The allocation of sporting fixtures as home or away has always been a large factor in potential success for any team. In football, a brutal Europa League fixture in a cold region of eastern Europe or a Premier League game on a 'cold Wednesday night in Stoke' never inspires great positivity from fans. UEFA conducted a study across a whole host of leagues across Europe. Data found that in 75% of games, the home team left with at least a point from the game (50% home win, 25% draw, 25% away win). While some obvious reasons play a factor (such as jet lag or being used to a pitch), there are far more scientific reasons why this phenomenon is so present.
Testosterone
Many athletes across different sports have ruined their careers by illegally administering testosterone into their system. However, there are ways to elevate this hormone naturally. One of these ways is location. When animals such as Stags, Lions and other pack animals need to defend their home/turf, their testosterone level rises. This scenario causes a rise in natural aggression and physicality among the animals, allowing them better defend their turf from their 'opposition'. This idea has been replicated in sport.
A British study tested saliva samples of football players across multiple leagues. Data found that players from home teams had higher levels of raised testosterone than away players. This phenomenon suggests a large sporting advantage in a physical sport such as football. Interestingly, goalkeepers of home teams were found to have the largest increase. It is hypothesised that this is due to their role of 'defending their territory' of the penalty box. The primitive instinct to defend a home that humans have developed could be a large influencing factor in performance.
Refereeing decisions
Fans of travelling teams often criticise referees for making decisions that favour the home team. This criticism is highly prevalent in fans of small teams travelling to bigger sides with big stadiums. Cries of referee bias and calls being affected by intimidating home atmospheres are common and not without merit. A German researcher discovered that referee decisions are affected by home team advantage. Data shows that away teams receive 0.5 yellow cards more per game than their home team rivals. While this correlation alone cannot determine causation, the following study supported it.
A group of German professional referees were asked to judge video recordings of footballing fouls with and without the corresponding audio. Videos with sound were given bookings 10% more than silent videos. This finding suggests that fans' responses to moments in the game do have a psychological effect on the referee.
Has sport evolved to be less affected by it?
In short, yes. While the home advantage is still a large component, it seems to have less of an effect now. Sport has evolved hugely in the last 100 years. Back in the 1970s, footballing clubs averaged around 75% of their points for a season while playing at home. As of 2019, it is nearer 60%. This statistic is most likely due to the increased scientific input and pitch improvements.
It is far rarer now for a large premier league side to play on a barely playable bog of a pitch in an FA cup tie or a game to take place on heavily frozen pitches in North America and Eastern Europe. Under-pitch heating, artificial surfaces and better ground management have helped even out this aspect. Teams competing internationally now travel far more luxuriously and with far more amenities than their mid-20th century predecessors did.
Finally VAR. Yes, the same VAR that is the bane of seemingly all football fans this season. While it seems to have a whole host of issues that need addressing, it seemingly even out home-field advantage. VAR has been in the NFL since 1999; since then, home advantage has dropped by around 30%. VAR allows referees to watch the incident back without the subconscious impact of the fan's reaction and noise.
While the home advantage is far lower now than in previous generations, it is still an interesting psychological phenomenon. With professional sports creating larger revenue than ever, the stakes have never been higher. With such a clear element affecting performance, it is a large challenge for any sporting manager to address during a season.
Some scientific papers on the topic
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