FOX 4 News Kansas City contacted me to ask about my take on pre-game superstitions and rituals. Reporter, Jacob Kittilstad, was able to whip this up so skillfully in a short time. Without further ado, here's the story:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thursday, the Kansas City Council set aside a pretty big chunk of change to prepare for a potential parade following the Super Bowl.
But some fans feel that should not be a public discussion and any talk of a Super Bowl win is liable to jinx the Kansas City Chiefs.
To be fair, the city of Philadelphia is laying the groundwork for a potential Super Bowl parade of their own.
Still, some fans have some pretty extreme views on luck. Good and bad.
Some fans have a lucky jersey. Then there’s Mike Wilckens.
“You don’t wear Chiefs stuff,” FOX4’s Jacob Kittilstad asked.
“I will not touch anything Chiefs on Chiefs day,” Wilckens said. “It’s a superstition. Back in the ’80s, before kick-off, I put a toothpick in my mouth and it would not come out until the game was over.”
“Here’s the big one. My wife has a Derrick Thomas jersey hanging in my closet. If things are going a little bad, I will get up and rub that Derrick Thomas jersey. Honestly, during the Cincinnati game, the championship game, I rubbed it twice,” Wilckens said.
Other people have more public rituals. Take Patrick Mahomes, senior. He makes it a priority to talk to FOX4 Reporter Carey Wickersham ahead of big games.
There’s also the Philadelphia Rocky statue superstition. With Travis Kelce telling Chiefs fans not to mess with it because of a bad luck trend for opposing teams.
Then there’s the perceived bad taste of parade planning. “It gives them a disadvantage because, I don’t know, I just don’t think you do good if you get your cart before your horse,” Kansas City Chiefs fan Carol Hamman said.
FOX4 connected with a local psychic, Cindy Mckean with Kansas City Astrology & Tarot, to get her read.
“It’s a very dangerous thing to do sometimes because you have a chance of these little radicals I like to call them. Just kind of popping in and knocking you off of your plinth, so to speak,” Mckean said.
“As far as worrying about whether or not this is going to jinx the party so to speak or jinx the Super Bowl. I would say that the fact that they’ve kept that in mind is very positive to begin with. That means there’s going to be some mindfulness there that. As much as they want them to win, they also don’t want them to lose,” Mckean said.
“I really have a good feeling about what’s going to happen with the Chiefs game,” Mckean said.
Mckean also said people should not make others carry the burden of their personal superstitions.
“There was so much pressure!” Christy Rodriguez, Mike Wilcken’s daughter, said. “‘Christy don’t take one more step. God just wait, wait, wait!'”
“No, I never had any restrictions with you all on my superstitions,” Wilckens said.
“Oh you did. They were there,” Ashley Yancey, another of Mike Wilcken’s daughters, said.
“You never could talk to him on Chiefs Sunday. Ever,” Yancey said.
This story originally aired on the 5 PM, 6 PM, and 11 PM FOX 4 News Kansas CIty on Thursday, February 2, 2023 and again on the next day's morning news. This was skillfully (and so magically quickly!) well put together by reporter, Jacob Kittilstad. It was posted on the FOX 4 News website on Feb 2, 2023 / 05:11 PM CST. Available at: https://fox4kc.com/sports/chiefs/chiefs-fans-share-their-game-superstitions-ahead-of-super-bowl/ A big grand thanks to Jake and everyone at FOX 4 News. Go Chiefs!!!!