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“A superstition or tradition that has been a part of my life for a while now is before football games, I tape up my wrists and I write GGM on my left wrist. GGM as my mantra saying God got me and I know that whatever happens on the field, God got me and it’s a part of his plan so that helps me kind of destress before the game and it’s been a powerful thing in my life.”

Context
LS has developed his own pre game tradition that connects his faith and his sport of football. He has always worn wristbands and wrist tape for games, but since the later years of high school he started writing GGM as he became more involved with Christianity. LS says that many athletes, both on his team and professionals, will write notes of their faith on their equipment, and it’s a very strong way to stay connected before and during the game and keep calm.

Analysis
LS’s ritual is a great intersection between material culture, rituals, and religious folklore. Writing his mantra of “God got me” is a way for LS to honor his faith and belief in God before every game, as well as managing his uncertainty and feeling a sense of ownership over the unknown events that will happen in the game. This ritual ties into his place in the Christian and athlete folk groups, as many athletes have superstitions around material culture like clothing, and writing notes of faith is a way to channel good luck into special objects/clothing (Sims, Stephens). It’s also somewhat of a magic superstition for LS, as he believes that the combination of honoring God and writing the mantra and his wrist tape will lead to more positive outcomes in the game.