Baseball is America’s pastime. When you think of baseball, you think of pitching, hitting, and maybe even sunflower seeds. However, there are other aspects about baseball besides pitching, hitting, and fielding. These aspects include the different routines, rituals, taboos, and even fetishes that different ball players have. All of these extra elements of baseball comprise the magic in baseball. This magic is sometimes hidden, but also sometimes seen plainly on television. These routines and taboos aren’t just used by players, but coaches as well. There is another whole side to baseball that many people may have seen, but not have understood. I’m sure people who manage a fantasy baseball team have their own rituals that they use before a game.
My interest in this topic stems from being a sports fan, and a regular viewer of baseball as well. I have always seen weird rituals now and again but never questioned why. I was looking to find taboos in sports, and I found that baseball is the best sport to find numerous rituals taking place in both dugouts alike.
My goal is to meet with the head baseball coach of Pierce College, John Bushart, and ask to interview him on these superstitions of baseball. I will have a list of questions related to my topic prepared. The next step is to ask him if there are any specific players I can interview with some strange or outlandish taboos or superstitions that they use when playing the game of baseball. Hopefully I can talk to a top pitcher or hitter and see what helps them throughout their season, other than batting and pitching practice.
I am still in search of an expert on this matter. This subject dabbles in the anthropology field so I am currently searching for a professor at either Pierce College or CSUN that has some information behind the matter. My last resort to find an expert would be the psychology route. The baseball magic, which I will discuss involves a lot of abnormal behavior, to say the least. This means I will seek out a behavioral or abnormal psychologist at either Pierce College or CSUN to discuss these matters as well.
Baseball magic is a taboo in the sports world that rarely gets talked about. My goal is to expose these rituals to be able to share with the world by using our very own baseball team at Pierce College.