Athletes and Pre-Game Rituals

Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop, Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form.

From The Hilltop Archives

Originally published in The Hilltop, Howard University — October 10th, 2003

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Athletes and Pre-Game Rituals

Athletics is a practice in polytheism. Sports are religion.

The court, the field, the track, they are all holy grounds upon which only a chosen few may dwell.

Their prayer to the God of Victory sometimes goes unanswered; but despite an absence of grace, their faith endures.

Taking nothing away from the institutions of established religions, athletes practice a different type of sacrament.

Dr. Greg Carr of the African American Studies Department gave an historical definition of the word "ritual."

"Ritual is the established form for ceremony," Carr quoted. "It's an attempt to order reality."

Athletes constantly put reality in perspective when competing because they are trying to exert human influence over an environmental circumstance.

"A pre-game ritual is an extension of the game," explained Carr. "In a pre-game ritual, you have things you can control. You may not have that control over things in the game."

Carr is not referring to the control for the outcome of the game. It's those things within the game, injuries, health and strength, that can't be manipulated. This is why prayer is such a driving force in any pre-game ritual.

"Prayer is a request for divine assistance. Prayer gives a sense of control to the uncontrollable," said Carr. "You (athletes) are not God. The best way to access a link to God is to replicate what you see God to be." 

This idea of God is a main cause of conflict. 

When two different religions attempt to occupy the same space and time, they dispute, fighting until one asserts "religious superiority" over the other. 

The same is true in sports. 

Two teams with opposing beliefs confront one another for a battle over a given territory.

However, there is a commonality between a team's belief in pre-game rituals and religious rituals.

But, what is religion.

Religion has Latin origin, "religion" means to reap over again. It has long been adapted and changed. The meaning, on the other hand, has not.

"Religion means to do something over and over again," Carr clarified. "It doesn't mean to worship a deity."

Tomorrow, students will witness a holy war between the Bison and the Rattlers at Greene Stadium.

A war of this magnitude will need to be fought with the entire Bison army. 

They're ready. 

The group plays a vital role during any pre-game ritual because it builds power and evokes a sense of community. 

This idea of group oneness dates back to the Masai of Kenya.

Their legacy of pumping up the group continues today, especially on the football field.

"The Masai would jump up and down moving in unison, building energy," described Carr. "This movement of going from down to up draws strength from the earth. It brings earth and heaven together."

Dr. Jules Harrell of the Psychology Department further explained the idea of rituals.

"Rituals are a way of tweaking our bodies, moving our physical and psychological apparatus to the level that we know is the best level for our performance. Ritual helps you get to that best point."

The bringing together of the earth and the heavens together is a force to be reckoned with. In constructing a group foundation, they're absorbing the spirits of generations past.

"The rituals of the past were a means of connecting that act to a lot of aspects of who we were. The African tradition connected to a larger aspect of our being," Harrell reasoned. "Rituals, African and here, have a way of pulling us together and saying we are a collective."

As a collective, offense, defense and special teams, build power and oneness with God with a chapel service chapel every Saturday morning. 

The team as a whole is comprised of several smaller teams who carry their own personality and rituals.

"We have a certain swagger we carry when we get on the field and when we stretch," said running back Jay Colbert. 

They are responsible for protecting the team faith, the football, and if that faith is tested, it is the defense who makes sure it corrected.

The offense overtly express their intentions, but it's the defensive backs who are the silent stalkers.

Robinson said that the DBs have no particular ritual. They are laid back and just go with the flow.

"We do our own little thing to get in the zone," said Robinson. 

The offensive swagger that the running backs, tight ends and full backs have carries over to their personal rituals.

"Before each game, I sleep with sunglasses on," said fullback James Singletary. 

And fullback Anthony Bobcombe's ritual is significant to his involvement with the Bison.

"The first Howard Football shirt I received, I wear under my pads every game."

This repetitiveness athletes perform is done because of the power it holds.

"If you do a thing once and win, why change," Carr explicated. "You continue to do that same thing again. A ritual ceases to be a ritual when it loses its link to your perception of control."

Cathy Parson, head coach of the women's basketball team, believes that "rituals are psychological, something you become comfortable with when you establish a good ritual."

Also team oriented, Head Coach Linda Spencer said that it's important for her volleyball team to take their own time after drills to relax and get loose.

"Play time is over. They take a minute to themselves to focus on the game."

Track is different. It is team based, individually operated.

"As an individual, there is a sense of trying to tap into something bigger than you," Carr said. 

Hurdlers, sprinter and distant runners all have rituals that help prepare them for their respective event. 

Repetition.

Warm ups, stretching and drills are done the same way in the same order each time. It's a means of control and the sequence cannot be broken.

Runners have to be able to visualize their winning.

"When I am in the set position waiting for the gun I say "unbeatable" because I believe I am the baddest (sic) hurdler out there," David Oliver warned.

Andrew Murphy understands the team aspect. His bond is with his three teammates is significant.

One the relay, their chemistry is very important. They pass not only the baton, but energy to one another.

"Praying unites us. We share personal time alone so we can focus together." 

The ultimate goal of a ritual is to relax the mind, body and soul. Without it, the religion of sports is nonexistent.

"It's a way of reducing the butterflies and anxiety," said Harrell. "It takes the edge off of uncertainly. An act whose beginning and ending you're certain of."