Football fans are superstitious: Over a third actually believe their rituals affect the game

Over a third (34%) of American football fans believe their game-day routines influence the outcome of a game.

A recent survey of 2,000 football fans revealed that another 32% of fans aren’t sure if their rituals influence the outcome, but would rather not risk finding out.

One in five have a specific pregame routine they follow before every single game. Self-proclaimed “diehard” football fans are the most consistent with their traditions - 59% cited having at least one game-day ritual they refuse to break.

Commissioned by Crown Royal and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that the most common game-day rituals are wearing a lucky item of clothing (60%), watching every game at the same location (43%) and eating the same food or snack every game (40%).

Chips and dip are what 50% of fans consistently include in their game-day snack routine, followed by pizza (49%) and wings (42%).

For diehard fans, their drink choice is another part of the game-day routine. Twenty-nine percent said they have switched their beverage while watching their team lose, showing how even the smallest elements of the experience can become part of a fan’s ritual.

Similarly, however, nearly a third of respondents stay loyal to their game-day beverage.

“From chants passed down through generations to local food, drinks and game-day rituals, this football season, we’re celebrating all the ways fans ‘bring it’ to game day,” said James Valdes, director of Crown Royal. “For some diehard fans, even their drink choice becomes part of the routine. While 41% of fans are drinking beer, 16% are enjoying a whisk(e)y or whisk(e)y-based cocktail. These insights inspired our new football program ‘Royal Rituals,’ which spotlights the shared experiences that bring football communities together.”

Clothing rituals run particularly deep. Sixty percent of fans have a lucky jersey, while one in four have a lucky hat and one in five won’t watch without wearing a particular pair of socks.

Sixty percent of diehard fans, and 46% of all respondents, said they have kept wearing or using the same lucky item for multiple games in a row because their team kept winning.

“Every game day, I have to wear my unwashed lucky team jersey from two seasons ago, put my left shoe on before my right and make a specific batch of spicy buffalo chicken dip exactly one hour before kickoff. If the team starts losing at halftime, I swap my sitting position on the couch and refuse to let anyone touch the remote control,” one fan shared.

Another fan said, “I wear the same lucky socks every game day and refuse to put them on until exactly 30 minutes before kickoff. I also eat the same meal, sit in the same spot on the couch and keep the TV volume at 17 during the first quarter. If we win, the socks go straight into the ‘lucky drawer’ and can’t be washed until the next game.”

And for many fans, these traditions weren’t started on their own - 34% said their most meaningful game-day tradition was passed down to them by a parent or guardian.

For one fan, a game-day superstition became a family tradition: “we have old, folding camping chairs that me and my son have had for many years. Our team won from a far deficit on a day we were sitting in those chairs and we have sat in them ever since.”

Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they have started their own game-day tradition, 14% have long-running traditions spanning three generations.

A fifth of those surveyed say that tailgating is non-negotiable, while 18% toast or do a specific cheer for their team. One in seven ensure that their signature game-day drink is on the table before kickoff.

Football fans plan to watch 31 hours of football on average this season. And for diehard fans, that number nearly triples - nearly half (47%) plan to watch more than 100 hours of football.

It’s no surprise that forty-four percent of those diehard fans reported not missing a single game of their favorite team last season. Thirty-seven percent of that same group admit to having missed an important personal event, like a wedding or family gathering, because it conflicted with a game.

“What makes game-day rituals so powerful is not how unusual they may seem, but the connections they create,” said Valdes. “Whether it’s wearing the same lucky jersey, sitting in a decades-old chair or following a routine passed down by a parent, these shared rituals bring generations of fans together and become part of a community’s story. That sense of connection is exactly what we want to celebrate.”

Research methodology: Talker Research surveyed 2,000 21+ American football fans who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Crown Royal and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between September 1 - September 8, 2026. A link to the questionnaire can be found here. To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.