In sports, a slump is a period of time when player or team is not performing well or up to expectations. It is pretty much a dry spell or drought, though it is often misused to define a player's decline that is natural during their career.

There are various theories behind the cause of a slump. Some attribute it simply to the reasons behind a gambler's

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 bad luck. While a player's or team's average

Average

In mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a data set is a measure of the "middle" value of the data set. Average is one form of central tendency. Not all central tendencies should be considered definitions of average....

collective statistics over a career or season may be quite respectable, there may be peak times when performance is really spectacular, while there are also expected low points with an inevitable drought.

Others believe there are psychological issues behind a slump. At times, a player, or all the key players on a team, may feel less motivated or may not be adept to handling clutch

Clutch (sports)

In American sports terminology, "clutch" means performing well under extreme pressure. It often refers to high levels of production in a critical game, such as Game 7 of a best-of-seven series, the last hole of a Major Championship golf tournament, or the final minute in a close match...

 situations.

Baseball

In baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, a batter can be defined as "slumping" when he has gotten few or no hits over a period of time, and his batting average during that time is far below that of his expectations. Even stars frequently experience hitting slumps.