A certain pair of socks, a synchronized chant on third downs, switching TVs if something ‘bad’ happens …these are a few of the superstitions that rule my sister’s house during Bills’ games. Bull Durham, and other movies, introduced the masses to some pretty wild superstitions in the baseball world, guaranteed to yield winning results if adhered to properly. We can laugh at them, we can go along with them, and in most cases, what’s the harm?
In fact, there’s something to the idea that ritual enhances performance. Students who sit in the same seat to take a test as when they learned the material have an easier time recalling information.