Sunday, March 11, 2012

FOR SPORTS, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME


Home-field advantage conjures up screaming fans hailing locals and abusing visitors, but in 20 Italian pro soccer games in the 2006-07 season, home advantage persisted even without the presence of fans.
Stadium problems, which led to a no-spectators decree, enabled the experiment. Without fans, teams racked up 1.6 points per home game, on average, versus 0.8 on the road, roughly the same advantage as when crowds were present (teams get three points for a win, one for a tie). Researchers cited the home team's familiarity with the playing environment. The results of a second test supported this idea: When teams that shared a stadium but had unequal fan bases faced each other, there was no detectable home boost for either side.
"Supporters Aren't Necessary for the Home Advantage: Evidence from Same-Stadium Derbies and Games Without an Audience," Niels van de Ven, Journal of Applied Social Psychology (December)

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