The Brotherly Bet
Welcome to The Brotherly Bet, where sports betting meets bad decisions and even worse advice. We’re just a few guys who think we’re smarter than Vegas — and we have the losing slips to prove it.
Every week, we break down the biggest games, make picks we MIGHT regret, and talk way too much about things like kicker props, questionable calls, and whether the Bears are legally allowed to play offense.
It’s part sports betting, part group therapy, and ALL fun.
No guarantees. Just HOT TAKES, BOLD BETS, & ZERO REGRETS.
The Brotherly Bet
Gridiron Curses & Campus Rituals: Real or Ridiculous?
Do sports superstitions actually work? Is there a curse that follows those who disrespect the Pittsburgh Steelers' Terrible Towel? The Brotherly Bet unplugged episode dives headfirst into the weird, wonderful world of fan traditions and gameday rituals that transcend logic but somehow feel essential to our favorite teams' success.
Jack and Tom open up about their own peculiar Steelers gameday routines – from Tom's basement shrine where he touches every piece of memorabilia before kickoff to Jack's ritual of washing his Terrible Towel after losses to "wash off the stink." The brothers reveal their jersey superstitions and shot-taking traditions that have become sacred parts of their fandom experience.
The heart of the episode features an entertaining "Real or Ridiculous" segment where Jack challenges Tom to determine which bizarre fan traditions actually exist. From Buffalo Bills fans spraying each other with ketchup and mustard during tailgates to West Virginia Mountaineers burning couches in the streets after games, the conversation highlights just how far sports devotion can go. The brothers present compelling evidence for the "Terrible Towel Curse," recounting how players like LenDale White, Ray Rice, and others faced career downturns after disrespecting the iconic yellow towel.
The episode closes with heartwarming stories about passing down these traditions to their children, with Jack's son already recognizing "Renegade" as a Steelers song and enthusiastically waving the Terrible Towel. Whether you're superstitious or just a little stitious, this episode celebrates the irrational yet meaningful rituals that make sports fandom such a personal experience. Subscribe now and join us for more unfiltered sports talk that balances analysis with the human side of being a fan.
Hot takes bold bets, zero regrets. You're locked in with the Brotherly Bet.
Speaker 2:And we are unplugged here at the Brotherly Bet, season 2, episode 5. I'm here with my brother, tom. I'm Jack, tom, are you ready to go?
Speaker 3:I am ready.
Speaker 2:I'm excited for this, are you?
Speaker 3:ready to go? I am ready, Dude. I am excited for this new little segment you and Grant kind of invented.
Speaker 2:I'm going to grill you, dude.
Speaker 2:I'm just going to grill you for like 20 minutes it's fine by me, it's going to be like a thrashing thrashing of Tom, all right. So we did a Ryder Cup episode two episodes ago, which I thought went pretty well. We kind of sat there, talked about things that we liked and didn't like about golf etiquette. I thought it went well, so we're going to keep rolling with this. Now I have this thing called Real or Ridiculous, so we're going to talk about curse breakers, superstitions and more Things that teams and fans do to help their teams. Whether it's real or ridiculous, I will let you be the judge, tom.
Speaker 2:All right, okay. Now my first question for you is do you do anything game day before, game day before kickoff? Is there any traditions that you do that feel like I have to do this in order to help my team win I do okay I.
Speaker 3:Okay, I go in my basement which I have a lot of Steelers memorabilia.
Speaker 2:Tell me, do you kiss everything down here in the basement?
Speaker 3:I say a little prayer in front of my little Steelers shrine.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:And then I do go around and touch every single Steelers memorabilia I have and then I tell my dad to give us a Sears win.
Speaker 2:Okay, I like that. Is there anything that you do? So if you have people over, if you go somewhere? Is there anything that you partake in as tradition as well, if you're not at home?
Speaker 3:so whether you're at my house or or, you know, john's house or- every sears touchdown, we need to take a shot um before the game before the game you gotta take a shot which, being steelers fans, you're not very drunk normally, because mainly the only shot you take is before the game and you might get one or two more throughout the three to four hours of the game.
