Does Home Advantage Always Give You the Edge?

July 17, 2024 by Staff

In most sports, teams will have a place that they call home. Whether it is a stadium, a park, or a court in the local sports hall. Even players that play solo sports, like tennis, might have a favorite tournament, venue, or surface they enjoy playing at or on. There is a phrase in sport known as “home advantage.” Often, it is not so much the setting, but the feeling evoked by the home setting. The extra drive and energy provided by the adoring home fans or local support. But should you always back the home team with this added impetus, or is there good reason to believe that the away team or visitors can arrive and ruin the home team’s day?

A welcome boost or added pressure?

For some teams or players, the home advantage acts as a huge boost. It could already mean points on the board for some players even before a match or event begins. However, while some thrive in home arenas, others feel increased pressure that comes with performing in front of expectant fans. If we take the 2023 NFL season as an example, there was clear disparity between the teams that thrived on home turf, and those that buckled under pressure.

Of course, there are variables like injuries on the day, depth of squad, or the form of players, but from statistics, we can see that the likes of Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys enjoyed playing in front of their home fans with a home win percentage of 88.9%. Both had 8-1-0 records over the season, but in stark contrast, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots had miserly 1-7-0 records at home, amounting to a home win percentage of 12.5%. But for those whose strength lies at home, it is not always a guarantee to get you over the line, as the Dallas Cowboys found out in the Wild Card Play-Off Round when they were beaten by the Green Bay Packers, at home, in Dallas.

With the start of the NFL season not until September, the eyes of the world will fall on Paris for the upcoming Olympics. For the French athletes representing their nation, immense pride should be the first emotion, but the second will certainly be a burning desire to perform better than other athletes and win a medal for the country. The eyes of fans, family and friends, scouts, coaches, physios, and people putting wagers on Olympic events will be on teams and individuals. Many French athletes might be challenging for medals with that added boost.

Take advantage of the home noise

In the majority of sports, cheering, applauding, and general noise contribute immensely to the sporting drama. The sight of hundreds and thousands of home fans celebrating and supporting creates an atmosphere that gets the adrenalin pumping. The trick for many athletes is harnessing that noise and energy and channeling it into enhanced performance. Whether it is a home Olympic Games, a soccer match in your own stadium, or taking on the world’s best at your favorite tennis tournament, the noise will definitely be there, but it is up to the team or individual to take advantage of it.