Survey by Guinness on rituals in sport
By Guinness
January 25 2007
A survey released today, commissioned by the brewers of GuinnessÒ, sponsor of the Guinness Premiership, suggests that 62% of rugby players sited performing rituals was critical to their performance on the field.
Within rugby playing countries, England has the highest proportion of adults playing rugby2 on a regular basis with 32.6% playing week in week out. Although the rituals’ survey examined three sporting disciplines - rugby, cricket and football - it was once again rugby that came out on top with the highest percentage of players showing an obsession with rituals:
Rugby
23% of rugby players were found to be more likely to strap up age-old injuries even though they had cleared up and a further 41% said that they regularly participated in a pre-match team song
Rugby players are also more likely to carry out specific behaviour whilst running out onto the pitch, be it putting their mouth guard in only when crossing the line or touching the ceiling whilst leaving the tunnel, 13% suggested that this was key to their performance.
Cricket
¼ of cricketers are more likely to wear a lucky item and 33% have, at some stage, adhered to a superstitious ritual when getting dressed for a match
Football
Footballers are most likely to adhere to a strict dietary routine before the game, with 20% stating that eating and drinking the same thing before they leave the changing room is key to their performance
Whilst pre-match rituals are almost solely adopted by sportsmen, post match rituals play an important role for players and fans alike. Over 78% of the players go to the pub after a match and a further study3 has shown that fans also partake in this ritual with 33% of rugby fans stating that Guinness is their drink of choice.
Austin Healey, Ex-England International said, “It’s funny, you don’t really think about it at the time but I relied on a few rituals to help me focus before each game one of which was wearing a lucky pair of socks every game under my team socks.”
In regards to the infamous popcorn story, where three players who shared Austin Healey’s popcorn at regular pre-match cinema outings had been struck down with injury the following day, upon questioning, he was reluctant to go into detail but said,
”There’s no evidence to show it was the reason but I certainly haven’t shared my popcorn since!!”
Anecdotal feedback from the survey revealed the following habits:
· “When I get dressed in my kit, I always put all of my clothing on my left side first.” Cricketer, 29, East Midlands
· “Ever since I started playing regularly I have had to tie a knot in the right lace of the left boot without fail.” Footballer, 33, Scotland
· “My team mates always laugh at me but I have to put my socks on first.” Cricketer, 26, North West
· “I don’t know why, but I put my shin pads on in the toilet.” Footballer, 33, London
· “No matter who I have played for I always wear lucky socks under match socks.” Rugby player, 34, West Midlands
· “Whoever was man of the match for the last game chooses something that we all have to wear (within reason and that does not affect our performance) for the duration of the match.” Rugby player, 35, South East
Hugh McHardy from Esher Rugby Club said, “We have had lots of players come and go over the years and seen lots of bizarre rituals. I would say though, probably the most strictly adhered to ritual in this country for both sportsmen/women and spectators alike, is that of heading down the pub after a match to enjoy a pint!”
Lee Bailey, Sponsorship Manager at Guinness commented on the similarities between the rituals of both sports participants and fans. “We’ve found that the post match trip to the pub is, for many fans, as ritualistic as the players wearing that lucky piece of kit. We are really pleased that some further research3 conducted by the brewers of GuinnessÒ found that a third of all rugby fans heading to the pub after the game preferred a pint of the black stuff.”
Regional key findings in the survey included:
o A strict pre-match routine is of greater importance in the South West than elsewhere (twice as common than in the north east)
o Injury straps are most common in the South East where 23% strap-up before a game. The North-West and East Anglia are far less common - 9% and 10%
o Superstitious rituals are far more common in East Midlands than in West Midlands (30% vs 5% respectively)
Notes on GUINNESS Premiership:
· This is the second season for the brewers of Guinness of a four-year agreement (2005-2009) as the title sponsor of the world’s elite domestic rugby union tournament - The Guinness Premiership.
· Guinness is a brand intrinsically linked to rugby with a long association with the sport including the recent British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and all Sky’s rugby coverage.
· The Guinness Team is also a strong supporter of Irish rugby with sponsorship agreements with the Ireland, London Irish and Leinster RFC teams.
· Guinness is also the “Official Beer to Canada Rugby”
· For further information on the Guinness Premiership visit www.guinnesspremiership.com <http://www.guinnesspremiership.com>.
· The GUINNESS and GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP words and associated logos are trademarks.