NFL WAGs Reveal Their Biggest Game Day Traditions and Superstitions, from Taking Shots to Lucky Earrings (Exclusive)


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NEED TO KNOW

  • Some NFL WAGs prepare for games almost as much as their pro athlete partners, with various routines and rituals, be they unspoken, subtle or intentionally elaborate
  • Some women make a point of celebrating before kickoff. Others dress up with superstitions in mind, and many get their whole families involved
  • PEOPLE polled the significant others of NFL stars like Penei Sewell, Creed Humphrey, Jordan Poyer and more to see what the women get up to on game day

Players aren’t the only ones with a plan on game day. Up in the stands of NFL stadiums, their partners often do far more than just watch.

Some wives, girlfriends and fiancées — or, as they’re more colloquially known, WAGs — live by the rule that they have to wear something special during games, like a favorite accessory or team merch. Other WAGs observe pre-kickoff rituals, like hosting tailgates, saying prayers or gathering their whole family together to watch the action.

PEOPLE polled both rookie and veteran WAGs from various teams to find out what routines they’ve created and maintained from their supportive spots on NFL sidelines.

Ana Demmer

Ana Demmer and Creed Humphrey.

Ana Demmer


Ana Demmer tells PEOPLE that her boyfriend Creed Humphrey‘s parents “come in for every single home game” the Kansas City Chiefs play, as well as some of their other relatives. The whole group will pack into a van for a fun, family-filled commute to Arrowhead Stadium, where they then enjoy food and drinks before kickoff.

“You’re shoulder-to-shoulder in the van. People are sitting on top of each other. We’re balancing barbecue on our laps and making sure the cheesy corn isn’t spilling on anyone,” says Demmer.

She’s also been glad to join in on a long-standing tradition upheld by the offensive lineman’s family.

“The Humphreys have been doing this long before I was here, but it’s a Fireball shot. You don’t go into Arrowhead without taking one,” she notes. “You don’t get to drink half of it and give it to someone else. You do the whole thing, if you are a drinker.”

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Victoria Gibson

Victoria and Antonio Gibson.

Victoria Gibson/Instagram


As a mom of three, Victoria Gibson typically spends game day mornings helping her little ones get ready to go watch their dad, running back Antonio Gibson, take the field. Sometimes her fellow New England Patriots WAGs observe the celebratory ritual of drinking after their team scores points, but Victoria admits she doesn’t always join in.

“The girls are like, ‘Every touchdown and pick we got we took a shot, you should’ve been there,'” she explains. “I was like, ‘Man, I got three kids. I can’t walk around drunk all the time.'”

Rachel Bush

Rachel Bush and Jordan Poyer.

Rachel Bush/Instagram


Nearly a decade into her relationship with Buffalo Bills star Jordan Poyer, Rachel Bush says she’s kept up “a ton” of traditions over the years. For one thing, the influencer tells PEOPLE that she has to be wearing Bills merch while watching Poyer play, if not something with his actual number on it.

And if Poyer is heading away from home without her, Bush will always see him off — literally.

“I would never let him leave without me waving by and waiting until I saw his car completely leave, which is so crazy,” says the mom of one, who shares 8-year-old daughter Aliyah with Poyer. “Away games, home games, anything like that. In the morning, if he was up early, or for a night game, no matter when — I had to be home when he left.”

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Daisy Foko Granson

Daisy Foko and Kylen Granson.

Daisy Foko/Instagram


Much like Bush, Daisy Foko Granson and her husband, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Kylen Granson, have a special goodbye ritual for when he leaves for a game.

“We’ll just yell, ‘I love you’ back and forth until we’re like so far away we can’t see each other,” says Daisy. “Kylen and I have consistently done this, like [superstitiously] the whole time we’ve been together.”

Kylen Granson’s wife, Daisy Foko Granson, says the Philadelphia Eagles family takes part in “tailgating culture” on game days, “which I feel like really adds to the vibe,” she notes.

Kalani Bagsby

Tyler Booker and Kalani Bagsby.

tbook._/Instagram


When the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive guard Tyler Booker is playing, his girlfriend gets a bit superstitious about accessorizing.

“These earrings, I wear these every game day. I call ’em like my lucky earrings,” says Kalani Bagsby. “These are just the earrings that I’ve been wearing for game day. So I’m keeping that going.”

Skyler Skoglund

Skyler Skoglund and Will Howard.

Skyler Skoglund


NFL rookie Will Howard was playing at the collegiate level for Ohio State when he started dating Skyler Skoglund in November 2024. During the early days of their romance, she spent plenty of time bonding with Howard’s family while he was on the field, and they developed an “unspoken seating assignment” for watching his games.

“It was his dad, his mom, me, his two younger sisters then his brother,” says Skoglund, recounting the order of their viewing spots. “We thought that if one of us moved around, then all of a sudden something would happen in the game. We would always stay in the kind of position, because we were so superstitious about it.”

Isabelle Sewell

Isabelle and Penei Sewell with two of their kids.

Isabelle Sewell/Instagram


Isabelle Sewell says she makes a point not to tear down the opposing team while she’s cheering on her husband, Detroit Lions star Penei Sewell.

“I never will boo the opposing team when they run out of the tunnel or if a call goes their way or something,” says the mom of three. “I feel like booing somebody is really bad luck and just bad karma.”

In a similarly thoughtful vein, Isabelle tells PEOPLE that she says a prayer for Penei, his team and anyone else on the field. “They’re all people at the end of the day, and you don’t want anybody to have anything bad happen to them,” she adds.

Brooke Dickerson

Landon Dickerson and Brooke Dickerson.

Landon Dickerson/ Instagram


Brooke Dickerson admits she was “really superstitious” when she played sports. However, the former collegiate volleyball player says her husband, Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson, doesn’t share her cautionary tendencies.

They do have one ritual that Brooke connects to good luck, but it doesn’t happen on game day. Landon is off every Tuesday, and they commemorate his weekly break by eating at the same restaurant. Since the Eagles have been on a solid streak, she sees no reason to quash the dining routine.

“We’ve been going to this restaurant … right down the street from us, and it’s called Opa. It’s this Greek restaurant,” she explains. “We’ve gone on every off-day this season, and they keep winning. So now we’re like, we have to go go every week.”

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