Why Baseball Players Are So Superstitious

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Baseball players do a lot of rituals...and anthropologists of religion have noticed. Some call it superstition, but are there other reasons why athletes might ritualize so many of their behaviors?
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Thumbnail art by @hotcyder
Bibliography:
George Gmelch, "Baseball Magic," Society 8(8) June 1971
Michael Jackson, "Existential Anthropology," 2005.
Xygalatas, "Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living," 2022.
Stanley Tambiah, "The Magical Power of Words," Man, New Series, Vol. 3, No 2 (Jun., 1968), 175-208
Stanley Tambiah, "Form and Meaning of Magical Acts: A Point of View,"
00:00
2:08 Malinowski's uncertainty theory of magic
4:13 Pre-Performance Routines
8:06 Empirical Studies of Sports Magic
11:35 Is it Superstition?
Select images courtesy of Getty

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Becoming Human here: nebula.tv/videos/realscience-how-burial-marks-the-start-of-human-culture?ref=religionforbreakfast

[@Hermit_mouse]

PLEASE! Do a vid on the Bible Code and how people get obsessed with it

[@bhaashatepe5234]

Hi @ReligionForBreakfast what is the definition of religion? I just read a book by Nongbri Brent, "Before Religion, a History of Modern Concept". According to this book, there was no word in the ancient languages that is equivalent to the modern concept of religion. Can you please discuss the evolution of the word RELIGION (as your channel's name is ReligionForBreakfast), please?

[@merthsoft]

As a musician I feel this. PPR is incredibly useful for getting nerves under control before getting on stage. The ritual primes me to get on stage--a physical context switch that tells my body "ok, we're in performance mode now". Would LOVE to see similar studies done on musicians and other performers! Must go searching!

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

that's a great idea

[@WattisWatts]

Someone telling me to "break a leg" seems to work before a gig.

[@johnlagoss5932]

Same! Especially when I'm going to be improvising, I have a very specific set of warmups or I just feel off.

[@fionnpinaparker5332]

There’s a great quote from Trey Anastasio talking about PRP for musical improvisation that goes “it’s ritual and preparation in combination with abandonment.”

[@enemyoftheserpent2632]

Some of us do this in university too. We have rituals we do before exam, like getting a Coke and taking one sip before going in.

[@Liltoxicfoo]

If I do 20 push ups before this commercial ends they’ll win

[@sanguillotine]

I suggest adding 30 more push ups. You need a solid 50, equivalent to the States in the Union, to have a real effect on America’s favorite pastime. And you gotta be wearing the special socks, otherwise it doesn’t count.

[@Liltoxicfoo]

@@sanguillotine I only listen to the baseball gods…

[@hive_indicator318]

My favorite Yogi quote is his response to if he was superstitious. "No! That's bad luck!"

[@TurtleMarcus]

As a teacher of religion and an avid baseball fan, this video was as if specifically tailored to me.

[@mizotter]

As a retired high school teacher, I am now thinking of some of my morning routines as rituals in which I was trying to manage uncertainty! Being faced with a group of 30+ teens every 45 minutes each day can bring a LOT of uncertainty into one's life!

[@desamster]

As an avid baseball fan and someone with a deep interest in spirituality and religion, I greet you.

[@archstanton4365]

Same here!

[@Etaoinshrdlu69]

It's all about stress/anxiety management. Threaten the fear that threatens you with something invisible.

[@Masaru_kun]

As a neuroscientist, I don't think pre-performance routines are always just superstitious, sometimes it has physiological benefits, not just psychological. Sharapova's pre-serve routine is a familiar pattern of movements, a series of muscle memories she's developed that ends in her serve. I think she's controlling the internal factor of her neurons throughout her body when she performing her routine, whether she realizes that or not. This is just a partial explanation of what's going on, because obviously superstition can play a big role. Physiological factors also better explains why Sharapova's routine evolved over her career, because it's a learned routine, and the way she served evolved too. If it was purely superstitious, she's more likely to maintain a particular routine than letting it evolve.

