Nick Allison 10/14/13

Do Sport Rituals or superstitions Help or Hurt Athletes? Do they really work? (Part 1)

Hey, get your KFC here, before the Red Soxs Baseball game, only five dollars! Can eating chicken before a baseball game, really bring you good luck? Wade Boggs is a professional baseball athlete, who plays for the Boston Red Socks. According to 25 strangest rituals in sports, Boggs wakes up at the same time every day, runs sprints at 7:17, eats a piece of chicken before every game, and draws the word Chai in the batters box before every at -bat. Amazingly, before one game, Boggs didnt eat his pre-game chicken, and had a terrible performance. On the other hand, his abilities have given him access into the major league baseball hall of fame. Is the chicken really the x-factor or is it the Athlete, Boggs? Well, I am taking neither side on the debate, but I am going to address the positive and negative effects of sport rituals. Are sport rituals real, or are they all mental delusions? A superstition is defined as the belief that certain behaviors are casually related to certain outcomes, Performance Psychology (331). Contrary, superstitions are beliefs that ones results are beyond ones control. However, one thing is certain tough, Athletes pre -game rituals, superstitions, and other routines are all physiological. For example, if you have a lucky charm you wear every day, youre always going to think something positive is going to happen. Meanwhile, if you lose your lucky charm, well all hell breaks loose, and you think your life is already over. Every day you witness, not just sports related, rituals, superstitious behaviors, and daily routines. On TV youre always watching baseball players doing the same routines in the batters
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box, and you asking yourself why? What about LeBron James? Does his chalk throwing really give him special powers and abilities? Lets take away his daily powered substance his throws in the air, and see if it truly effects his abilities in the long-term. Hearing about all these rituals and superstitious effects on television and in the media is getting global attention. Even through its impossible to determine if these ideas and concepts work, we can still examine the positive and negative effects of sport rituals and superstitions. A great example to demonstrate is Friday the Thirteenth. If an athlete has extremely superstitious behaviors and rituals, they know what outcomes they are going to expect. So when Friday the thirteenth comes, they will know its going to be an unlucky day. Yes, its great to know what desired outcomes youre going to encounter, but sometimes its better not to have these presumptions. The negative effects are you have already trained your brain to have an unlucky day, meaning youre not trying to look for your good luck that day. Who wants to have an unlucky day anyways? In summary, I want to discuss about the positive and negative sides of sports superstitions and do they truly affect the athlete. In todays world almost every athlete has some type of superstition or ritual. Now its time to examine the effects about these so called life changers. Do you think sport superstitions/rituals help or hurt athletes performance? Would you rely only on one thing or belief to control your life?

Nick Allison 10/14/13

Do you support sport superstitious behaviors? (Part 2)

What exactly are sport superstitions and why do we encounter them daily? A superstition can be defined as the belief that, despite contrary evidence to the contrary, certain behavior is casually related to certain outcomes, Performance Psychology (331). A wad of gum stuck on a players hat brings good luck, to continue a winning streak wear the same clothes, players sleep with their bat to break out of a hitting slump or stay in a groove, (Morrison). Are these superstitions really work, why do we use them? Throughout my exploratory paper, I want to discuss the two-sided argument about sport rituals and superstitions. Do sport rituals/superstitions benefit the athlete or damage the athlete? The main role of any athlete is to be prepared for games, keep focus during competition, and improve their abilities and athletic skills. Should athletes believe in luck and karma, or just rely on their skills in order to be successful? I am taking no stance between either sides of the debate. However, I would highlight the positive and negatives of using sport rituals and superstitions. Both sides of the debate have their positives and negative factors, but they both evolve around the words performance psychology. Performance/Sports psychology is essentially the study of how the mind affects physical activity and athletic performance, (What is Sports Psychology?). Now the question is what side are you willing to support? Reasons for Sport Rituals Rafael Nadal is a world famous tennis player, whos ranked number two in the world. In sports Rafael is considered the most superstitious person in the world; before every match he

