George Sullivan - Dont Step on the Foul Line: Sports Superstition
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Published by The Millbrook Press, Inc. 2 Old New Milford Road Brookfield, Connecticut 06804 www.millbrookpress.com
Copyright 2000 by George Sullivan All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 654321
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sullivan, George, 1933 Don't step on the foul line: sports superstitions / George Sullivan; illustrated by Anne Canevari Green. p. cm. Includes index. Summary: Describes a variety of superstitions observed by athletes in such sports as baseball, hockey, tennis, and football. ISBN 0-7613-1558-6 (lib. bdg.) 1. Baseball playersAttitudesJuvenile literature. 2. SuperstitionJuvenile literature. [1. SportsFolklore. 2. Superstition.] I. Green, Anne Canevari, ill. II.Title. GV863.A1 S893 2000 796.357dc21 00021483
Page 3
Introduction
"Honestly, I don't have any superstitions," Bill Madlock, a lifetime .300 hitter with the Cubs, Pirates, and several other major-league baseball teams, once said.
But after he thought about it for a moment or two, Madlock admitted that if he didn't tap home plate with his bat three times before the pitch, he couldn't hit. And he would always walk behind the umpire when getting into the batter's box.
Madlock also conceded that when he wanted to warm up his throwing arm, he always sought out a teammate who was hitting well.
Page 4
Bill Madlock was not unusual. Routines and rituals, and charms and omens, are as much a part of sports as sweating and chewing gum.
Most athletes don't like to admit they're superstitious, however. Question a player about what seems to be an unusual habit, and he or she is likely to shrug and say, "Sure, I do things in a certain way every day. But I'm not superstitious. I just have a 'routine.'"
Other players call them "habits" or "procedures." Whatever they're called, it comes down to the same thingsuperstition.
Superstition is a belief or practice that is not based upon any law of nature or anything else that is true or reasonable. Believing that 13 is an unlucky number is a common superstition. But there is no logical reason to believe that 13 is any different from 9 or 14 or any other number.
Why are people superstitious? Why do they carry lucky charms or believe in the power of certain numbers?
A superstition is a crutch, a prop. It helps to get one through a difficult situation. It helps to relieve anxiety.
This is particularly true in sports. Take baseball, for instance. Because pitched or batted balls travel uncertain paths, a player is never sure what's going to happen in a game. A pebble in the infield or a bad call by an umpire can affect the outcome of a crucial game.
There is also the fear factor, the anxiety a batter experiences at the idea of facing a 95-mile (153-km) per hour fastball. A batting helmet helps to ease the fear. Some athletes believe that tapping home plate three times or taping a lucky penny in a shoe is also helpful.
"Superstitious behavior helps athletes prepare for a game," says an article in PsychologyToday, "and gives them a sense of control over weather, injury, and bad luck."
Page 5
A scientific study has shown this to be true for all people. Years ago, anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski studied the people of the Trobriand Islands off the coast of eastern New Guinea. He found that islanders who fished in the lagoon, where there was little danger and plenty of fish, got by on their skills. But those who fished in the open ocean, where danger lurked and fish were fewer, turned to superstitious practices to help them.
Page 6
Each sport has its own superstitions. Baseball players are superstitious about stepping on the foul lines or certain bases. The great Willie Mays, for instance, always stepped on first base on his way to his position in the outfield.
Who's Superstitious? Who Isn't?
The more important the event, the more likely the participants are to rely on superstitions. During spring training in baseball and in preseason football games, players don't pay much attention to superstitions. But in the World Series or Super Bowl, it is a very different story.
That's one of the findings of several of the dozen or so studies of athletes that have been conducted by university professors in the United States and Canada.
According to the studies, age and experience relate to superstition. The older the players and the longer they have played as first-stringers, the more likely they are to be superstitious.
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