[@arturozuazua323]

Oh yeah! Like the hand gestures in certain types of meditation (made famous in Naruto) that hel your body to quickly get into the mindset, body functions, respiration and heart rate, etc. As well as the mussel memory as you mentioned...

[@Penultimate1785]

​@@arturozuazua323 stop playing roblox

[@brandonrepo5735]

You are corrocet. Supertitius ritual to calm nerves

[@joesickler5888]

My basketball coach in elementary school said to do the same thing, same bounces for free throws. I did it through high school.

[@duranduran3804]

Military Pilots - we each have our own specialized set of pre-flight rituals. They are even passed down from senior pilot to junior. Either overtly taught to the next generation (this kept me alive) or surreptitiously copied from the previous ones (he is still alive, it must work). Particular gear, lucky gloves, specialized order for touching everything in the cockpit, calling a spouse between two pre-takeoff events.

[@odomobo]

I'm a little surprised that the pre-flight checklist isn't a sufficient ritual

[@lnplum]

The line about the distance between "premodern irrationality and modern rationality" being narrower made me want to yell in agreement. We seem to have inherited this European Renaissance assumption that we're at the pinnacle of human development but we've just learnt to rationalize all the irrational things we do and feel smugly superior to "primitive" civilizations while we're literally killing our environment with climate change and late stage capitalism. But God forbid anyone question where we're headed because we can't possibly "go back".

[@Buyingseafood]

As a Sox fan, and a holder of an anthropology degree, Nomar's batting ritual was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his OCD. He drove me nuts, but remined me of similar traits among the older Sicilian-Americans from my community. We come from fishing families as well.

[@jerrycasper614]

And, he made every game about 15 minutes longer than it needed to be. I guess the new rule about players beging ready to hit more quickly now is probably linked to Garcia-type behavior.

[@tomlxyz]

Was it actually OCD? I've heard of people with OCD doing complicated rituals but are those the same type of rituals in the religionous way in this case? I've always thought OCD was "just" a mind thing, although maybe some people interpret their OCD with some higher force?

[@projectc.j.j3310]

Anthropology isn’t a thing

[@UGNAvalon]

@projectc.j.j3310 So what are you doing on an anthropology channel? 😂

[@melissahalle8398]

I see a lot of players of DND have rituals when throwing dice, but the outcome is always random. People have their favorite dice and dice jail for dice they feel is giving bad results.

[@TheYambo121]

My friends sit their dice with the highest number facing up so the "bad luck" settles to the bottom and gives them better rolls

[@ashu21]

*Laura Bailey has entered the chat*

[@skillganon606]

I melted a bunch of plastic dice in a pentagram in an effort to transfer their potential to a metal one. It didn't work, maybe I shouldn't have skipped the goat the recipe called for.

[@Penultimate1785]

​@@skillganon606 what's the original idea from goat?

[@tomlxyz]

Well technically they're not random unless they're completely perfect

[@GreenMonkeyToaster]

Could the "less negative emotions when they mess up" be because those who perform rituals feel like they have done everything they could? Not only performed as well as they could, but also "appealed to fate" as it were, so now the outcome is out of their hands. Whilst those who do not perform the rituals will feel a much higher personal responsibility for the failure? Either way this is so cool! Very folk/ practical magic!

[@masonmurphy1941]

this is a great incite, thank you

[@edanarator7716]

"You see, baseballs have a preset hit limit. Knowing their weakness, I talked to the baseball telling it not to hit" -Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, probably

[@jasper-od3dv]

There's a similar thing in esports! Overwatch League players tend to spam certain actions (punch, spray, jump, etc.) right before a match and during downtime. It apparently helps them keep them focused and alert.

