Winning at Home: The Psychology Behind the Advantage

Everyone in the sporting world is familiar with the idea of a “home advantage”, where teams tend to dominate on their home turf. Turns out, it’s more than just superstition with NBA teams winning an average of 62.7% of home games, which is fairly constant across sports (1). Whether it’s subtle referee bias due to the noise of a supportive crowd or the familiar environment, science shows that home advantage is a measurable, real phenomenon.

One of the biggest contributors to home advantage is referee bias, which is mostly due to the crowd. In one study, football refs handed out 25% more yellow cards to away teams than to home teams. The crowd seems to play a big role, as when stadiums were packed, refs showed more bias, but when games were played without fans during COVID the bias nearly vanished (2).

In another study, referees watched footage of a football incident – some with crowd noise, some without. The refs who could hear the crowd were much more likely to call a foul against the away team (3). This shows that referees can be subtly influenced by the crowd as they use their reactions to help make decisions. If you had 50,000 people shouting at you to give someone a yellow card, you probably would listen too! That kind of pressure can subtly tip the scales in favour of the home team.

Another reason for home advantage lies in a combination of psychology and biology. When athletes play on familiar turf, they don’t just feel more confident but may actually be biologically better prepared.

From a psychology perspective, being in a familiar environment lowers stress and anxiety levels. Knowing the layout of the field, the feel of the locker rooms and the turf type can contribute to comfort and focus. Studies have shown that players report feeling more confident, less anxious and more motivated for home games (4). Whilst that may not seem like a huge advantage, in such high-pressure environments it can make a big difference such as better decision making and plays.

There’s also a biological side to the story, which comes from our evolutionary past. Playing at home can trigger a territorial response that leads to higher levels of testosterone. Testosterone is associated with aggression, motivation and physical exertion which can give players a physical boost and mental edge. This leads them to be more assertive, energetic and competitive, all of which help in a sporting setting. This hormonal shift may also be influenced by the crowd. A noisy, passionate home crowd can act as a social signal, which triggers a “defend our turf” response in the athletes, much like how territorial animals respond to intruders (2).

Whilst it may seem purely superstitious that home teams win more often at home, there can be a lot of scientific reasoning behind it! So next time you’re at your favourite sports team’s game, make sure you cheer as loudly as possible, and you might just help them win the game!

Emily Conway

1. Pinger, N. (2015, June 15). Home Field Advantage: The Facts and the Fiction. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/home-field-advantage-facts-and-fiction
2. Merim Bilalić, Gula, B., & Nemanja Vaci. (2024). Revising home advantage in sport – home advantage mediation (HAM) model. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984x.2024.2358491
3. Nevill, A., Balmer, N., & Williams, M. (1999). Crowd influence on decisions in association football. The Lancet, 353(9162), 1416. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(99)01299-4
4. Bray, S. R., Jones, M. V., & Owen, S. (2002). The influence of competition location on athletes' psychological states. Journal of Sport Behaviour, 25(3), 231-242. http://ezproxy.christchurchcitylibraries.com/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/influence-competition-location-on-athletes/docview/215884842/se-2