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Baseball Magic Summary

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Individuals participate in rituals for various reasons. As explained in Baseball Magic by George Gmelch, athletes often participate in rituals for superstition-based purposes. These athletes tend to participate in rituals or taboo in order to improve their performance on the field. Alternatively, The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual, written by Richard Sosis, describes that participation in religion-based rituals is often with the intent of improving the communication and cohesion of a group. Although Gmelch introduces ritual participation in the context of individual performance and Sosis in the context of group performance, both authors explain how rituals can benefit a given group or scenario. As an individual who has both witnessed and …show more content…

It was not until I was older that I got more experience participating in rituals that were meant to create overall group community and cohesion. For example, as a member of a Greek organization, I regularly participate in my organization’s ritual, which is meant to bind our members closer. Because I do not participate in any religious practices, my organization’s ritual is the closest thing to religious practices that I have first-hand experience with. In the Greek-community setting, I have never viewed rituals to be “dumb” or “cult-like”, but instead have always viewed them to be unifying activities that motivate members to achieve common goals. This is quite different from how I have often viewed extreme religious …show more content…

Now that I am able to draw a parallel with something I am familiar with, Greek organizations, I understand the importance behind religious rituals. Although it can be easy to question the practices as an outsider, I know first-hand what it feels like to be better connected with other members and the institution as a whole through participating in ritual. I now realize that although some aspects of ritual might seem to be extreme, individuals often come out on the other end with a greater sense of purpose and devotion. As individuals participate in ritual, group morale is often augmented; just like a baseball player’s confidence and enthusiasm might be improved through participating in a daily routine. Reading Gmelch and Sosis’s articles consecutively allowed me to better understand the common elements of a given ritual. Gmelch’s article helped me attribute a humanistic aspect to religious ritual, since I previously understood sports superstition at a deeper level. By combining an idea with which I was familiar with an idea I did not have extensive knowledge of, my understanding of both topics

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