[@TheMCCraftingTable]

In my opinion this also explained people's tendency (here in Indonesia) to pray before a classroom lesson starts, pray before a test/exam, and pray before traveling: It's simply a way to calm their minds. Perhaps even as a non-religious it would still benefit me to create a simple repetitive ritual before a stressful or high-stakes task. Not to pray to a specific deity, just to help me calm down a little bit. Excellent video!

[@NetherStray]

You could probably come up with a poem or quote to recite, maybe a particular song to listen to or sing for yourself. Or even just meditate for a moment.

[@vjara94]

I will always support someone seeking some form of spiritualism or ritual not rooted in orginzed religion, the later can be so exploitative of human needs. For me has been very helpful to just talk to someone else so I can take away my mind of something if is not a necessity being very concentrated in that task or event. And of there is no one I usually talk to myself in my mind make up questions and come up with answers

[@reficulgr]

Why do you think a lot of nihilist, absurdist or other atheist philosophists were smokers? Instant ritual, in your pocket. Absolute zero actual utility, but only harm. Still, it is a very effective ritual behaviour.

[@DashsChannel]

@@reficulgr And yet many with their mindset would not and will not shut up about spirituality being "harmful" because it is not logical, and act like they are fighting some grand moral crusade against "woo" by insulting other peoples' beliefs. Pretty hypocritical if you ask me. I live a pretty hard life and my OCD only adds to that, so I depend on belief in a higher power of some kind. I consider myself agnostic/spiritual-not-religious. I knew a guy who lost almost everything and it destroyed his faith in any form of higher power, and spent much of his time trying to convince me my own rituals and belief in some sort of meaning were bs, and I would be better off if I accepted complete nihilism. He has only added to my OCD about science debunking everything of value. Which, conveniently would drag me even further down to his level. He also drinks heavily and almost died from it multiple times. Probably the closest thing ever to a real-life Rich Sanchez, and I really feel bad for him, even though he always would act condescendingly compassionate towards me for being "deluded" with belief.

[@desamster]

You can create a sacred space for your self. Create a little ritual. Like the cake is in the eating, the prayer lies in the doing. The example you give is the soothing effect. I found a little inspiring text the other day that helps me be a better person.

[@leapofaith97]

I took History of Baseball at Wichita State university with Prof. Driefort, and we spent a good amount of time on this subject, absolutely fascinating stuff.

[@projectc.j.j3310]

Sounds like a cool class

[@bananapooparama6800]

This kinda reminds me of OCD. The feeling of anxiety that can only be put under control by completing a certain ritual.

[@DashsChannel]

OCD sufferer here, and I can confirm these rituals are completely different than OCD rituals. OCD rituals only feed your misery, because they strengthen the mental pattern that keeps the OCD going. These athletes seem to get mostly if not entirely positive experiences from these magic rituals, and I have done (and do) similar rituals, which are completely separate from the torturous "compulsions" OCD sufferers must contend with. Oftentimes my version of 'baseball magic' is to invoke whatever higher power I currently believe in, to deliver me from my OCD compulsions. It doesn't matter if I also go to therapy and take meds for it, for me my magic rituals only enhance the process of recovering from the absolutely debilitating mental illness that is OCD.

[@arturozuazua323]

I was just thinking that! However, I think there is a difference between OCD and autism(at least the newer definitions). In OCD is a compulsion out of your control while the autistic repetition is precisely to regain control specially in the PDA variant. At least what I think..

[@Petruhafication]

Sumo is half ritual/half sport I'd love to see some research on "baseball magic" in Sumo

[@dg1178]

Most of the ritual in sumo is part of the actual sport. It isn't an optional behavior done by players, it's a Shinto ritual that is actually ingrained into the sport itself. The Yokozuna must do their ring-entering ceremony, the ring must have the sake poured into the mound before the match, the purification salt must be thrown in by makuuchi rikishi, etc. It is interesting, but there are plenty of videos already on youtube about the Shinto aspect of sumo.

[@Petruhafication]

@@dg1178 you're right that there a plenty of videos on that, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the unique salt tosses the unique way Ura settles his mind and breathing before a match, how Stampy does his stomps (not shiko), etc.