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would do the following in the same order before every match: take a cold shower, put on earphones, bandage foot, take a pee, then put two water bottles diagonally aimed at the court. What happens if his rituals are not done properly? Rafael says Its like a great big matchstick structure: if every piece is not symmetrically in place, it can all fall down, (Rafa). Why do these sport rituals help the athlete? Sport rituals benefit the athlete by mentally preparing them and giving them an extra boast for the ultimate fight or competition. When faced under pressure the athletes need to rely on something to keep them focused and motivated throughout the game. Whether its wearing a lucky charm, biting their nails, listening to a particular song, their ritual gives an extra boast a player needs to compete and become successful. Did you know heavyweight boxer Joe Louis drank blood before every match and went 66-3 throughout his sports career? Joe Louis guaranteed that drinking blood before every game gave him the ability to win. In conclusion the real value in superstition or ritual is the boost of confidence and the sense of control that they provide a sports person. If the sports person believes that doing a specific action or behavior will make them perform better, then they on balance will perform better, (The Power of Superstitious and Rituals in Sports). Inside the mind of an athlete, sport rituals are like a fixed process that guarantees success. They believe that everything must happen in a particular order or sequence, and when they do they can expect desirable outcomes. Good aspects about having these sport rituals are allowing athletes to expect certain results, such as foreshadowing. For example, if a football player goes through his exact pre-game routine, that means he will have a remarkable and

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outstanding game. Vice Versa, if something drastically changes in his pre-game routine, athlete didnt do warm-ups correctly, he knows he is going to play a mediocre or average game. Wouldnt it be cool to already know the outcomes of the games? Another reason to support sport rituals is because it manages your feelings more easily. Sometimes, athletes experience a loss or suffer from an overwhelming experience. According to Why Rituals Work, Rituals performed after experiencing losses from loved ones to lotteries do alleviate grief, and rituals performed before high-pressure tasks like singing in public do in fact reduce anxiety and increase peoples confidence. Athletes need to realize there going to face many challenges, and need to continue to have high hopes and high self-esteem. By having a sports ritual they can relive those happy memories and continue to be uplifting. Reasoning against Sport Rituals Meanwhile, on the other hand these superstitions tend to damage the athletes abilities. Athletes use many types of rituals and superstitions to achieve certain goals. What happens though, when their normal superstitions and rituals dont work in their favor? Well, all chaos breaks loose because they rely mainly on their beliefs and not their skills. They loose their confidence factor, motivation levels, and increase panic level. Lets take All-American quarterback Cam Newton as a good example. Cam Newton is an elite National football League athlete and he has his normal good luck charm he wears during every game. In his mind this goo luck charm ultimately wins him games, and if he loses his charm, then he will become a mediocre player. Why do people put so much faith in one little object, or idea? Would Cam Newton not be an elite quarterback and have exceptional athletic skills without his good luck

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charm? Concluding, Cam has already thinks in his mind, that he has lost all of his confidence and motivation factors. Lets compare a good luck charm with the placebo effect. The placebo effect happens when a person takes a medication that he or she perceives will help, although has no proven therapeutic effect for his or her particular condition, (How the Placebo Effect Works). Basically, this proves the point people praise and worship things that really dont additionally benefit your skills, health, or life. Why do people think a good luck charm is better than them? As mentioned earlier, what happens if these charms that you put so much praise into, turn out not to be beneficial? Instead of believing in superstitions and rituals, the Singers five -step strategy provides an alternative concept that reflects personal performance. The Five steps are: readying, imaging, focusing, executing, and Evaluating. The five-step theory allows the athlete to perform better when these 5 steps are identified, and completed. Lets take Friday the 13 th as a prime example. Instead of just believing in rituals and superstitions, you train your brain to think about how youre going to change something to get a desired result, not just one particular outcome. Additionally, rituals can be damaging to the athletes min. Routines can also be adjusted should the need arise, for example, if you arrive late to the competition, you can shorten your routine and still get prepared. Rituals, though, are rigid and ceremonial. Athletes can believe that rituals must be done or they will not perform well. You control routines, but rituals control you, (Taylor). Sometimes things dont always go the athlete way, and they need to change their preparation and mentality for games. Thats why routines are encourage able

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because you can adjust to meet your demands. A psychologist Jack Llewellyn said "One of my philosophies is that your environment either enables you to win, or enables you to lose."( Cox). Conclusion Athletes everywhere are engaged with highly competitive sports, and overwhelmed with pressure. Whether the believe in superstitions or just rely on their skills, they all strive for perfection. Both sides of the debate need to do the following: motivate the athlete, support the athlete, and give an extra boast of confidence. Everything in sports is physiological, and athletes need to recognize that aspect of the game. Whether you believe in lucky socks or not, your attitude and athletic skills determines how good you are going under pressure. Now its up to you, what do you rely on? As Micheal Jordan mentioned the one thing about sports is Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.

