Is Home Where The Heart Is?
Is Home Where The Heart Is? By Daniel Ferguson I'm a Nottingham Forest fan and I've always found we play better at home. Even look at Sunderland this season: they've only lost to Liverpool and Fulham at home. Does playing at home really make a big difference, is there more chance of winning? The City Ground Home Advantage? Factors such as travel, familiarity and crowd support have their influence but just that feeling of playing at home connects us: to the fans, to the team, to the sport. This feeling influences our psychological state including our emotions and anxieties which in turn effects our body and energy ( Courneya and Carron, 1992 ). In 2015/16, it was revealed that home teams won over 55% of their games across sports such as NFL, basketball and baseball. Why is this? Familiarity Home feels like home right? It's something we are used to. Potentially it means our family and friends are more present, we have more of a routine and simply less factors creating a...