[@SM-cs2my]

the point about rituals happening in moments of liminality or uncertainty is reminding me of how i treated my dice when my player character was dying in dungeons and dragons this weekend

[@ConradSpoke]

I always had a fairly bigoted attitude about "dumb jocks" doing these things out of pure ignorance. I never saw this as a general phenomenon.

[@ianthompson5324]

I love this. Nothing better than finding out the world is more interesting and complicated than you thought previously.

[@hollisoorebeek6963]

oh this is FASCINATING- as an actor in live theatre, i have very elaborate physical and mental rituals i go through to prepare myself for a performance (and i know for a fact that many of my colleagues do as well). i was always kinda confused by this, because i've never actually *believed* they were doing any kind of magic, but it makes SO much sense that they serve the purpose of easing anxiety and uncertainty and centring yourself to be focused and in the moment! love this channel!! thank you for always helping me think more deeply about religious and ritual practice as an atheist

[@user-un8tv1pp8m]

There was a study don in Japan where professional Kabuki actors had physical and brain activity measuring done during a performance. To even the japanese researchers surprise, it turned out that the highly standardized, often rather stiff acting brought the actual actors to extreme mental states - blood pressure spiking, stress hormone levels shooting up, muscle tension tightening - while from the outside they just stand there waving their hands like it has been done for hundreds of years.

[@MadHatter42]

The same behavior can even be seen in the world of space travel. Astronauts at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (one of the busiest spaceports in the world) have a complex series rituals that are performed before every rocket launch, including a blessing of the rocket by a Russian Orthodox priest, a viewing of a 70's soviet cult film the night before the launch, and pissing on the wheels of the bus that takes astronauts to the launch platform. I guess when you're strapping yourself in the tip of a rocket and using controlled explosions to shoot yourself into space, you need all the ritualistic certainty you can get.

[@toddhollen]

I used to have a bunch of "superstitions" playing hockey as a kid. I never really believed they were magical or anything and realized when I got older that it really was just about ritual and doing things to get my mind and body in the right place before I played.

[@lazmgarcia]

An unexpected crossover of 2 big interests of mine

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

Haha. Me too.

[@Earthshadow4]

I'm autistic. I keep to a routine every day and get very thrown off if my routine changes without enough forewarning for me to mentally prepare myself (like weeks in advance). Any permanent changes it takes me a while to get used to and I'm very on edge while I'm adjusting. I've always tried to explain that it's because routine gives me outcomes I understand and know how to handle in a world that's primarily confusing for me and unpredictable, so superstition being a sort of self-regulating behavior is an interesting thing for me. I've been doing a (very large scale) version of it my whole life in a way.

[@RH_54321]

Sports rituals have always fascinated me. Tim Duncans ball hug is one of my personal favorites.

[@ReikiTora]

Centering yourself before a task is immensely helpful, no matter how you achieve it.

[@ryankohnenkamp8946]

Now do a video on "fan superstitions". Seems like there could be similarities, yet still very different

[@jmanj3917]

12:45 There's also the "muscle memory" aspect of both sports and combat (weapons training). When you practice the exact same routine over and over again (making finer and finer corrections as needed), it can eliminate unnecessary movements, thereby increasing performance. Great video...as a lifelong baseball player and a combat veteran, I found it quite interesting. But I still won't step on the baseline the next time I'm going onto the field...lol

[@rogerhinman5427]

I was on my school's tennis team and I'd perform the same actions before each serve. It would allow me to get control over the pace of the match and get my focus around where I wanted the ball to go, where I anticipated the return was going to be, and how I wanted to return it. It looked ritualistic I'm sure, but there wasn't any vying for a God's favor; it was about controlling and strategizing that set. I think everybody did it in some form or another.