Speaker 2:We should change it and say just any touchdown, just so we can just be sloshed at the end of the game. Yeah, okay, what about jersey-wise, towel-wise? I know the Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3:Steelers have a terrible towel. I keep the same towel because I have the super bowl towel, so I keep that one okay but I do.
Speaker 2:If the steers win with the jersey I'm wearing, I continue to wear that jersey until they lose okay, now the big question is do you wash that jersey, or do you just like put it back and you're like it's gotta win, depends win Depends how long. Okay, so for the Steelers, you probably wash it every game because we never freaking win.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it feels like yeah, I mean I'll wash it if it's not in good condition, because I tend to spill buffalo chicken dip or meatballs or something.
Speaker 2:Something ends up getting on that jersey. Normally Honey mustard's all over. It's yellow, though.
Speaker 3:I tend to wash it, but if I don't have to, I won't. But yes, I continue to wear the same jersey until they lose.
Speaker 2:Okay, I noticed that with my terrible towel. If we win, I fold it, it goes back. If we lose, I wash the loss off. Okay, that's nice back, if we lose, I wash the loss off, okay. Um, now my wife was fortunate or I'm fortunate enough to have a beautiful, loving, caring wife that bought me a fitzpatrick jersey years ago. In influence to what you told her, you're like yeah he's gonna be around for a while, which he was, he was around for multiple, multiple years.
Speaker 3:It was a shock when we got rid of him.
Speaker 2:Yes, um, so I have that one. But then I have a beautiful brother-in-law who's also very thoughtful and got me a dk one. So now I only have a yellow dk jersey. But I noticed that if we don't win which I was at work last game I had my hat and my terrible towel and then I had to wear my work shirt. So I was still breaking protocol a little bit, but I still had some gear but I needed to rock some black and yellow. So next game, so this Sunday, I'll put my jersey back on. If that doesn't work, I notice I'll switch to a sweater, even if it's hot or a T-shirt, start buying even more jerseys.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what we got to do there you go, I'm telling you, I want a Herbig jersey.
Speaker 3:No, we'll get you someone that's solidified. How about Jack?
Speaker 2:Sawyer, he's going to be around. Baby, he's going to get some playing time now, maybe like a Palomalu, I'll get you, or James.
Speaker 2:I did notice that if we lose, I wash the towel. It's and I feel like dude, the towel doesn't get much. I don't get much on the towel, so the towel is not dirty. It's just a superstition to me. I'm like I need to get rid of the stink, Like if it's a loss, it's a stink. Okay, Are you ready for mine? I got 11 were weird. I'll save the big one for the end because I have some things that you'll appreciate.
Speaker 3:So this is all superstition stuff.
Speaker 2:This is superstitions or things that fans do either at tailgates, at their house, whatever, and you need to tell me if it's real or ridiculous. Are you ready?
Speaker 3:Just a little stitious, not superstitious.
Speaker 2:Just a little stitious, all right, not super stitious, just a little stitious, all right. We got the ketchup and mustard shower. So this is with the Buffalo Bills Bills Mafia sprays ketchup and mustard all over each other during tailgates. There's no clear reason why.
Speaker 3:That is the fucking dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. I'm telling you, it's something the jumping through tables is fucking awesome I I've ever heard in my entire life. I'm telling you, it's something the jumping through tables is fucking awesome, I agree, wwe shout out. Why during the, I didn't think they'd do it after the game. Why would you want to go in the game with fucking mustard and ketchup all over you?
Speaker 2:I don't know, maybe in the winter it keeps them warm, I don't know.
Speaker 3:I did not like that no.
Speaker 2:Ridiculous.
Speaker 3:Ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Alright, you're 0 for 1. That is real. That is real in Buffalo. So they spray ketchup and mustard on each other during tailgates, which is crazy. I do have some NFL ones, I have some college ones. I found some weird funky things. We're going to roll with it. Are you ready for number two? Alright. I'm ready, the Mattress Fire. West Virginia Mountaineers Shout out Pat McAfee. After big wins or even big losses, fans burn couches in the street.
