1. RITUALS & SUPERSTITIONS
IN SPORT
PEP 540 – Dr. Martinez
Presented by Cody Martinez & DustyYoung
5/7/14

2. Ritual Theory
 Theory of ideas that explains the social
existence and influence of religious ideas
 Stresses that the primacy of religious
behavior is born through emotional
experiences and past traditions
 Is sport looked at as a religion? If so, how?

3. Rituals & Superstitions
 Ritual – a sequence of activities, which when
performed regularly, is believed to lead to
certain results
 Superstition – unusual, repetitive , rigid
behavior that is perceived to have a positive
effect by the individual

4.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mttHlV1WjMk
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mttHlV1WjMk
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDg1UO6X0KRjc&v=g1UO6X0KRjc

5. How many of you have had your own
rituals/superstitions while competing in sport?

6. Locus of Control
 Internal Control
 Individuals are inclined to see events as the
consequence of their actions
 External Control
 Individuals are inclined to see the same events as
unrelated to their actions and rather as a
consequence of luck, chance, fate, or power

7. Perceived Benefits of
Rituals & Superstitions
 Why do you think athletes have
rituals/superstitions?
 Perceived higher performance
 More control of the situation
 Heightened awareness
 Alleviates stress/anxiety
 Religious Rituals
 Promotes well being and adds greater significance
to meaning

8. Why are some athletes more
superstitious than others?
 Research shows that superstitious individuals
are less self-confident and experience a
higher level of psychological tension before a
match than do less superstitious persons
 Is this true?

9. Ritual Theory & Everyday Life
 Athletes tend to have a very organized way of
life, thus everyday agendas can be looked at
as ritualistic
 Days normally do not bring about unusual or
unfamiliar situations
 If an athlete does something different and
performs well, they will usually remember
and repeat it
 Examples?

10. Possible consequences
 Obsessive (OCD)
 Performing rituals during contests that could lead
to distraction and cause detriment to
performance
 Karate practitioner lowering guard due to ritual
 Too many rituals
 Establish so many rituals/use of superstitious
activities causes harm to performance/body
 Examples: too reliant on these beliefs instead of
ability, time consuming, diet, “untouchable”

11. Limitations/Weaknesses
 Most research focuses on individual behavior
whereas most sports are team driven
 Most research done based on hypothetical
situations/discussion instead of “in-the-
moment behaviors”
 No measure to determine how/if
rituals/superstitions actually affect individual
performance or game outcome

12. References
 Maranise, A. (2013). Superstition & religious ritual: an examination of their effects and utilization in
sport. The Sport Psychologist. 27, 83-91.
 Schippers ,M. &Van Lange, P. (2006). The psychological benefits of superstitious rituals in top
sport: a study among top sportspersons. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 36, 10, 2532-2553.
 Zivanovic, N., Randelovic N., & Savic Z. (2012). Superstitions and rituals in modern sport. APES. 2, 220-
224 .
 Bell, C. (1992). RitualTheory Ritual Practice. NewYork, NY. Oxford University Press