Away, sour away

If “Home, Sweet Home” is a favorite way to describe home field advantage in sports, then why do we never hear the opposite, and equally true, “Away, Sour Away”?

Whatever advantage accrues to one team detracts equally from the opposite team. Over time statistics show all sports to have over fifty per cent home winning percentage. Why? The ball is the same for both teams.

Interestingly, home field advantage in MLB has decreased every decade since the beginning of the twentieth century, from 60 percent to 53 percent this century, a significant drop.

Generalizations about home field advantage in baseball playoffs are more difficult due to American League dominance. Starting in 2003, the AL won five consecutive All-Star games to give their representative home field advantage, winning four out of five Series. The American League won 11 of the last 16 championships. Besides, the New York Yankees have permanently skewed all home field advantage statistics.

One reason to explain the improvement of road performance is that it is more comfortable for players to travel nowadays whereas in the past players arrived in town beat from lack of sleep and a good bed. Players now fly in deluxe equipped charter planes and stay in the best hotels in every city. Physically they are more ready to play the next day.

However, home advantage in football and basketball playoffs is a fact. Why?

Rules have conspired to make teams more equal than in the past. When two teams are close in ability, then a little edge can be the difference between winning and losing. Any educator or psychologist can tell you the importance of providing positive reinforcement to maximize performance.

Another possible factor is referees giving the benefit to the home team. We are seeing that in Los Angeles where the Lakers are enjoying a huge foul disparity. Paul Gasol hit the winning points in Game 5 on an offensive rebound after pushing Mehmet Okur, who had better position, out of the way, an obvious foul not whistled.

While players may feed off the energy of a home crowd, I don’t know what happens to the ol’ siege mentality. I remember reading a quote several years ago from a Detroit Piston player when they were winning the championship that went something like this, “we love playing on the road because we live and band together; it’s us against them. We play tougher.” But as a motivating principle, siege mentality seems to have less power than positive reinforcement.

One conclusion seems apparent: the more important the game, the more likely it is that the home team tastes sweet victory while the road team gets the sour taste of defeat.

In 2007 NFL home teams won 57 percent of the time. In 2005 it was 53 percent. In 1997 it was 60 percent. Exactly one half of the teams last year had a winning home percentage. In the playoffs, home winning percentage jumps to about 75 percent.

In the NBA, home teams win about 60 percent during the regular season. That number also jumps up in the playoffs. Going into this weekend, we saw a ridiculous 20 out of 21 games won by the home team in the second round. That is unprecedented, clearly a statistically aberration. But in retrospect, it makes the regular season that much more relevant. And it makes Games 7, the best of sports, more likely.
[I] (Coldeen is a longtime sports journalist in the CNMI and is the news and sports director of the Flame Tree Network.)[/I]