Why Athletes Need Rituals and Superstitions

March 1, 2010— -- If not for their talent, the athletes' longstanding rituals and superstitions would either disgust most people or drive them crazy.

LeBron James can't stop chewing his fingernails. Baseball Pitcher Turk Wendell used to brush his teeth after every inning. National Hockey League goalie Patrick Roy confessed he talked to the goal posts during the game. Croatian tennis player Goran Ivanisevic often wants the same ball back after he hits an ace.

These players were all allowed to have their little quirks, and sports psychologists say such annoying habits really do help an athlete focus.

But NBA player Caron Butler, currently with the Dallas Mavericks, has been banned from his famous ritual. Butler chews up to 12 soda straws during each game, according to an interview he gave to the Washington Post. He grabs handfuls at a time from local fast food restaurants -- Burger King or MacDonald's, but not Wendy's -- and chews them until they "start getting a little stringy."

This week the National Basketball Association told Butler he had to stop it with the straws for safety reasons, according to ESPN.com.

Butler's agent did return phone calls requesting an interview about the straws, but sports psychologists say robbing any player of his or her ritual could have a temporary effect on his concentration at game time. They contend these rituals are different than most people's ideas of superstition.

"When you work with athletes, you notice most high-level athletes have their own routine," said Jonathan Katz, a licensed psychologist and founding partner of High Performance Associates (HPA), which consults with athletes.

Katz said there is a fine line between a comforting routine and a superstition. Take Kevin Rhomberg, an outfielder who played for the Cleveland Indians between1982 and 1984 would feel compelled to touch every person who touched him during the game.

Superstition? Perhaps, but Butler's straw-chewing probably isn't, in Katz's estimation. Nor are the strange meals athletes eat, or the disgusting clothing that they wear.