Elizabeth Quinn, at About.com Guide, asks the question, “Why do so many athletes have superstitions and rituals?” Quinn explains, “A ritual is a certain behavior or action that an athlete performs with the belief that these behaviors have a specific purpose or power to influence their performance.” She continues with the power of superstition in sports stating, “Superstition is generally something initially developed in hindsight, almost by accident and then required in future events.”
Superstitions, fans, lucky objects or charms all go hand and hand. For the athletes it can boost their level of confidence and possibly help them to perform better, and for the fans, it gives them “hope”, (along with a lot of fun) that maybe they just might have the “power” to will their team to victory!
This Sunday around the nation, families and friends will gather together for their ritual Super Bowl parties. Along with great food, fun and big screen TV’s, there’s bound to be a lot of positive energy as everyone brings out their lucky horseshoes, gets seated in their “special chair”, and puts on their lucky jersey. What about you? What are some of your pre-game or during game lucky charms, rituals or superstitions that you just can’t live without?
Comments