Why is homefield such an advantage?

**bigboydan** · 04-02-06, 05:22 PM

the east coast/west coast trips wiegh perty heavly in my capping when it comes to home field advantage. those types of road trips could really hurt some of those away teams.

**The Great One** · 04-02-06, 05:37 PM

Plus, the home court advantage of fans. yelling wanting you to succeed and the luxury of sleeping in your own bed, and having your own routine.

The first one implies more towards college because pro's really don't care if the team succeeds as long as the $$ is there.

Which would be easier for you to do and would put you at the top of your game with the most focus and energy. Meeting me at Skydome at 8:00 tonight for a streetfight with 80K people screaming for you to kick my ass or you arranging a flight, hotel, transportation, and meals that keep you in shape and give you energy to fly to Indianapolis and meet me at the RCA dome for our streetfight tonight at 8:00? Which would you rather have?

Now, of course, alot of teams have personnal to handle some of this stuff, but still who wants to get on a plane and be inconvienced and the big key to performance; not getting a good nights rest.

**Mudcat** · 04-02-06, 07:35 PM

This issue of fan support affecting performance is the thing I find most intriguing.

I understand certain tangible factors. Football fans screaming when the other team's offense is trying to do an audible can definitely make a difference. Having the last line change in hockey should make a bit of a difference.

But for athletes' physical/mental performance to actually change because of the way people are hollering seems very freaky to me. They know the humans in the building are pulling for them (or against them) and that actually changes how well they can play the game.

I don't doubt it's a real effect. In fact, just from my casual observation, I think it may be the biggest factor of all.

But it seems somehow weird.

**imgv94** · 04-02-06, 08:30 PM

Mudcat you can't understand in basketball how the crowd affects the game?

Have you watched CBB EVER?? Have you ever heard the chanting the home
teams crowd does when the road team has the ball?

Or seen what the road teams Free Throw shooters
have to deal with?

**The Great One** · 04-02-06, 09:21 PM

One of the biggest crowd advantage effecting outcome games I can think of off the top of my head is this past season college football game; Florida@ Alabama. Alabama absolutely destroed the gators with a score of something like 38-3 or some score similar to that. Do you think that score would happen if the game was @Florida.

**Mudcat** · 04-02-06, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by imgv94

Mudcat you can't understand in basketball how the crowd affects the game?

Have you watched CBB EVER?? Have you ever heard the chanting the home
teams crowd does when the road team has the ball?

Or seen what the road teams Free Throw shooters
have to deal with?

I would strongly suspect I was watching CBB games before you were born.

I know what you're saying and I already agreed with you when I said I thought crowd noise may be the biggest factor of all in the home court advantage.

Me personally, I'm more of a Mr. Spock kind of guy. Ice water in the veins. Loud chanting in my favor doesn't sound much different than loud chanting against me. It's just noise. I don't see why it should affect the accuracy of my shot either way. I boil it down to pure logic.

Live long and prosper.

**imgv94** · 04-02-06, 09:27 PM

Originally posted by Mudcat

Live long and prosper.

You too

**pags11** · 04-02-06, 10:35 PM

honestly, I've found that in college hoops home court matters more than in college football...granted there are just some places I almost never bet against teams at home in football (Texas Tech, Hawaii, Ohio St., Louisville, USC, etc.), but I've often found good value in taking road dogs a lot of times...

**imgv94** · 04-02-06, 10:44 PM

Originally posted by pags11

honestly, I've found that in college hoops home court matters more than in college football...granted there are just some places I almost never bet against teams at home in football (Texas Tech, Hawaii, Ohio St., Louisville, USC, etc.), but I've often found good value in taking road dogs a lot of times...

This statement is true!! Very good pags!! I now
see why you won the bracket contest! Sharp!!

**jumper** · 04-02-06, 10:54 PM

baseball ballparks offer huge advantages.the reason rangers got millwood is he,s good at keeping hit balls down with his slider.we,ll see how he does in a hitters park tomorrow vs red sox.the pinnacle lean is on the under 10.5

**Illusion** · 04-03-06, 02:33 AM

Originally posted by pags11

honestly, I've found that in college hoops home court matters more than in college football...granted there are just some places I almost never bet against teams at home in football (Texas Tech, Hawaii, Ohio St., Louisville, USC, etc.), but I've often found good value in taking road dogs a lot of times...

