Ritual of the Gridiron
The snap of the ball, the crack of helmets, the shoulder pads colliding together echoing off the sound of the grunts of men slamming against the turf. An average football play contains a complexity of events in a window of just four to six seconds. Yet, within those few moments of time, the ritual of preparation to guarantee each of those moments are executed perfectly, can be listed on for days. Every athletic team performs a great amount of rituals in preparation for the season to be the best prepared to perform at the highest level for each individual exhibition. But the microcosm of these fleeting moments represents a culmination of the eons of rituals that have changed over the years. The rituals of preparation to ensure that each of those moments is executed perfectly is well documented. Every athletic team performs numerous rituals in preparation for the season, and preparation for each individual exhibition. Parallel to each team performing rituals in preparation, each respective athlete on the team goes into their own ritual to prepare themselves to execute their top level of play. Athletic rituals occur in several ways, focusing on both mental and physical preparedness, yet each is very personal and intimate to the individual. Symbolically, these rituals harken back to our previous ancestors in earlier ages, and their meticulous preparations for battles of war. When it comes to athletics, rituals hold an immense importance to a team and everyone within the team, strengthening the bonds of teamwork and brotherhood. Through repetition of training and individual preparation, a comradery and sense of personal responsibility to the group is ignited. Rituals are important to the team because without proper execution prior to a performance, a team can be disorganized because individuals can become obscured from their personal responsibility to the game plan, which could ultimately get them wounded in the battle field. In the relation to the individual athletes, any deviation from their personal ritual prior to a contest can throw an athlete off from performing at their greatest potential, and diminish their ability for optimal performance. From pregame music selections, to meditation, to selection of attire, game day rituals serve as the foreshadowing of the intense competition that will follow. The culture of these rituals is followed year in and year out by athletes and teams across the globe. However, many outside of this arena will simply owe these rituals up to superstition.
From the last snap of a season, to the very first shoelace tied to begin the next one, there is a long sequence of events that must take part before a team can take the field for a game. This part of the ritual coordinates directly with the process of physical preparation for an athletic season. The physical rituals work in ways to properly prepare the bodies and games of each player on the team. Hearing the alarm clock ringing long before the sun has even peaked around the corner of the earth. Stepping outside, you can still feel the nip of cool fresh air hitting your skin. Withstanding extensively long, debilitating workouts for each day of the work week. From the alarm clock, to the lacing of the cleats, to grueling workouts each day, each of these all holds its own ritual in preparation for the team to be optimally ready long before the season starts. These physical rituals of waking up at unforsaken hours, only to be put through a draining workout, helps create the strongest bonds between teammates.
When the season arises, a pronounced change goes from rituals of preparation prior to the season, into the rituals of physical preparation for an “in-season” team. For optimal performance against an opponent, it is imperative for players to watch film on the enemy. This has been implemented into rituals for teams in the most recent years, to help give the proper edge over competitors. With proper utilization of this ritual, teams can help pick up on designed plays, and tendencies that opponents may execute. Through this, they can be properly prepared once that alarm rings and it is no longer to time to train; it is to time for the real game. Jointly, from the rituals of mental preparation in the film room, these practices are then transformed over to the practice field, where they are then put into play physically. In the rituals of practice in preparations for gameday, it is expected that everyone be completely locked in on the task at hand. In preparations for the upcoming opponent, teams will mimic the other’s offense or defense to help better prepare themselves for adversity they may face. Many aspects of rituals are considered when preparing for either the season, or before actual gameday. Without impeccable following of game plan or ritual prior to the actual game, performance can become mixed with miscommunication and disjointedness come gameday.
Coaches put a large emphasis on the following of rituals when it comes to the actual day of competition. Making rituals as identical as possible is important within the team, because profound changes to a team on gameday can often throw off the “flow” of a team or even a player. In conjunction with the team, when you talk to an athlete, each of them have created their own pre-game ritual to help get their minds right for the game. A pre-game ritual consists of a more mental preparation for the exhibition. This is a huge deal to all athletes, and without proper execution, one’s mind could be thrown off from optimal performance. Hours before the game, the first aspect to a team’s pre-game ritual is the team meal. These usually consist of excessive amounts of carbohydrates and protein, all to help give the athletes a quick burst of energy for game time. The most important sequence of the pre-game rituals happens in the locker room. Many people like to enjoy calm, and soothing music before a game to clear their minds of any distraction, or to release themselves of any nerves that may be building before a game. On the contrary, some players relish in the playing of loud, high energy music to help hype up the team and get their minds ready for war. These forms of music could be connected to the civil war times, where armies would be followed around by bands of people playing music to keep each of the warriors in sync. These bands would be used to help instruct orders across the army, and help energize the men. The last step to the pre-game ritual, is the dressing of pads and uniform. This time before the game is felt to be a spiritual moment. Each player layers on their stacks of pads, and straps themselves in for the battle fields that is soon to come. This is where the eye black and facial paint is put on to so each of the players resemble the warriors who once battled on the fields as well. The dressing of the uniform, and layers of padding equipment can be connected back to the Roman ages, where soldiers would prepare themselves for war. Roman warriors, just like athletes in these gladiator sports, each strap themselves with layers of protection to then lay everything out on the field. Once these moments subside, the beginning of the game soon starts, and all the steps to rituals that have come before this all work in sequence for the perfect execution on the battlefield.
Whether it is little league or a professional sports team, many aspects are considered when preparing for each exhibition match within a season. With that, rituals are followed in each task a coach or player performs. Within these levels of athletics, rituals can be followed in physical, and mental preparation. All rituals performed before a game are used towards benefiting the athlete and getting their minds, and bodies into optimal shape to guarantee ideal performance. When it comes to sports, there are rituals within everything someone does, causing an unlimited number of examples of rituals. Everyone on the team holds immense importance to sustain the homeostasis of energy within all players, and this is best followed through the fulfilment of the rituals. Rituals are preserved through each sporting team, and all athletes across the world, before each game. You could ask any player on a sporting team, it is almost guaranteed that they follow a ritual of their own within the sport. Rituals within a sporting team are greatly important, without proper following of them a team can often look and feel disorganized, which can then destroy them instead of support them from succeeding in their overall goal.