Sunday, August 26, 2012

Assignment 8: Magic in American Sports

Assignment 8: Magic in American Sports

Read the New York Times article "Voodoo Logic: So Who Cursed Whom With Jersey?" (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/sports/baseball/
17shirt.html
). After having read the chapter and this article, think about how magic may play a role in everyday activities in societies like the United States.
  1. As defined in the text, magic is a set of beliefs and practices designed to control the visible or invisible world for specific purposes. How does the use of the baseball jersey fit this definition?
  2. In what other ways is there evidence of ?magical thinking? in sports?
  3. Search for at least one more (non-sports) example of practices designed to influence events through magic in the contemporary United States. Describe the practice in terms of worldview.
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