How superstitions in sports provide more than "luck"
Whether you follow football, soccer, basketball, tennis or hockey, superstition plays an important part in sports, as both athletes and supporters attempt to give themselves and their team good luck with certain rituals.
In hockey, for instance, growing a beard during the playoffs and shaving it only when the team is eliminated or tapping the goalie’s shin pads before a game are two rituals that are supposed to ensure success to the team. In general, these beliefs come from past experiences. After a fan threw an octopus on the ice of the Detroit Red Wings' stadium, and that the team went on to sweep the playoffs, Detroit fans took the habit of throwing octopuses during games.
Oftentimes, these traditions emerge from the local cultures. Rugby players from the New-Zealand national team perform a dance, the haka, before every game. For them, this tribe dance originally performed during celebrations and before going to war scares their opponent but also gives them luck.
When watching these rituals, I couldn't quite understand how they were supposed to work nor why the athletes and fans sticked to them. It turns out these practices are beneficial even if they may not bring luck. First, they give self-confidence to the players. Having to deal with constant pressure during games, players feel unbreakable if they think fate is on their side. Psychologically, this gives them the belief that they can accomplish anything, and motivates them for the game. For the fans, these traditions are rooted in the spirit of the team, and they bring the supporters together, forging a larger and more dynamic community. For both athletes and fans, superstitions show an attempt to control what happens in the game, especially how the other team plays. The will for such control goes however beyond the world of sports.
Since the beginning of the ages, humans have wanted to assert their control over nature and events that do not depend on them. At first, the Greeks and Romans created an utilitarian religion, in which they revered the gods only because the Gods could be in their favor. Nowadays, we attempt to control every aspect of our lives, from setting alarm clocks to regulate our sleeping time to building dams to modify the progression of rivers. In fact, the idea of not being in control scares us, as we don’t know what to expect. As a result, some of us will attempt to dominate nature while others will turn to religion in order counter this feeling of insecurity.
So when you look more into it, superstitions in sports are more than just rituals bringing luck, as they provide self-confidence through a feeling of control for a player, which in turn allows him to play at his best.
Am I the only one who read 'tuck' in the title instead of luck? @tuck-fheman is reaching subliminal levels LOL #funny
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