Speaker 3:Real or ridiculous, since that last one is real, but this seems like it could be.
Speaker 2:it's a college town, so I'm gonna go. It's real, it is real all right, which I think is insane. So essentially, you're setting arson to upholstery. I got that one right.
Speaker 3:I mean, I can see you know, I can see it. Oh, it says degenerate college kids. Doing something stupid, no matter what you go to the game, you tailgate the game, no matter win or loss. You're going to burn that couch and you're all going to go to some shitty little Mexican or pizza spot after and absolutely eat your hangover away that's right.
Speaker 2:All right, I got another college one for you the silent fourth quarter, penn state whiteout games. At a certain point in tight games fans will go dead silent for one full defensive drive to confuse the opponent and empower the defense. That's fake. That is is fake.
Speaker 3:That is ridiculous. The Penn State games are insane. They're one of the best fan bases.
Speaker 2:I put that on there as like a buffer for you.
Speaker 3:I was like there's no way he gets this one wrong. There's no way, that's fake.
Speaker 2:All right, we got the giant salt circle, the New England Patriots. A tailgate crew allegedly draws a massive salt circle in the parking lot to ward off turnover demons. They claim it's why Tom Brady never fumbled.
Speaker 3:That's fake, that is also fake.
Speaker 2:That is also fake the.
Speaker 3:Patriots fans don't need to be doing that dumb shit.
Speaker 2:They won so many.
Speaker 3:Super Bowls. Yeah, maybe now they can start doing that, but they had no reason to be doing that when they had Tom Brady All right, You're not bad.
Speaker 2:Okay, only one wrong. So far. I'm a hot dog and mustard on yourself. How do you think that's okay, Dude? It's so stupid. Tailgate too. You're going to go into the game like that. It's so stupid. I knew they jumped into tables and stuff, which that's pretty cool. All right, I got a MLB one. It's called the Rally Banana or, as my kids say, Babana.
Speaker 3:All right.
Speaker 2:A banana in the dugout once sparked a comeback, and now it's a legend.
Speaker 3:This is for anyone.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm sorry, this is for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Speaker 3:So they eat a banana in the dugout. They just set up bananas in the dugout.
Speaker 2:one spark to come back, and now it's a legend. So now I guess they just have bananas in play or in the dugout.
Speaker 3:I can see that being true that is true.
Speaker 2:So that is real. It is now a living legend, so that potassium is flowing through Shohei Itani.
Speaker 3:Put some bananas back there.
Speaker 2:It's ridiculous. This one might be easy Hog hats Washington Commanders, Formerly known as the Redskins. The bills pull away. Fans dress in pig noses and snouts to honor their legendary O-line the Hogs.
Speaker 3:That is true.
Speaker 2:That is true. They did have a very when they were pretty solid. They had their O-line right. That was better than our offensive line known as the hawks. All right, the pancake prayer iowa hawkeye. So now we're back to ncaa football. O-line fans eat pancakes and stack them at the tailgates, praying for pancake blocks during the game.
Speaker 3:That I could be.
Speaker 2:That's true, that is ridiculous, it is ridiculous, that is false.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that was too easy. I should have known that I do like that, though. I mean, that's a good, I could see a college team you got to griddle out there. You got to griddle out there, someone's got a black stone and they're just banning out pancakes for everyone Right, it's a nice.
Speaker 2:you know you get some carbs in you.
Speaker 3:Everyone's drinking. You're just eating pancakes.
Speaker 2:I'm down for that.
Speaker 3:That was too easy, though I should have thought a little bit harder. Sorry, but all right, you got me on that one.
Speaker 2:I'm cashing this out, tom. Oh no, we'll let it ride. We got the Voodoo Gumbo New Orleans Saints Fans. We got the Voodoo Gumbo New Orleans Saints Fans make a ceremonial pot of gumbo using ingredients that correspond to offensive positions. For example, okra is the wide receivers, shrimp running backs.
