Date of Award
Summer 2024
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
Moore School of Business
First Advisor
Elizabeth Watson
Abstract
Throughout the history of America’s pastime, it has long been concluded among fans, athletes, and coaches alike that momentum is a key element necessary should one want to win when it counts. However, this issue of “hot hand” existence in the context of baseball has been largely glazed over since the canon of literature on the topic was initiated, and even more so has the concept of a “cold hand.” This study seeks to make a novel contribution by exploring streaks in professional baseball. Using 10-years’ worth of regular season MLB data between 2012 and 2021, a comparative analysis of the hot hand and cold hand within the data will be employed to evaluate the degree to which loss aversion plays a role in patterns of team performance outcomes. An additional discussion on the nature of psychological momentum, and the different meanings it has taken on in scholarly literature and pop-culture, is included alongside a recommendation of possible ideas for future research on the subject.
Rights
© 2024, Josephine Matalone
Recommended Citation
Matalone, J.(2024). "Ain’t No Slump...I Just Ain’t Hittin’": Investigating Psychological Momentum and Loss Aversion in Major League Baseball. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7895