[@GoneZombie]

For sure, it's a muscle memory/headspace thing. Helps to return you to your 'ideal practice condition' serve, even if you're playing on unfamiliar courts or conditions, or you missed lunch that day, etc. I remember being specifically instructed by my coach to develop my own unique routine.

[@rogeriosoares3636]

Yes!! Been consuming a lot of baseball content lately, what a nice surprise

[@jakedesnake97]

I remember watching an interview with Tom Platz (a bodybuilder who probably had the best legs of all times) talking about how he needed to "dominate" the squat rack before beginning a set, usually by stomping one of his foot inside the rack. I've been doing something similar ever since and now it's become almost automatic, but I feel if I stop doing now I'll mess up my squats. Totally agree with the idea that these PPRs build confidence by introducing a level of control in an otherwise fairly uncontrollable situation.

[@MorningStarChrist]

You see a lot of these rituals in sports like skateboarding. Tap the wall three times, spin the skateboard, drop it and pick it up twice. Skate up to the obstical and turn around a few times, pray into your hat

[@mizotter]

You just made me remember a parkour athlete, who, when he is having trouble committing to the challenge, spins around & touches the ground. When he does that, he can't back out and sends it!

[@fruitgh0st]

i used to compete in fencing and my team would always do "sumo yells" where we would do a deep gutteral scream in the general area of only national tournaments we attended! when you specified that ritual comes from high stakes my eyes lit up with remembering this!

[@Gallalad1]

I remember a similar thing in soccer during penalty shootouts. When I was younger I saw the miracle of Istanbul live and how Jerzy Dudek did the spaghetti legs routine. The mental part of it is definitely real.

[@ahobimo732]

Not sure of you're gonna mention this, but I think there's also an element of "priming" that takes place here. The rituals are a way to "boot up" the "program" for the particular performance required. It's a reliable way to access a specific learned behavior that the athlete wants to repeat.

[@AethelwulfBretwalda]

That point was addressed in the discussion of rituals with transparent modes of effect and those that were opaque and didn't seem to have any realistic explanation for why they would work.

[@curley22]

I do have to say that as a baseball player fielders absolutely have superstitions one of them in particular is that when they throw around the horn after a strike out, they do not throw the ball to first base because they believe they only have so many good throws to the first baseman

[@vjara94]

I love your content so much. Fútbol matches are probably the only moments in my life where I come close to being spiritual, performing rituals or seeking the supernatural, by me hoping that screaming to the TV would somehow make my team play less worst.

[@crystallinecrisis3901]

The little rituals we come up with are such a weirdly fun aspect of humans. Even as a kid I’d do stuff like hit the A button every time a pokeball shook thinking that upped my chances of catching Pokémon

[@andrewfornes5320]

Haha, I also had a Pokemon Ritual. I would hold 'Down + B' as soon as the ball closes and would hold them till the pokemon popped out or I caught it. The good old days

[@requemero1994]

I recommend to study the case of so called "cábalas" in football/soccer. There are fans who would watch a hole match from the bath because when they were there, their team scored a goal and for avoiding back luck, they woul stay there. This go for the fans, players and coaches. In the last world cup, a lot of woman wold do magic tricks like "freezing" the players of the other teams putting the name of the player, wrote on a paper, inside the freezer so they would play bad. Crazy as it goes

[@janerkenbrack3373]

I appreciate this explanation very much, but you did fail to mention that lucky hats actually do work.

[@MichaelMiller-tm2os]

I still play amateur baseball at 45 years old. A lot of baseball is repetitive motions, pitching, swinging, catching. Sometimes repeating rituals before doing these repetitive motions keeps the body focused to make sure each repetition is done correctly. Then again, I am not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.

[@timothymulholland7905]

BF Skinner of Harvard taught superstition to pigeons by offering them food at random intervals. The behaviors that occurred immediately before the food was presented tended to be repeated. Over time, ritualistic behavior gained frequency, though they had no causal relationship with the appearance of food. In human terms, what seems to work gets repeated,sometimes obsessively. Religions formalize ways of pleasing their deities.

