Superstition is
blaming the
trivial on the
inevitable.
From my observations I have noticed that people will blame the tiniest superstition on any event, from not getting a job, losing at a casino, to their favorite (sport) team losing the (corresponding major sporting event). Actors blame the utterance of the title of the Scottish play (MacBeth). Americans believe in a number of things, the most outstanding being the number 13, considered unlucky and damning, where as 17 seems to be much more universial.
The fact is, if it went wrong, it was going to happen. Sometimes thats how things are. Thats not to say superstition is bad thing - more of a crutch that humans seem to need.