Baseball Player = Opera Diva?

In Anthro this week we read at article by George Gmelch entitled “Baseball Magic.” Gmelch discusses the rituals, taboos and fetishes that can be found within the world of baseball. He argues that “obviously the rituals and superstitions of baseball do not make a pitch travel faster or a batted ball find the gaps between the fields…what both do however is give their practitioners a sense of control, with the added confidence, at no cost” (Gmelch 185). As I was reading this article I realized that this world of rituals and taboos greatly applies to my own life. But the rituals, taboos and fetishes I witness have nothing do to with baseball - they are part of the world of performers. Although at first glance a professional baseball player and an opera diva seem to have nothing in common, but their superstitions provide similarities between the two very different professions.

Gmelch states that routines are comforting and at times produce tangible benefits. But Gmelch argues that what players often do goes beyond mere routine, “their actions become what anthropologists define as ritual – prescribed behaviors in which there is no empirical connection between the means and the desired end” (Gmelch 182). He says that rituals are not rational are most often irrational. A player may ritualize any activity – eating, dressing, driving to the ballpark – that he considers important or somehow linked to good performance. But baseball players are not the only professionals to have rituals; performers practice many rituals before shows. There are specific rituals every singer does while preparing for a performance; they may eat (or not eat) a specific food, wear a certain undergarment, use the same lipstick or drink the same type of tea from the same mug. Singers feel that by doing practicing these rituals they will perform well. Similarly to baseball players, when success is achieved by a performer it is attributed to the food she ate, or the hair tie she used – and by repeating this behavior before every concert or show the singer seeks to gain control over her performance.

I think the most common superstitions found in performing are taboos. Taboos are the opposite of rituals. If a taboo is broken, players/singers believe that undesirable consequences or bad luck will arise. Gmelch discusses that for baseball players many taboos take place off the field, out of public view. For example, “on the day a pitcher is scheduled to start, he is likely to avoid activities he believes will sap his strength and detract from his effectiveness. Some pitchers avoid eating certain foods, others will not shave on the day of a game…” (Gmelch 183). Singers also have many taboos. It is extremely taboo to drink milk, or eat any kind of dairy before singing. (It is said that the dairy coats your throat and makes phonating more difficult). It is also taboo to whistle in the green room or back stage before a performance. In most professional situations a whistler will actually be fired from a show because whistling is said to doom the performance. The most common taboo throughout the performing world is saying “good luck.” Performers never say “good luck” for fear that it will in actuality remove the luck from their own performance, “break a leg” is often used instead.

Although there are many similarities between the rituals and taboos of baseball players and performers, the basis of the superstitions vary. Baseball players rationalize their rituals because “they bring order into a world in which players have little control.” The game of baseball is greatly based on chance where as the world of performing is not. The superstitions for performers are often rooted in the fear of the public opinion. But wherever the root of superstition lies, the rituals and taboos provide a sense of added confidence for the player or performer and by believing in these rituals and taboos – success may be more easily achieved.