[@Stoneworks]

This is a fascinating topic to cover, I've even seen beer commercials mention it, but I've never thought to take it academically. Always happy when you upload, Dr. Henry!

[@thelostone6981]

Back when I played baseball, and was superstitious, I always had to have a prime-numbered jersey, NEVER stepped on the chalk lines when taking or coming off the field (as shown @7:10), and had to listen to hard rock band the Scorpions before each game. (Can you roughly guess my age? 😂). I was never any good and didn’t get pass high school, but I did those and it seems really puerile now that I’m older. So yeah, it’s a very interesting and I’m not surprised people have studied these. And burial rituals confound me also…so that would be another good video idea!

[@llydrsn]

There are also fans who employs superstition in order for their favorite team to end losing streaks or to continue winning streaks. One team that brought things to the extreme: the 2013 Boston Red Sox. They grew their beards throughout the playoffs en route to the World Series. There is some superstition involved there (I think it was Johnny Gomes who said that as long as they are winning, they will never shave), but I think that ritual was more of a team wide bonding session that made them feel closer.

[@garywait3231]

An excellent presentation (as always!) of precisely why I find sports colossally uninteresting. By the way, actors and musicians have a spate of such rituals, too.

[@traildoggy]

I get it. Even as a very amateur skier I have a certain way I like to deal with my feet and socks and the clips on my boots. I don't fret over it, but I just sort of developed a habitual way to get clipped in to everything nice and tight, and I rarely vary the order. It helps to get me 'in the zone' so I can let gravity take over. If I was in any way an actual competitor I could easily see the use of such rituals being sort of mandatory. We love the comfort zone of familiar patterns.

[@Catssonova]

I love this topic. Religion isn't separate from our daily life routines if we consider all the ritual action we perform regularly

[@russell2910]

Religion is cohersive

[@Squirrelmind66]

On the uncertainty and tension in sports, there’s an interesting quote from the film Run Lola Run: the ball is round, the game lasts ninety minutes. Everything else is just theory.

[@mikesummers-smith4091]

There are interesting parallels with the other sport in which the defence has the ball: cricket. The consequence of getting it wrong is much more severe in baseball: a fastball down the middle is likely to get hit out of the park; and if the batter doesn't connect he may not get another chance. In cricket, no single play is as decisive (except for a batsman missing a straight one). Superstition is less common in cricket than baseball, but it exists. I distinguish between routine, in which a player sets himself up for each play (baseball) or ball (cricket) to get his mind in order, and superstition, which is irrational. Two examples. Eng;and international wicketkeeper Jack Russell wore the same increasingly battered hat throughout his 24-year career. England international Chris Old would back away as the ball was bowled (this is generally not a good idea); in one tense match, his teammates in the dressing room jammed the handle of a cricket bat up his backside on the television screen to stop him doing it.

[@romanmay2867]

this is just a single example but often times i’ll toss something and if i think about it i will likely miss a little bit, but if i do it “without thinking” i will almost always hit it right on, aspect of zen

[@SmithFriscoFamily]

Family member was a paratrooper. Each guy had his own icon, routine or whatever before a jump.

[@gabrivalen5435]

OOOooh you could do one for every sport really!! It'd be super interesting

[@prodgiveblood]

As someone who practices black magik I agree with this for many reasons, the main one being I used to play baseball as a child😂

[@NicoleBolas]

Thank you! I've been waiting for you to cover baseball for so long! Well done. Kudos!

[@TheForeignersNetwork]

Another wonderful video Andrew! Keep it up

[@cluesagi]

Very interesting as always!

[@coolmanjack1995]

Not the channel I was expecting a video on this topic from but very much enjoy it!

[@skitzcrasher]

Great stuff! Keep it up brother!

[@lilajaned9933]

omg i am so excited to watch this! i love your channel and baseball is by far my favorite sport. 💞 thanks for all you do :)

[@lourias]

Great topic!

