Field of Magic: Baseball’’s Superstitions, Curses and Taboos

Superstition has been a part of baseball from the beginning. From good luck charms to human mascots to ritual statues of Babe Ruth to the curse of Colonel Sanders, there may be almost as many superstitions as players (or fans). Drawing on social science, religious studies and SABRmetrics, this book explores the rich history of supernatural belief in the game and documents a wide variety of rituals, fetishes, taboos and jinxes. Some of these have changed over time but coping with uncertainty on the field through magical thinking remains a constant.

John Cairney is a professor and the head of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland in Brisbane Australia. Originally from Canada and a lifelong Toronto Blue Jays Fan, he is the author of 4 other books and more than 300 published journal articles. He is also a member of the Society for Baseball Research.