Speaker 3:And stirring it clockwise brings balance to the offense. Too much going on there, yeah, that's too much fucking thinking.
Speaker 2:But it being in New Orleans. I could see it happening, but no, but it's a lot Like if you're stirring a clock while all that. I can see this happening maybe at home, like you're making a gumbo in your house, but like a tailgate or something.
Speaker 3:Like a card reader's house, it seems a little ridiculous.
Speaker 2:All right, we got the Popcorn Plunge. This is the Nebraska Cornhuskers. So for NCAA football, children at tailgates jump into inflatable pools filled with popcorn for harvest luck.
Speaker 3:Pretty awesome.
Speaker 2:Whether it's true or false, I'm going pretty awesome I would jump into an inflatable pool full of popcorn, and I know my son and daughter would jump headfirst into an inflatable pool full of popcorn well, that's, true that is ridiculous yeah, I knew it's pretty, it's so cool. Then you just convinced me there where you're saying I would do that Like, if that's not a thing, it should be a thing.
Speaker 3:I saw it because Nebraska, like they, got a lot of farmers.
Speaker 2:They're the Cornhuskers. Kind of awesome, Like seems kind of awesome.
Speaker 3:I was going to say false and then you said, oh, it's awesome, yeah, yeah. See yeah awesome. Then you said it's awesome, yeah, yeah, see, yeah yeah, stirring the pot, I'm stirring that gumbo.
Speaker 2:Yeah, counterclockwise. All right, I left this one last so we can do some history for all of our fans. We got the terrible towel curse don't say anything. Yet opposing players who disrespect the terrible towel step on it, mock it, wipe with it, whatever they do, often go on to suffer humiliating losses, injuries or meltdowns. Steelers fans treat it like a sacred object well, you are.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's real okay, so I'm gonna give you a couple things um Lendale White and Keith Bullock from the Titans in 2008,. After beating the Steelers, they stomped on the terrible towel. After that, the Titans lost their next eight games, blown out of the playoffs, and White was out of the league not long after that. That's crazy.
Speaker 3:That's devastating.
Speaker 2:I'm going to probably screw up this last name, so I apologize to him. If he's listening, which I'm sure he's not TJ Hauschmendeza, bengals.
Speaker 3:Yeah, bengals 2005.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hauschmendeza, he, yeah, hauschman, hauschman Döse, he was good, I liked him. Hauschman Zeta, what? Zeta, yeah All right White is cleats with a terrible towel on national television. Bengals were eliminated by the Steelers that postseason. Pittsburgh went on to win the Super Bowl that season and he never beat the Steelers in the playoffs. Yep, here we go, keep going. We got two more, ray Rice.
Speaker 3:Ravens 2011. Well, he has a lot of. We can talk a lot about that guy.
Speaker 2:All right, caught mocking the towel during the warm-ups.
Speaker 3:This is the same year he did some bad things.
Speaker 2:I'm sure, and he got away with it. I'm sure Ravens lost a playoff heartbreaker and Rice's career unraveled shortly after, although that was for other reasons.
Speaker 3:Yeah, possibly murder If you know, football.
Speaker 2:you know Ray Rice? Oh man, all right. Jaguars fan. 2017 playoffs. Video went viral of a Jags fan.
Speaker 3:I hate saying that that was a horrible lot. Oh, I hate it.
Speaker 2:Jaguars fan pretending to wipe his behind with a terrible towel before the game. The Jaguars did beat the Steelers that year and I'm pretty sure we were at Durkin's during that game 2017.
Speaker 3:It was a playoff game. Yep, I don't know, Maybe Were you in the city in 17, yet I think I was home from the Marines.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:I was with Katie at my mom's house watching it with my family.
Speaker 2:All right, well, in my heart we were together. But yeah, we were at. But yeah, we were at durkens, okay, yeah, um, they lost the next round, have not returned to an afc championship since, and apparently the same fan has been banned from heinz. Oh, it says heinz field, but it's, it is heinz, it will always be heinz field. But, um, I will say I mean, with all these superstitions and things like you named things that you do, I always play black and yellow for the game.
