The Importance Of Superstitions In Sports

In 1978, the Red Sox held a 14-game lead in the American League East over the Yankees on July 18. However, the Yankees subsequently caught fire, eventually winning the division by  three games. In the 1986 World Series, Boston took a 5–3 lead in the top of the 10th inning. Red Sox reliever Calvin Schiraldi retired the first two batters, putting the team within one out of winning the World Series. However, the New York Mets scored three runs and winning it when Boston first baseman Bill Buckner allowed a ground ball to roll through his legs. In 2003, the Red Sox were playing the Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Boston held a 5–2 lead in the eighth inning, and Boston opted to stay with starting pitcher Pedro Martínez rather than go to the bullpen. New York rallied against the tired Martínez, scoring three runs on a single and three doubles to tie the game. Then in bottom of the 11th inning, Aaron Boone launched a solo home run to win the game and the pennant for the Yankees. Similar to Boston, Chicago had The Curse of the Billy Goat. The curse was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise in 1945 by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis that lasted from 1945-2016. Between that 1908 triumph, which was the Cubs ' second world championship (they 'd also won the Series in 1907) Before the “curse” Chicago had won national League Pennants in 1910,

What is a curse? A curse could be defined as anything negative wished upon a person or place. So is it possible that an entire franchise be cursed? Well this is the case for one Major League baseball club, the Chicago Cubs. It has been over 100 years, 1908, since the Cubs have won the World Series. With many many great teams since then and no World Championships, is it too much to think that maybe, just maybe this franchise, is cursed? Well from the Billy goat in 1945 to the black cat in 1969 and Steve Bartman in 2003, many unfortunate events have occurred that have led many to believe that in fact the Chicago Cubs franchise is cursed.

It 's adding insult to injury." (ESPN) It is not an honor to be on the front of a jersey or the name of a big league team it’s a constant reminder of what one has gone through and how they will continue to be under valued in society.

The Chicago Cubs had not won a World Series since 1908. They also broke a curse that was set the last time they got this far 71 years ago. On October 6, 1945, a month after the end of World War II, a Chicago tavern owner named William "Billy" Sianis went to Wrigley Field, intending to attend Game 4 of the World Series with his pet goat, Murphy. According to the Billy Goat Tavern website, while both had tickets, the goat was denied entry. No animals were allowed in the ballpark, plus Murphy smelled bad. Sianis, according to legend, threw up his arms and proclaimed, "The Cubs ain't gonna win no more.” The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field." They had not won since. Until now. The Chicago Cubs

Sports are extremely popular around the world and only get more popular as time goes on. Sports is on television (TV), in the news, in the newspaper, and online. It only makes sense that this is the case. A sporting event is the ultimate drama. The variability of a game is what gets people so into it. Sports can tell a story, and teach great life lessons as well as inspire people. If sports are that important to the people around the world who watch it, just think about how important sports are to the ones who actually play it and coach it. It is their passion, their persona, their life. With the media’s harsh expectations of teams today, unless a team wins a championship, they are deemed unsuccessful. Since expectations are so high,

Earlier this week, the Chicago Cubs won their first World Series since 1908. In his recent article, “What is the Chicago Cubs' billy goat curse?,” Ray Sanchez describes how one man, Bill Sianis, pronounced a curse on the Chicago Cubs in 1945. In 1945, Sianis purchased one ticket for himself and one ticket his pet goat, Murphy. When his goat was not allowed into the game he cursed the team and said "The Cubs ain't gonna win no more!”

I think the desire to be part of a group plays a large part of that loyalty. Belonging to a group, no matter what group it may be, cause a strong feeling of loyalty to that group. Whether they realize it or not, sports fans may not care as much about the team’s players as they do being a part of the fan base as a whole. It is easy for others to follow along when their friends are fans, because they also develop a sense of belonging to that group. Alcohol consumption is obviously what fuels the fire, both literally and figuratively, of rioting fans. However, the significance that fans place on the teams causes them to react more wildly and emotionally. The more significant a group is to them, the more lengths they will go to for it. Even after realizing these factors that go into fan’s loyalties, their actions can still be shocking to those that are on the outside. It seems that sports fans do not look at their teams as entertainment, but as close members of the same group that they feel loyal

