We all know game-day curses aren't real. But just in case...

Sports and superstitions go together like black cats and bad luck. Tonight, perfection is on the line, and the New England Patriots must defeat the New York Giants to become only the second undefeated team in NFL history.

There’s no doubt that sports superstitions are a major part of the American psyche.

According to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released last year, one in five sports fans say they try to do things to bring good luck to their favorite team or avoid jinxing them.

Since history could be in the making tonight, players and fans will likely be searching for any edge they can get to win.

Sometimes, that means turning to superstitions.

Covers

Boding well for both teams is the fact neither a Patriot nor a Giant appears on the cover of this year’s Madden NFL. A popular myth — that seems to have stood the test of time — is that great players typically have an off-year following an appearance on the cover of the popular video game.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young appeared on the cover of this year’s Madden game, and it seems he was bit by the jinx. Young got banged up in his final regular season game of the year against the Colts and had a lackluster performance in his team’s playoff loss to the Chargers.

But another cover curse that could have Super Bowl implications is the infamous Sports Illustrated jinx. According to some, an athlete who appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated is doomed to have bad luck immediately thereafter. The supposed curse dates to the magazine’s very first issue. After appearing on the inaugural issue, baseball player Eddie Matthews injured his hand and missed seven games.

With New York quarterback Eli Manning appearing on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated, the Giants may find themselves on the tail-end of the curse. Some people are taking the cover shot seriously. According to New York Daily News columnist Corky Siemaszko, “Sports Illustrated is single-handedly trying to sabotage the underdog New York Giants’ chances of winning the Super Bowl by putting Eli Manning on the cover.”

Jerseys

One football superstition is that double numbers on a player’s uniform - 11, 22, etc. - bring good luck.

The Patriots have eight players with a double-digit jersey numbers. The Giants, on the other hand, have nine — including two players with number 77 — which might mean an edge.

Only one player on either of the teams wears the unlucky number 13. Seeing him on the field could be especially bad for the Giants. New York’s backup quarterback, Jared Lorenzen, dons number 13 on his jersey — seeing that number on the field would be bad news for New York, as it would likely mean starter Eli Manning has been injured.

McAllen Memorial football coach Bill Littleton said he doesn’t believe in sports superstitions. But he did say if his team loses a game, he makes sure his team wears different colored uniforms — switching up the combination of jersey color and pants color — to try to give them a fresh start.

Littleton is far from the first coach to concern himself with jersey colors. In 2006, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cower created a mild controversy when he bucked tradition by having his team wear the white “away” team uniforms in the Super Bowl, even though the Steelers were designated as the home team and could have worn black jerseys. Some teams prefer black jerseys because they believe it’s an intimidating look, but the move may have worked out for Cower and the Steelers. They beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10.

Washing

The most famous of all sports superstitions is not washing jerseys, underpants, or other articles of clothing while a team is on a winning streak. The idea is that players don’t want to upset the cosmic forces that have brought them good luck, so they rely on a regiment of absolute consistency — even if it’s a bit gross.

Dorados head coach Marty Hammond said of all the sports superstitions, this one seems to be the most popular. He said he’s seen players who refuse to wash their jerseys while on a win streak and even knows a coach who refused to take his pants to the dry-cleaners while in the midst of winning streak.

As for Hammond’s superstitions? “I really didn’t have one,” he said. “I didn’t believe in it much.”

It’s unclear which athletes in Sunday’s game have stopped washing their clothes, but considering the Patriots have yet to lose this season, the Patriots locker room might be a smelly one — even before the game.

Routine

California-based sports psychologist JoAnn Dahlkoetter, author of the book Your Performing Edge, said sports rituals are pervasive because athletes constantly look for any advantage they can find.

Eccentricities like eating the same meal every week on game day are rituals that athletes perform because they want to feel comfortable and minimize the uncertainties of the game, she said.

Dahlkoetter said she actually encourages these types of rituals so that athletes can feel like they have a sense of control, though it’s important athletes don’t let their rituals become disorders that take over their lives.

McAllen High School football coach Tony Harris said he doesn’t believe in superstitions — but he does follow routines. He said when his team is doing well, he tries to prepare them the way every week. “I think that’s what helps you to be successful — to have consistency — to do things that were successful the week before,” Harris said. If the team loses, he switches up the routine.

Harris said he doesn’t know of any particularly strange rituals on his team. But, he added, he has a lucky pair of Tony the Tiger boxer shorts “that’s worked pretty doggone well.”

_____

Ryan Holeywell covers PSJA and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.