably the most disgusting sports ritual comes from New York Mets outfielder Moises Alou and New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada. Most baseball players wear batting gloves to absorb or minimize some of the shock on the hands when making contact with the ball and to improve their grip on the bat, but outfielder Alou and catcher Posada are two of the few players in MLB who don't wear batting gloves at the plate.
Instead of using batting gloves Alou and Posada use a more... "natural"... method of urinating on the palms of their hands throughout the season in order to harden their hands and prevent against calluses.
Alou claims that by urinating on his hands (that's right, as in "pee") it helps his grip on the bat and helps to harden them. "You don't want to shake my hand during spring training," he says.
The trick may be more gross than helpful, though. A 2004 article in Slate questioned the value of this superstition since urine contains urea, a key ingredient in moisturizers that actually soften the skin. - 2
South Africa’s Vuvuzela
The Vuvuzela is a now world-famous blow horn that was originally made of tin, but is now mass-produced in plastic for soccer games.
Like blowing into the mouth of a trumpet, the Vuvuzela emits a loud monotone similar to elephant trumpets seemingly indiscriminate of what's actually going on during the game .
Many have tried banning them for the upcoming 2010 World Cup because of all the complaints that they are too loud and not fit for a sports arena (or humanity's televisions, all over the world... especially people watching the game in surround sound).
The Vuvuzela can be played really well in some ways and is an actual instrument with some musical value in the right hands (kind of) , but during this 2010 World Cup, with the amount that are being played by ANYONE in the stands, it just sounds like a constant,
The vuvuzela supporters say that it doesn’t detract from the game and that it is a strong part of the South African culture. - 3
Detroit’s Lucky Octopus
A practice that remains strong for the Detroit Redwings of the NHL is the tossing of octopi onto the ice after the Red Wings score a goal during a home game.
Click here for a video explanation of how/why.
The origins of this tentacled tradition began in 1952 when fewer NHL teams meant that the road to the Stanley Cup only took eight playoff wins. Thus, the 8 legs on an octopus would symbolize the road to the Stanley cup with 8 winning games. Since then, hundreds of octopi have rained down onto the Redwing rink.
With every octopus purchased for the purpose of tossing, the Superior Fish Market gives out an "Octoquette" which is a pamphlet of recommended guidelines for octopus tossing, including boiling the octopus for half an hour (raw octopus tends to stick to the ice and leave a slimy residue when removed), launching them only after a Redwing goal as any other time may result in a Delay of Game penalty, and tossing the octopus in a direction away from any players, officials and personnel. - 4
The Haka - Maori War Dance
The All Blacks, the international rugby team of New Zealand, do a traditional Māori Haka dance before international matches and it might seem weird to some people, but it sure as hell is intimidating.
At the very least as a scare tactic, why more sports teams don't do this is a complete mystery.
The team, made up mostly of Māori players, performed a Haka before the first match against Surrey.
One version of the Haka is both war chant and challenge and is customarily performed by the All Blacks before major games against non-New Zealand teams.
The chant is roughly translated as:
It is death, it is death
It is life, it is life
This is the hairy man
Who caused the sun to shine again for me
Up the ladder, up the ladder
Up to the top
The sun shines.
The dance, as you can see, consists of loud chanting, aggressive flailing of arms and stomping of feet, fierce looks and, in the end, an angry sticking out of tongues. The dance was supposed to be done in traditional Māori garb, but the costumes were discarded in favor of their uniforms.
Absolutely freaking awesome. - 5
Ecuadorian National Soccer Team's "Witch Doctor"
Ecuador’s national team knew they needed help if they were to succeed at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
They found help in Tzamarenda Naychapi, a mystic who London’s The Guardian called a "witch doctor-cum-shaman-cum-priest-type-fella," to help enlist the aide of supernatural spirits.
Naychapi supposedly visited each of the twelve stadiums being used in the World Cup and chased away any lingering evil spirits and worked a little magic on the pitches and goals themselves. Wonder what a guy like that will run you for doing mattresses.
Apparently the magic worked, though. They defeated Poland and Costa Rica in group play to advance to the 16th round.
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The 7 Most Bizarre Sports Rituals in the World at 10/14/2012 5:30 PM
The Haka - Maori War Dance at 7/06/2010 4:12 PM
The 7 Most Bizarre Sports Rituals in the World at 7/06/2010 12:44 PM
Detroit’s Lucky Octopus at 7/06/2010 11:12 AM
Detroit’s Lucky Octopus at 7/06/2010 8:03 AM
Detroit’s Lucky Octopus at 7/06/2010 7:40 AM
The 7 Most Bizarre Sports Rituals in the World at 7/06/2010 7:01 AM
Urinating On Hands Instead of Wearing Gloves at 7/06/2010 6:52 AM
Detroit’s Lucky Octopus at 7/06/2010 6:02 AM
The Haka - Maori War Dance at 7/05/2010 10:15 PM
The Haka - Maori War Dance at 7/06/2010 6:40 AM
And they wonder why no one wants to go out there to play them....