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Works Cited Bearden, William O., Richard G. Netemeyer, and Kelly L. Haws. Handbook of Marketing Scales: Multi-item Measures for Marketing and Consumer Behavior Research . Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2011. Print. Blackwell, Liam. "The Power of Superstitions and Rituals in Sport." - The Sport In Mind Sport Psychology. N.p., 12 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. "Can Knocking On Wood Help Your Psyche? Superstitious Rituals May Reverse ..." Medical Daily. N.p., 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. Collins, Dave, Angela Abbott, and Hugh Richards. Performance Psychology: A Practitioner's Guide . Edinburgh: Elsevier, 2011. Print. Fogelrman, Loren. "Do Rituals Really Help Athletes." Expert Sports Performance. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. Freeman, Shanna. "How the Placebo Effect Works" 13 January 2009. HowStuffWorks.com. <http:// science.howstuffworks.com/life/placebo-effect.htm> 16 October 2013. Gino, Francesca. "Why Rituals Work: Scientific American." Why Rituals Work: Scientific American. N.p., 14 May 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. Grieshaber, Kirsten. "L.A. Unleashed." Paul the Soccer-predicting Octopus Oracle Picks Spain to Win World Cup amid Media Frenzy, Death Threats. N.p., 9 July 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. Morrison, Micheal. "Common Superstitions in Baseball, Basketball, and More." Sports Superstitions. Fact Monster, 2007. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. Nadal, Rafael. "Rafael Nadal: My Pre-game Rituals Sharpen My Senses before I Go into Battle." The Telegraph, 16 Aug. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. "What Is Psychology?" What Is Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. Wind, Kasia. "Kasia Wind: Do Weird Sports Superstitions and Rituals Actually Work?" The Huffington Post. N.p., 17 June 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

Nick Allison 10/14/13

Why Athletes should encourage superstitious behaviors (Part 3)

An all-American basketball player at the university of Connecticut, Carson Butler, would drink a two-liter bottle of Mountain dew before every basketball game. In order to preform at his highest level, he relies on the small bottled filled with sugary green soda. Why should athletes have sport rituals and superstitious behaviors? I believe sport rituals and superstitions; give any athlete an extra boast of confidence, a successful established routine, and a more positive outlook. Athletes who believe in their superstitions gain an extra boast of confidence by enacting their superstition to the extreme. For example, if an athlete wears a particular wristband and he believes the wristband gives him greater energy and motivation while competing, he will in all likelihood actually increase his energy and motivation, (Stankovich). Lets say were in the World Series and its the bottom of the ninth innings with two outs. The bas es are loaded and the game-winning run is at the plate. Your next at bat and you can feel the nerves kicking in, and your starting to sweat non-stop. Can you feel the pressure yet? One of the worst things an athlete can do in a high pressure environment is to stop and think about it. At the Olympics, when I see an athlete starting to freeze up, glaze over, and think too much (usually about the dreaded what ifs), (McCann). When the moment comes, athletes need to have a sense of control. Having a ritual, such as hitting the base 3 times with the bat, gives the athlete ultimate control over the situation and mentally prepares the athlete. By establishing their certain ritual,

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an athlete can create an effective routine. Everyone has heard of the phrase practice makes perfect. Routines enable athletes to be completely physically, technically, tactically, and mentally ready to perform their best (Taylor). Sport rituals allow an athlete to recreate a match, experience, sce nario, or successful outcome. Lets say you threw a game-winning touchdown in overtime, because you decided to wear lucky gloves. Now every time you wear your lucky gloves, youre mentality prepares you for another successful game. Turk Wendell, and major league baseball player, shows another example of establishing routines. Among Turk Wendell's more notable quirks was his requirement that he chew four pieces of black licorice while pitching. At the end of each inning, he'd spit them out, return to the dugout, and brush his teeth, but only after taking a flying leap over the baseline (Trex). Amazingly, Wendells ritual gave him the extra support to have continuous winning record seasons. Superstitious behaviors serve as a motivational factor and help athletes gain psychological control in a situation, preparing an athlete with confidence and mental stamina, (Michels). Sometimes athletes need more than their athletic skills to perform during high pressure environments. Sport rituals and superstitions give the extra boast of confidence needed for a high-intensity game. Why would you only rely on you skills, when you can have extra support to guide you through any type of pressured environment?

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Works Cited

Cox, Lauren. "Why Athletes Need Rituals And Superstitions." ABC News, 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. "Examining Why Sports Superstitions "Work" | The Sports Doc Chalk Talk." Web log post. The Sports Doc Chalk Talk. N.p., 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. Pumerantz, Zck. "20 Crazy Sports Stats You Never Knew." Swagger. Bleacher Report, 20 June 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. Taylor, Jim, PH.D. "Sports: Why the World's Best Athletes Use Routines." The Power Of Prime. Psychology Today, 16 July 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. Trex, Ethan. "The 10 Most Bizarre Athlete Superstitions." Mental Floss, 6 Mar. 2008. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.

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