Hans Klaus Techt/European Pressphoto Agency
Observatory
The Color of Victory? Rethinking the Power of a Blue Judo Uniform
The Color of Victory? Rethinking the Power of a Blue Judo Uniform
By Henry Fountain
Published: February 19, 2008
It’s been said that Yankee pinstripes add a certain something to a ballplayer’s game, an aura of intimidation that will help him succeed. Red Sox fans and others may dispute that idea, but it raises an interesting question: Can an athlete’s uniform affect success?
Published: February 19, 2008
It’s been said that Yankee pinstripes add a certain something to a ballplayer’s game, an aura of intimidation that will help him succeed. Red Sox fans and others may dispute that idea, but it raises an interesting question: Can an athlete’s uniform affect success?
A study of the men’s judo competition at the 2004 Olympics in Athens suggested yes. In high-level judo matches, to differentiate between the contestants, one competitor is chosen to wear a white uniform, called a judogi, while the other wears blue. The study found that those in blue won more matches than those in white, and suggested, among other reasons, that the brighter blue had an intimidating effect, much as with some animals, red coloration is thought to be intimidating.
But a new study by Peter D. Dijkstra of the University of Glasgow and Paul T. Y. Preenen of the University of Amsterdam disputes those findings. Reanalyzing the match data, they report in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences that other factors came into play.
The analysis showed that seeded contestants wore blue more often and that seeded contestants were more likely to win. Athletes in blue often ended up with more recovery time between matches because of the tournament format. And in the rounds for losers of earlier matches there were more cases where the contestant in blue had fewer matches or won his previous contest. When all factors are considered, the researchers say, there was no bias toward blue.
But a new study by Peter D. Dijkstra of the University of Glasgow and Paul T. Y. Preenen of the University of Amsterdam disputes those findings. Reanalyzing the match data, they report in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences that other factors came into play.
The analysis showed that seeded contestants wore blue more often and that seeded contestants were more likely to win. Athletes in blue often ended up with more recovery time between matches because of the tournament format. And in the rounds for losers of earlier matches there were more cases where the contestant in blue had fewer matches or won his previous contest. When all factors are considered, the researchers say, there was no bias toward blue.
FONTE (photo include): New York Times - United States
New York Times - United States
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