ANTH - Conformity - Baseball Magic

Similarity between rituals in baseball

shows that there is a lot of similarity between rituals in baseball and what "so-called" primitive people do with what Westerners call "magic" -controlling the uncontrollable -"civilized" societies have magic too

In "Baseball Magic," George Gmelch argues that magic is most often associated with fielding in American baseball.

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Taboos

A restriction on behavior imposed by social custom.

Summary of Chapter ( while reading )

Gmelch (1971) shows how American baseball players, much like the Trobriand islanders, use magic to manage anxiety generated by uncertainty and to ensure success. -Magic is more common in the activities of pitching and hitting than in fielding, which like Trobriand open-sea fishing, depend as much upon skill as upon the ineptitude of the opposition, and upon luck. -Baseball magic includes rituals, taboos and fetishes. -Players ritualized any activity that they somehow link to good performance. A pitcher might listen to the same song on the Walkman on days he is to pitch, and a batter might tap the home plate three times before each innings. -When in a slump, players often change their routines to shake off bad luck. A player might switch from wearing contact lenses to wearing glasses. The breaking of certain taboos — such as stepping on foul lines, watching movies or shaving on game days — are believed to generate undesirable outcomes. -The fetishes that are somehow imagined to embody luck include coins, crucifixes, items of clothing, or certain numbers. Their use often coincides with a streak of good fortune. -Younger players might use the number of a former star, wishing to achieve the same success. -Gmelch (1971) argues that baseball magic does not make a pitch travel faster, or a batted ball find the gaps between fielders, but gives practitioners a sense of confidence and control.

How does George Gmelch describe the difference between the two cultures:

Gmelch is describing the difference between two cultures; he uses American Baseball and the Trobriand Islanders. The baseball players use magic, including ritual, taboos, and fetishes to control their anxiety about loss of control generated by unpredictable events.

How does George Gmelch compares the Trobriand fishermen to the U.S. baseball athletes?

He uses a fishing story that involves two different opportunities for fishing. One being risky and out in the rough water, where the catch was far a few between. The other, was in the lagoon, which was safe and provided much fish. These fishermen did not need to use any sort of ritual for the calm lagoon, as they depended on their skills and intellect. On the other hand, they did need to call upon some magical thinking when it came to the rougher environment. In which they had no control over.

George Gmelch describes :

In "Baseball Magic" by George Gmelch, describes how the players have certain rituals they perform before a game as to keep their good luck flowing.

Magic in Baseball

Magic is particularly evident in baseball, where George Gmelch (1978, 2001) describes a series of rituals, taboos, and sacred objects. Like Trobriand sailing magic, these behaviors serve to reduce psychological stress, creating an illusion of magical control when real control is lacking. -Examples of pitchers' magic include tugging one's cap between pitches, touching the resin bag after each bad pitch, and talking to the ball.

During one season when Gmelch was playing baseball, he refrained from eating pancakes. This is an example of what anthropologists call

Taboo

Magic, according to Malinowski, occurs in response to

anxiety

When it comes to baseball players and their rituals, they use these:

because they feel it helps with having a successful performance every time. These are mainly associated with pitching and hitting because these activities have the highest degree of chance, and fielding does not. When a player has a great home run, he will try to do the same thing he did prior to that home run. He may eat chicken or wear a long sleeve green shirt, or wear dirty underwear. Obviously the rituals and superstitions of baseball do not will anything to happen, or bring in the "Big" fish. What they do however, is give their believer a sense of control, and the added confidence they may need to succeed. If they believe it helps then it will.

Fetishes

objects believed to have magical power