[@MikeCheckProductions]

This is one of the best videos I have ever seen about sports in general. Absolutely fascinating work!

[@jackthomson1603]

I think sometimes the more anthropology-related videos get less views, but these are some of my favorite ones! thank you!

[@anthonymignogna4703]

When the best players only succeed 30% of the time, you’ll take all the help you can get

[@empatheticrambo4890]

This is fascinating

[@l.a.gothro3999]

Thank you so much for making this video. This is a subject that just fascinates me. I also like your shirt.

[@eseguerito2629]

Amazing video. This felt like an actual magic lesson and it was all logic and reason.

[@cameronvansant2108]

I definitely noticed Rafa's tennis ritual as a tennis fan, but I had no idea about Serena's! (Even though I'm a Serena fan!) Fascinating.

[@halfdeadfish]

I love this channel so much

[@baxterwilliams2170]

This channel is a blessing to the world

[@JohnBrownDidNothingWrong]

One of my favorite channels talking about my favorite sport.

[@MaraLaBruja]

Hi! I really love your videos and would like to ask if you can make a video on the Cult of Exu or Quimbanda 🔱 🔥? There really isn't much information about this cult that can be found in English. It would be really amazing if we could get a descriptive informational video from you on the topic 😊❤ thanks and ashé! 🙏🏼 😌

[@kosakos1999]

Read about this in my anthropology course last year. Very interesting!

[@BobbyHill26]

I’m a powerlifter and have my own PPRs that I perform in the gym, but I feel like it has more practical physical effects than completely mental ones, in this scenario. If I were, for example, bench pressing at 90% of my one repetition max, and I were to just lay on the bench, get into position and go, it’s entirely likely that I will fail, even though it’s 10% less than what I can actually do. But if I go through my PPR, I have a much stronger and more focused connection with my muscles and at the end of the routine, every part of my body is exactly where I need it to be and every muscle has the exact amount of tension it needs to perform the movement optimally. It is basically impossible to get in that state without going through some sort of routine to put yourself there. And it’s the same with squats or deadlifts. If I don’t go through my “ritual” then what should be a perceived exertion of like 8/10 becomes a 10/10. It really does make the difference between failing at a weight intended to be a warmup or hitting a new personal record or adding 2-3 reps.

[@simbaonsteroids8836]

Great video, really refreshing but still on brand content. Thanks for not mentioning the Yips.

[@WSFM_Rex]

As an anthropology major and Detroit Tigers fan i had to add this to my favorites playlist, excellent video

[@projectc.j.j3310]

Anthropology isn’t a thing

[@WSFM_Rex]

@@projectc.j.j3310 alright well you can google it and figure it out that it is a “thing” that’s not a term i just made up lol

[@wrecker132]

Great video! Mark Fidrych is still beloved by tigers fans, even ones like me who weren’t born until long after his playing career was over. His performance and the crowds reaction to his Monday Night Baseball outing against the Yankees is a phenomenon. No crowd has ever been that receptive of a single player. I highly recommend that everybody who loves baseball to watch the final out of that game

[@spaguettoltd.7933]

This video is so freakin good

[@pizzaguy552]

A video I needed but never knew I did

[@dogeclark2265]

I’ve had this happen to me when I was an avid hockey goalie. I would always smack both posts with my stick when the direction of the puck changed towards me. It clocked me into the game and made sure I was paying attention. And there were warmup rituals that spread between goaltenders of different age groups, like different patterns of slides while warming up based on where you trained.

[@user-sc7wb9dg7v]

The mention of purification rituals at the end (14:26) made me think of how some people say "they made me feel so uncomfortable, I felt the need to take a shower after talking to them". Or how I would sometimes feel the need to take a shower after returning home even if I was outside for a short while and showered before going out. Before I always thought of this in the contex of mental illness. I wonder how the ideas in this video relate to the rituals and routines of people with OCD or on the autism spectrum.