Speaker 3:Tripp's loving it.
Speaker 2:Tripp, my son is just. I don't know if it's good that my four-year-old is walking around my house saying you know what it is. He's a big Wiz Khalifa guy.
Speaker 2:Or push to start right. He's catching up on some things which I love as a fan. Dude, I was playing a song today. I wanted to text you and show you, but I had to leave. Just like a random song came on Spotify and he was like can you change a song? And I'm like yeah, spotify. And he was like can you change a song? And I'm like yeah, bud, what do you want? He's like black black and well, oh, okay, I was like it's Thursday, but okay we'll do it.
Speaker 2:And then I had a playlist on just my like songs and it's shuffles all over God's green earth for what I'm playing. And Renegade came on, which is, if you're not a Steelers fan, it's the song they play when they need a defensive stop, something big in the game to try to rally up the team.
Speaker 2:It's another superstition, right, it's another one since we're talking about it and it was playing just in the car, I don't know where we were going. He's like Dad and he made me turn it down. I'm like what's up? He's like isn't this a stealer?
Speaker 3:song. I've never been more proud.
Speaker 2:You know, it's just those yeah, and especially that he knows it's a you know, he knows it's renegade, he knows it's a sealer song.
Speaker 3:But the fact that he kind of recognizes sticks I'm all in for all right I'm a big 80s guy, so yeah, we gotta get him to the stadium, maybe next year yeah, it's uh.
Speaker 2:You know, I'll put on a sweater randomly during the week and be like hey, they don't play today I'm like, dude, I can, I can, I can wear it when I want to wear it, um, but like, if the towel comes out, he's got to wave the towel. He beats the living piss out of everything in the house with the towel. So it's a fun tradition for us. I'm glad he's got someone to root for. I'm glad he likes football.
Speaker 3:Yep, he's the best.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we got anything else.
Speaker 3:I don't think so Any other traditions that you can think of.
Speaker 2:I mean, obviously we talked about the Bills slamming people through the tables or they jump through the tables.
Speaker 3:Not really a tradition, but we go me and my wife and sometimes my brother-in-laws and father-in-law go to a series game once a year and I am undefeated going to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2:Well, it looks like we need to get you a season ticket.
Speaker 3:So we are actually bringing our. He will be five months, about five months, maybe a little less.
Speaker 2:At the time you go.
Speaker 3:To Pittsburgh in October and we are going to keep that tradition alive and hopefully get in our win. We're playing the Browns.
Speaker 2:Do you have to buy three seats? No, Just two.
Speaker 3:No two yeah, we got the soundproof muffs ready. Nice big sign. Hopefully TGY will sign it.
Speaker 2:We need to. Oh, dude, that would be so cool. Tj sign TJ's top yeah.
Speaker 3:We shall see.
Speaker 2:That'd be so cool. All right, we hope you enjoyed our little unplugged episode here. It'll drop Monday. I don't know the date. Episode here it'll drop monday, I don't know the date september 22nd, yeah, something around there, something like that. Um, you got anything left for our, our beautiful, beautiful fans here?
Speaker 3:no, I do not.
Speaker 2:Um, just keep, uh, keep trusting in us, we'll, we'll make you some money yeah, you know what, if we're not making you money, we're hoping you money, we're hoping you're, uh, we're hoping you're laughing a little bit. So anything else, tom, nope, I'm all good. All right, appreciate you listening. This is the burly bet. I'm Jack, I'm Tom.
Speaker 1:And that's a wrap. Brotherly bit heart takes bold bets zero regrets. You're locked in with the brotherly bit. High takes bold bets zero regrets. You're locked in with the brotherly bit. High takes bold bets zero regrets. You're locked in with the brotherly bit Bye. Locked in with the brotherly bit. Locked in with the brotherly bit. Heart takes bold bets Zero regrets.