Football pumping it up with game day rituals

By Elizabeth Kim,
HUB Correspondent–

The JV football team at Davis High often huddle together on the field and say their pre-game chant. Many sports teams have game day rituals including football, whether at DHS or in the NFL.

Retired NFL wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, Alex Van Dyke, said that his team would “have a team meal together.”

According to Cole Morse, the DHS JV football players wear their uniforms to school on game days.

But not all traditions are solely for the team. Before a game, sophomore Tommy McTygue has a few rituals of his own.

“I like to get a red Gatorade and head to the football team room. In the team room I plug some headphones in and take a 10 minute nap and usually think about what’s going to happen during the game,” McTygue said.

The many game day rituals of the football players vary. Some can be things like how many times they wrap tape around their shoes, to what kind of stretches they do right before the game, or even just praying before a game.

Although some DHS players do not have rituals of their own, they still take part in wearing their uniforms and saying the chant.

Sophomore Danny Medina does not have a game day ritual of his own, but he said that the pre-game chant is the best because “it brings such intensity.”

Morse mentions that different players have game day rituals for different reasons. Some rituals are just a longtime habit, while others, such as the chant, are meant to “pump [them] up.”

“Game day rituals are for those needing to hype themselves up prior to the game so they could remove their mentality from the world and into the mentality of the game,” Van Dyke said.