[@TheBeird]

Makes me think of that line from Ace Ventura when the Dolphins owner talks about a player who has worn the same jockstrap every game because he thinks “flies are lucky.” You know, that oft quoted line from the Jim Carrey film not spoken by Jim Carrey

[@brunocoliveira89]

Thank you so much for another brilliant and rich video. A question: do you have any content on Taiwanese religion and superstitions?

[@michaeljurney8354]

This is super noticeable in the archery world. Every person has a very specific 'ritual' from pulling the arrow, nocking it, lifting the bow, drawing the bow, aim, release. but its not superstition.

[@PuddingPop41]

Wow RfB meets baseball! Worlds collide!!!

[@Conankun66YT]

i don't watch baseball (not american), but i do watch a lot of football(the good one) and this is EXTREMELY common there. besides players often crossing themselves or making the muslim praying gesture, which are just religious, there are tons of little superstitions players engage in. besides the ball kissing you showed, one of THE most common rituals is players hopping onto the field on one leg to make sure they enter the field on their RIGHT foot, believing the left foot to be unlucky. there are a lot of other ones, especially around freekicks and penalties.

[@samuelfinley9453]

This video has me thinking about my own sport, powerlifting. Many powerlifters have a pre-lift routine that is often different for each of the 3 competitive lifts (squat, bench, and deadlift). I've found for myself, it's a mental thing AND a sensory thing. If anything feels "off," even hand placement on the bar or the bar on my back, I think the lift will be harder. And it mentally takes more energy to execute it to the same standard I usually do. So it's definitely for self-regulation, regardless of how "spiritual" or "fantastical" some of it may seem.

[@athomeforever-_-]

Took me less then 3 minutes to make my mind up to subscribe. Pretty awesome channel 👍 gonna check out more Videos after 😅

[@lutilda]

Very interesting! Also makes me think of cognitive psychology phenomenon of environmental cues triggering non-conscious reactions (ex: Pavlov's dogs). Which applies as: if you want to stop a bad habit, or start a good habit, you should rearrange your furniture to trigger the response you want. So theoretically, if you always do a ritual before performing well at a sport, it may trigger the body/brain to unconsciously perform well.

[@user-qb1se6xc8v]

Something really interesting about the “ritual” Basketball players do before shooting a free throw, is that players are told when young “you need to find the free throw routine that works for you” and if a player isn’t making free throws at the rate they should, people will suggest you change your free throw routine and see if that helps. Not sure how bouncing the ball 4 times and spinning it in your hand would help the ball go in the hoop but it just does! It’s so ingrained into the culture no one gives it a second thought.

[@randallcraft4071]

I wonder how these have been effected in the MLB with the pitch clock being added to speed up the game, and if these rituals were being blamed as the reason the game is slow and they are losing viewership.

[@nunomartins2209]

As someone with ocd this related alot to me. Not only, as someone who saw Portugal win the 2016 euro and many important games people develop rituals and get super stressed, some would even apear "possessed" kinda the same way people tap screens and do stuff while playing roulette, one time I was watching a football game and a guy went to the bathroom and my team scored, after that it happened again, so when he went the third time everyone was super supersticiouse thinking we would score again and I don't remember what happened after but that's just a example of things that happen

[@peterkeleher]

well this is a weird crossover that i didnt know i wanted

[@welcometonebalia]

Thank you.

[@logand488]

we just talked about this in my sorcery/anthropology class!!!

[@SirCoughsalot]

I love your shirt.

[@GordonLonghouse]

This links to the behaviour of soldiers in combat. Subject to seeming random chance of losing their life, they are notorious for using amulets and good luck rituals to try and move the odds in their favour. Hence the saying that “There are no atheists in a foxhole”.

[@8bitorgy]

Mike Schmidt would always draw the symbol of David in his dugout before every at bat after it once helped him break a hitting slump. Arguably one of the best overall hitters of all time.

[@HissoriRenda]

Great topic love seeing these superstition focused episodes