I don’t claim to know much about football. But I do know a lot about football fans. I am from Buffalo, New York after all. And I think that almost says enough.
As a weaver of magick, I’ve noticed something fascinating happening every Sunday (and Monday, and Thursday) across America. There’s a spiritual practice taking place that many of its most devoted practitioners don’t even recognize as such. And it happens in living rooms, sports bars, and massive stadiums filled with thousands of souls vibrating at the same frequency. I’m talking about football fandom.
The Unconscious Spiritual Practice
Isn’t it wild how we humans create ritual without even realizing it? Like saying “bless you” after someone sneezes without questioning why, or hunting for painted eggs to celebrate spring’s renewal while forgetting the pagan roots of these traditions. We’re constantly participating in spiritual practices stripped of their original context, yet still fulfilling our deep need for communal meaning.
Football fandom is no different. It’s just newer.
Watch how a fan prepares for game day. The specific jersey they must wear (and never wash during a winning streak). The precise foods that must be prepared. The exact spot on the couch that cannot be surrendered. These aren’t just preferences – they’re superstitions, rituals designed to influence forces beyond our control.
Sound familiar? It should. It’s the same impulse that leads someone to carry a specific crystal during difficult times or to light a candle with intention.
Football as Divination
And what about fantasy football? The draft predictions? The endless statistics and analyses? This is divination, plain and simple. The careful study of signs and patterns to predict future outcomes. The football analyst poring over player stats is engaging in the same fundamental practice as I am when reading tarot cards or interpreting astrology charts and celestial movements. They’re looking for hidden knowledge, for glimpses of what might come to pass.
The armchair quarterback isn’t just annoying – they’re practicing an ancient art of alternative timelines and possible futures. “If only they had thrown to the tight end instead!” is just another way of saying “here’s the path not taken.”
The Collective Energy
When my husband mentioned the staggering number of people gathering live for the NFL draft, I wasn’t actually surprised. While the draft is primarily about team building, it is subtly yet more importantly about hope, renewal, and possibility. It’s about the beginning of a new cycle, the eternal return of chance and opportunity. These are the same themes that run through our oldest spiritual traditions.
And the game itself? Thousands of people focused on the same outcome, channeling their energy and intention toward their team’s victory? That’s a massive working of collective will. The roar of the crowd is a prayer, a spell, and invocation.
The Thread That Binds Us
What fascinates me most about football fandom is how it weaves together strangers into a tapestry of belonging. In a world where traditional community bonds have frayed, the team colors you wear instantly identify you as part of something larger. You can be anywhere in the country, spot someone wearing your team’s logo, and share an immediate connection.
That’s magick. That’s a subtle reveal of the invisible thread that binds us together.
I may never understand the intricacies of a zone defense or the details of the salary cap. But I understand the power of gathering with like-minded, like-passioned beings for a common purpose. I recognize the spiritual undertaking that happens when we collectively focus our attention, our hope, our energy on a shared experience.
So this is my nod to football fans everywhere—you’re practicing magic whether you know it or not. You’re engaging in ritual, divination, and community-building in ways that would be recognized by spiritual practitioners across time and culture.
Next time you put on that jersey or scream at the referee from your living room, know that you’re part of an ancient tradition of humans coming together to create meaning through shared experience.And that, my friends, is some powerful magic hiding in plain sight.
The Magick Beyond the Game
If football is your religion – and I know for many members of the “Bills Mafia” it absolutely is – you understand that profound sense of belonging and community. But what happens during the off-season? Or when your team is just downright depressing this year (or has been for longer than you’d care to admit)?
That communal, mystical, deeply belonging feeling doesn’t have to disappear when the season ends or when your team’s fortunes wane. At our core, we all long for meaningful connection – to each other, to something larger than ourselves, to purpose and possibility.
As a tarot reader and astrologer, I’ve found that these ancient practices offer many of the same rewards as being part of a fan community: insight, connection, hope, and a framework for understanding our place in a complex world. They’re simply different paths to the same destination.
My magickal door is always open—yes, even on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nights. The same threads of meaning and community that weave through a packed stadium run through a thoughtful reading as well.
*Kelly Fox is a weaver of magick, tarot reader, and astrologer who sees the spiritual threads running through everyday experiences. Visit the services tab to explore how a personal reading might help you find your own team of spiritual support.*