There’s a bird in Eurasia called the Wryneck. The Greek word for the wryneck is “iynx.” This is the origin of the English word “jinx” that came to be known for spells and curses. Growing up you yell “jinx” in the face of anyone who synchronizes with you. If you say it first, you are free from curse. That is where it ended for me- I was never part of the soda-debt crew. “You owe me a coke!”
I am a little ‘stitious’ but not superstitious. I bet against my own teams. I call it emotional hedging. Cubs play the Brewers? I bet Brewers moneyline. Cubs win, I’m happy. Brewers win, well, at least I won 10 bones.
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There are two things that are always less interesting to other people than yourself: your dreams and your sports betting. Let me tell you about this dream I had where I won a parlay.
Many folks in my circle shake their heads and tsk tsk my betting ways. “You are Jinxing your teams!” I disagree with the curse directionality of these reprimands. I think betting for your team is more jinx-inducing. Lately my jinxy wagering is producing at a depressing rate. My teams have been losing in frustrating ways.
When things are going pretty well in “real life,” that seems like a good time for your teams to suck. Or would you rather your highs and lows sync up with your teams’? Sports are mostly entertainment products, but they are also unique emotional spaces. Baseball, particularly for me, gives me a place to vent frustrations. I don’t actually “hate” any human on the Cardinals, but when they succeed, I release “I hate you!” into the air and from my soul.
More than a place to vent, sports provide a simulated reality in which to feel high emotions with low personal stakes. I think fandom also allows for a nice perspective-anchor. There are reflections of life’s good and bad, but in the end it’s just a game.
The people in my life are mostly happy and healthy in this stage of my life, so I don’t mind my teams flailing around in incompetence. Is this typical sports-coping or did I just jinx everyone I know?
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