why is home field advantage different for

[MikeWaters]

different sports?

It seems that it is least important in pro baseball (I don't know about college).

Why?

It seems that a precision sport like baseball would make home field very important (landmarks in field of vision when batting, comfort on the mound, familiarity with the ballpark for outfielders, etc).

Would an argument be, the more emotion-dependent a sport is, the more important home field advantage is? and because baseball doesn't rely so much on emotion, it is less important?

Or maybe basketball players are particularly mentally weak. Why should BYU be undefeated at home, yet terrible on the road? Doesn't make sense to me.

[All-American]

I wonder about the bouncy floor theory. BYU wins nearly every game at home, but loses nearly every game on the road. . . it's suspicious, to say the least.

[Indy Coug]

This is a little bit out there, but maybe this is one of the many reasons:

I played a lot of basketball at BYU (I mean virtually 6 days a week year round). I used to work at the Marriott Center from 1991 to 1993 as a custodian while finishing up my degree in clay animation. One of the few job "perks" was being able to play basketball on the MC floor after hours.

What I quickly found out is that everything I shot was short. Why? Because of the vast expanse of the Marriott Center, the "backdrop" of the seats behind the basket made the basket appear to be closer than it really was. Over time, I adjusted to the change in depth perception and was able to shoot accurately.

Could it be that one of the factors could be the affect on shooting due to the visiting team not adjusting to the change in depth perception?


I also think things like crowd support, conscious/unconscious differences in the treatment of the home team by officials, etc. come into play too.

[MikeWaters]

By your theory, teams that rely on outside shooting should do worse on the road than teams that rely on more of an inside game, layups, etc.

Teams who are relatively strong on defense should do better than teams that rely on offense.

You could look at teams that are relatively even home/road and see how they breakdown different from teams that are a lot better at home.

[Venkman]

Originally Posted by All-American

I wonder about the bouncy floor theory. BYU wins nearly every game at home, but loses nearly every game on the road. . . it's suspicious, to say the least.

I believe BYU got rid of the bouncy floor before the start of this season. I had wondered the same thing, whether it would affect their home success, but so far it appears not to have had an impact.

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by Venkman

I believe BYU got rid of the bouncy floor before the start of this season. I had wondered the same thing, whether it would affect their home success, but so far it appears not to have had an impact.

You sure about that? I moved down low for one of the games this year and saw the same trampoline effect I've always seen in the past. You only notice it if you're down close to the floor. When players jump and land, the floor looks like it indents a few inches.

[Indy Coug]

That floor was freaking sweet.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

different sports?

It seems that it is least important in pro baseball (I don't know about college).

Why?

It seems that a precision sport like baseball would make home field very important (landmarks in field of vision when batting, comfort on the mound, familiarity with the ballpark for outfielders, etc).

Would an argument be, the more emotion-dependent a sport is, the more important home field advantage is? and because baseball doesn't rely so much on emotion, it is less important?

Or maybe basketball players are particularly mentally weak. Why should BYU be undefeated at home, yet terrible on the road? Doesn't make sense to me.

Emotion is certainly a huge part of home field advantage. You're correct that there is less emotion in baseball than other sports. A lot of that is because baseball is not a timed sport; there is no sense of urgency; the game is over only after the allotted number of innings is played. There are times that emotion starts to run a bit higher toward the end of the game, but that generally is only when the home team is behind in the bottom of the last inning of a close game, or the home team is ahead in the top of the last inning if a close game.

I think it's also because in baseball, the key player is a pitcher - most notably a starting pitcher - and the best of the starters isn't on the mound for each and every game. In other sports, the key player is in there every game.

As for the different levels of baseball, it's the same - be it professional, college, or high school - home field isn't as big a deal as it is in the other sports. I never noticed a difference playing at home or away. Then again, for the most part, in college, the crowd in attendance was usually very sparse. It's tough to be intimidated when there are only 19 people watching the game from the stands.

[Insensitive PAP]

It's much easier for the refs to cheat in basketball because there is a huge grey area. The action moves fast and the refs begin to think they are part of the show. For example, Dick Bavetta's 70 year old version of the electric slide when he's calling a block. Could you ever imagine a football ref doing the electric boogaloo when calling ineligible reciever downfield?

Baseball is kinda in no man's land, but it's by necessaity as no one can tell what the hell is going on from so far away.

[Detroitdad]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

That floor was freaking sweet.

The MC floor and the Smith Field House floor are the only two that I have ever dunked on during competitive play. In the Smith Field House I was able to follow my own missed shot with a dunk. It was like playing on a trampoline, because, I assure you, dunking on other hoops was not an easy thing for me.