After the St. Louis Cardinals’ stunning win last night in the bottom of the 11th inning, their showdown with the Texas Rangers has been pushed to a seventh game. Sports fans are praising the team’s athletic prowess and teamwork, but could there be something a little more superstitious at work?

From basketball legend Michael Jordan to Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson, athletes from a variety of sports have also on good luck charms and rituals to help them play their best during a game, CNN reports.

“For athletes, there’s this unpredictability in sports,” said Gregg Steinberg, author of Full Throttle and professor of human performance at Austin Peay State University. “They never know how they’re going to play, how the other team is going to play, so when you do something that’s superstitious, like wearing a trinket, it gives you a greater sense of control.”

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Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.

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