Is Home Field/Court Advantage Real?

Well, what is real is this. In Major League Baseball, home teams win roughly 54 percent of the time. In the NFL, that number goes up to nearly 58 percent and it’s been the same over the last two seasons in the NBA. In the NHL, home teams enjoy a win at home about 59 percent of the time. All of these numbers come from large sample sizes over the past several years. So, does playing at home really give the home team an advantage? You decide.

The Home Crowd

Playing in front of your own fans sure beats the alternative. Home crowds can make it difficult for opposing teams. In the NFL, crowd noise can disrupt play calls. The same holds for the NBA. The home crowd can be a source of inspiration too when a home team needs a lift.

Where home crowds really seem to provide an advantage is in influencing officials. There have been a number of studies completed that show that officials and referees in the four major professional sports leagues are, in fact, influenced by fans. Home teams tend to get more favorable calls from officials. 

Location, Location, Location

In the real estate world, it’s all about location. Well, location creates some interesting advantages for home teams. Take, for example, teams that play in Denver. That would include the Denver Broncos of the NFL, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, and the Colorado Rockies of MLB. 

Denver is, of course, the Mile High City. It sits 5,280 feet – one mile – above sea level. That elevation has some effects that give the city’s sports teams some advantages. The Rockies, for example, have not been very good for the latter part of the last decade. In each of the last three seasons, Colorado has finished in last place in the NL West. In each season they won at least 10 more games at home than on the road. In the 2021 season, the Rockies finished fourth in the division but won 48 home games. They still finished 13 games below .500.

The elevation in Denver means the air is thinner. The climate is dry too and the result is that fly balls travel further in Denver. Coors Field remains the most hitter-friendly ballpark in MLB. Game totals are routinely set in the double digits, even with elite pitching. 

The longest field goal in NFL history happened at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. Justin Tucker, one of the all-time great kickers in NFL history, hit a 66-yard field in the thin air in Denver. The elevation can also have an effect on an athlete’s stamina. Even the most well-conditioned athletes will tire more easily at elevation.

There are also weather factors related to location. Green Bay, Kansas City, and Buffalo are going to be cold and snowy late in the NFL season. Chicago is known as the Windy City. There are NFL and MLB teams that play indoors. The conditions, whether indoors or outdoors, are going to affect the outcome of games.

Rules Advantages

In some sports, the rules of the game favor the home team. You can see that in MLB where the home team always bats last. If the home team is winning heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the game ends. However, if the home team trails or the game is tied, the home team gets to bat again in an attempt to score. 

In baseball, there are also some advantages related to the rules and the uniqueness of the home team’s arena or stadium. Sticking with Coors Field in Denver, the dimensions of the field are in line with MLB regulations. They have changed over the years, but Coors Field still sees more home runs hit than other MLB stadiums. 

On the other end, stadiums like Oracle Park (Baltimore) and Comerica Park (Detroit) follow MLB guidelines, but their stadiums are more pitcher-friendly. It’s completely within the rules, but it’s harder to hit home runs in those stadiums since their outfield walls are 410 feet and deeper. Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal finished the 2024 MLB season with an 18-4 record and a 2.39 ERA. He won the AL Cy Young award after going 10-1 with a 1.99 ERA at home. Pitching at Comerica Park was a big part of his success last season.

One of the biggest rules advantages in sports occurs in the NHL. “Last change” goes to the home team. This rule allows NHL coaches to substitute last after a puck stoppage. Let’s say icing is called. On the ensuing face-off, both teams can substitute, but the home team can see who the visiting team has on the ice first. It’s a big advantage for NHL teams.

Psychological Factors

There are a number of other factors related to an individual player’s and a whole team’s mental state that is associated with playing at home. One is simply the routine of being at home. When playing at your own venue, you can sleep in your own bed. If players have families, they spend time with their families just like any other day. Their daily routine doesn’t change when they play at home.

Everything changes when a team travels. Players are away from their homes. They are away from their families. The routine is different. Players don’t sleep in their own beds. How much do these factors influence a player or team on game day? It’s hard to quantify, but some players and teams are better than others when dealing with playing on the road. 

Last season in MLB, for example, the New York Yankees were better than every other team when playing on the road. The Yankees won 50 road games. In the NFL over the past decade, the Kansas City Chiefs are 61-23 in road games. That’s a 72.6 percent winning percentage. The next closest team – New England – wins on the road 56.1 percent of the time when playing on the road. The Chiefs have been dominant on the road (they have at home too!).