In a nutshell, many sports teams believe winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. Honestly, this is completely invalid. First, winning isn't a life or death situation. By losing, a team not only learns the concept of sportsmanship but also grows as a hole. After all, a famous person once said, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Second, playing a sport is supposed to be enjoyable- having fun is more important than winning 24/7. Third and finally, accepting defeat builds character. Ghandi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the

According to Dr. Lee he closer the game, the more the connection between heart, and brain. With this being said the worse a team is, the more games will result in nail-biting wins, or loses. For example, let’s take a team this year that has been claimed to be “tanking” this season. The Boston Celtics have traded away star players Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and all star point guard Rajon Rondo is out with a torn ACL. With a loaded draft class coming into the NBA next year losing seems like a good idea for the Celtics. Lets take a look at the games played by the Celtics this season. A stretch of ten games in November the Celtics record is 4-6 with three losses by more than ten points. However, the other seven games were all within ten points, which is considered a close game. The bottom line is, when a team is tanking the more close games occur, resulting in the link between the brain and the heart reaction stronger, which in a rare case, can kill a loyal fan.

According to Lapham, sports promise positive abstractions like innocence, hope, and good overcoming evil. However, sports fans are oblivious to these illusional unkept promises.

A team may lose as Jackson illustrated, however the intrinsic love of the game is present. Professional athletes, stock brokers, lawyers all work hard some win and some lose but they get paid because they have learned to play the game; and do not simply show up. I think Jacksons comment is short sighted due to his thought that a child and a professional athlete understand the same principals in life; with a child you are laying a foundation for their future and with a pro-athlete they know what it takes to work

Although some feel that it’s much more than a game, I believe that sports fans go too far because they get so attached that they riot and brawl, they skip school and work, and they even commit suicide. First of all, sports fans riot on the streets. In “Do sports fans go too far?”, Sam Apple states, “It looked like a war zone. Angry mobs ran through the streets hurling rocks and smashing storefronts” (10). In this quote, angry mobs and riots were storming the streets destroying the city.

In world of sports, magic plays a big part in not only the lives of those participating in the games, but of those spectating as well. In the reading, “Baseball Magic”, Gmelch(2012) describes magic as, “practices, notably the use of rituals, taboos and fetishes or good luck charms, designed to gain control over the supernatural p(267).” Many players in the game of baseball have multiple different rituals or good luck charms they use every day in order to achieve the peak performance. Most commonly, players use these the most when on the pitcher’s mound or in the batter’s box. These are the most difficult tasks in baseball and the players will take any good luck they can get in order to perform at the top of their game. In the article ritual is defined as “prescribed behaviors in which there is no empirical connection between the means and the desired end (Gmelch 268).” Even though these actions do not have any direct correlation to how the players perform, these players still practice them habitually because they believe that they will play better. Gmelch, describes in his article, how Wade Boggs would eat chicken before every single game in his major league career because he believed it would help him achieve optimum performance in the game later that day. Good luck charms, or fetishes are also very common in baseball. Many believe that these objects coincide with their good performance, thus many players keep these good luck charms with them. One example that I thought was

Almost every football player has their own pre-game ritual. Some serve as a superstitious habit, while mine serves as a remembrance and honoring. I wear a shirt. It is an ordinary looking shirt to the guys in the locker room, but a symbol of dedication and commitment to me. The fading navy blue color and the fist-size hole on the lower right side emphasizes its lengthy history. The word "INSTRUCTOR" has been slowly peeling away on the back, and the seams continue to fray. On the front, atop the heart, are the words "PHOENIX RAVEN" in a circular formation. This shirt belongs to Mike Desmond: a Special Ops instructor, an Air Marshal, a leader, a father figure.

One culture, superstition affects is baseball. It is a sport with a long and various histories of that fretful and wonderful thing called superstition. From the infamous Curse of the Bambino - I’m sure you’ve watched ‘The Sandlot’ - to some players ' refusal to wash their soiled, pungent uniforms after a win. Superstition is present in a colossal part of baseball, even kissing a necklace as well as raising a finger to the sky is a superstition used for good luck. Many baseball players, fielders, batters along with pitchers, put on extensive, repetitive routines before they take the field due to illogical beliefs. For example, the desire to