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Lucky socks and four bounces: An anthropological study of ritual in tennis

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Date Issued:
1997
Summary:
Tennis, like many sports, demands high levels of performance. To ensure victory athletes try to exclude negative factors. In part this is accomplished through the medium of ritualized behavior. Within the tennis subculture there is a certain etiquette that must be maintained. By conforming to the performance of rituals prior to, during, and after a tennis match the potential for victory has been enhanced. Ritualized behavior serves to eliminate anxiety. Anxiety may lead to a loss in concentration, therefore its eradication can only benefit the player in question. Through observation of individuals within the tennis subculture, it becomes apparent that performance levels may differ depending on the ritual being performed.
Title: Lucky socks and four bounces: An anthropological study of ritual in tennis.
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Name(s): Kalnitsky, Alexandra.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Harris, Michael S., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1997
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 90 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Tennis, like many sports, demands high levels of performance. To ensure victory athletes try to exclude negative factors. In part this is accomplished through the medium of ritualized behavior. Within the tennis subculture there is a certain etiquette that must be maintained. By conforming to the performance of rituals prior to, during, and after a tennis match the potential for victory has been enhanced. Ritualized behavior serves to eliminate anxiety. Anxiety may lead to a loss in concentration, therefore its eradication can only benefit the player in question. Through observation of individuals within the tennis subculture, it becomes apparent that performance levels may differ depending on the ritual being performed.
Identifier: 9780591312836 (isbn), 15383 (digitool), FADT15383 (IID), fau:12150 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1997.
Subject(s): Tennis--Sociological aspects
Sports--Sociological aspects
Anthropology
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15383
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.