Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Becoming Human here: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-how-burial-marks-the-start-of-human-culture?ref=religionforbreakfast Baseball players do a lot of rituals...and anthropologists of religion have noticed. Some call it superstition, but are there other reasons why athletes might ritualize so many of their behaviors? Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Sign-up for my classes list to be notified of online classes: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com/ Thumbnail art by @hotcyder Bibliography: George Gmelch, "Baseball Magic," Society 8(8) June 1971 Michael Jackson, "Existential Anthropology," 2005. Xygalatas, "Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living," 2022. Stanley Tambiah, "The Magical Power of Words," Man, New Series, Vol. 3, No 2 (Jun., 1968), 175-208 Stanley Tambiah, "Form and Meaning of Magical Acts: A Point of View," 00:00 2:08 Malinowski's uncertainty theory of magic 4:13 Pre-Performance Routines 8:06 Empirical Studies of Sports Magic 11:35 Is it Superstition?