sports
The strange history of baseball’s superstitions: ‘Magic is in the sport’s very structure’
A new book looks at how rituals, charms and curses are central to the identity of America’s pastime
TL;DR
- The Curse of the Billy Goat, which plagued the Chicago Cubs from 1945 to 2016, is a famous example of baseball superstition.
- Author Addy Baird's book, 'The Magical Game,' delves into the history of baseball's superstitions, rituals, and curses.
- The structure of baseball, with its low scoring and the defense having the ball, contributes to a greater element of luck and uncertainty, fostering superstition.
- Historical figures like Connie Mack and Wade Boggs, as well as modern fans and players, have engaged in various superstitious practices.
- Baseball's mythologies and curses, such as the Boston Red Sox's 86-year World Series drought after selling Babe Ruth, are significant narratives within the sport.
- Baird argues that the repetitive nature of the game, like batters facing numerous pitches, enhances the environment for magic to flourish.
- The book examines whether sabermetrics and recent rule changes are diminishing baseball's magic, with Baird ultimately believing the game should evolve.
- Baird, a former politics journalist, also practices astrology and sees connections between different fields of study, like psychology and anthropology, to explain baseball's magical elements.