“When people feel awe-struck, they look up,” said Keltner, who has spent time with the Golden State Warriors’ coaching staff discussing his work on compassion. Something he observed from that experience was that “serious athletes recognize chance more so than fans.” The look to the sky, he said, could be the player’s “recognition of something beyond human agency.”
The hands-to-the-head gesture is also performed by fans at the same moments as the players. Since they are observers rather than participants, their motivations could differ. Philip Furley, a lecturer in sports psychology at the German Sports University, in Cologne, has studied players’ behavior during penalty kicks, when the gesture is common.
Among the spectators, Furley said, “what you often find is this sort of contagion going on. If it’s a team you support, then if this player you’re supporting in this moment shows something you might be infected by his nonverbal behavior.”
No matter the cause, the near absolute predictability of the gesture has become its most defining trait. “It’s like punch lines, catchphrases that comedians use,” Goldblatt said. “People start laughing before you say them. A lot of comics work on that.”
In this case, soccer players and fans don’t need to work on the gesture. It seems to come naturally.
In this case, soccer players and fans don’t need to work on the gesture. It seems to come naturally.