I totally agree. Minnesota comes to mind for me this year. They always played better at home and yes, they covered alot to.

**Patrick McIrish** · 04-03-06, 04:58 AM

Jumper made a good point. Baseball organizations can build a team that is best influenced by their stadium, you play 81 games there a year so why not. In other words if you got short fences then never hurts to have a slower line-up full of power and play for the 3 run homer as many AL teams used to do. Or if you got a spacious park with lots of room then it never hurts to have a team full of speed instead. Guys that can get on and steal a base or two. The old St Louis Cardinals were a good example of this. This can apply to pitching staffs as well.

You see it a little bit in football too, often teams that play on natural grass might let it grow a little and over water it when a speed team comes to play. Or a domed team playing on the carpet might have a team with a lot of speedsters etc....

One other possible advantage of playing at home is the refs, the "home cooking" as it is sometimes referred to. I think more so in baskets than any other sport, you always seem to get the benefit of the doubt from the refs when you are at home, especially coming down the stretch with the game on the line. You can just look at an NBA superstar playing at home and it's a foul, say a Michael Jordan for example. Not saying ref bias is a huge advantage in all sports but I believe it is worth mentioning.

**RickySteve** · 04-03-06, 05:40 PM

Bill James did an analysis of the home field advantage. He concluded that the major factor was the officiating crew's bias. He believed that for marginal decisions(pitch on the corner, touch foul, minor holding, etc.), referees have a psychological tendency to not want to upset the crowd and will favor the home team.

**Willie Bee** · 04-03-06, 06:16 PM

Speaking as an umpire, I sort of wish Little League teams had their own 'home fields' so that I could do that, RickySteve. But with everyone playing on the same fields, every close call I make is WRONG according to half of the moms in the crowd. And I can tell you that over the years I've seen umpires like Bruce 'Fat Eff' Froemming, Angel Hernandez, Charlie Williams and several others, not one of them consistently gives the Astros the benefit on close calls.

For the athletes on the field/court/ice, they know the little nuances of their home turf. Like the old Boston Garden, the notion was that the Celtics knew where the old wood was warped. Not just building your team around your field, like the Astros used to do in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome. But the simple fact that you play there more often and know where the walls, fences, dugouts, etc are when your chasing flies.

**The Great One** · 04-03-06, 10:18 PM

I have always thought a team in MLB should build themselves a new stadium and when they are hitting and their opponent is in the field. They should have a gigantic wind tunnel blowing in the stadium blowing balls out and/or have an electric contraption on the fence that movies it in some when they are hitting.

Then, when they are in the field, have the wind blow in by a wind tunnel created over center fireld and move the wall backby the same electrical contraption we already created. Maybe create a diversion for everyone in the stadium as you're moving the wall so maybe they won't notice it.

Thats how you win. CHEAT if you have too. Some teams should try this. What do they have to lose? A fine? Hell, it would take a senate committee 5 years to "look into it" to see if anything is wrong. Take advantage of America's weakness and stupidity. Might be worth the risk to get more fans into the seats and to actually win some games if your a team like Royals or Devil Rays.

**imgv94** · 04-03-06, 10:23 PM

Originally posted by The Great One

I have always thought a team in MLB should build themselves a new stadium and when they are hitting and their opponent is in the field. They should have a gigantic wind tunnel blowing in the stadium blowing balls out and/or have an electric contraption on the fence that movies it in some when they are hitting.

Then, when they are in the field, have the wind blow in by a wind tunnel created over center fireld and move the wall backby the same electrical contraption we already created. Maybe create a diversion for everyone in the stadium as you're moving the wall so maybe they won't notice it.

Thats how you win. CHEAT if you have too. Some teams should try this. What do they have to lose? A fine? Hell, it would take a senate committee 5 years to "look into it" to see if anything is wrong. Take advantage of America's weakness and stupidity. Might be worth the risk to get more fans into the seats and to actually win some games if your a team like Royals or Devil Rays.

Idea is extreme,but a good idea nonetheless.
TGO you are crafty man. Brain of a future millionare!