It has been debated by many researchers whether a home disadvantage exists within professional sports, especially in a decisive game of a championship competition. The present study checked for a home disadvantage within professional football conference championship games. Data were compiled from 1970 through 1993, since there were two conference championship games played each year throughout the specified years. Analyses indicated a significant association between games' locations and actual outcomes. In particular, the home teams won significantly more conference championship games than the visiting team. Directions for research are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BaumeisterR. F. (1985) The championship choke. Psychology Today, 19(4), 48–52.
2.
BaumeisterR. F.SteinhilberA. (1984) Paradoxical effects of supportive audiences on performance under pressure: The home field advantage in sports championships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 85–93.
3.
CourneyaK. S.CarronA. V. (1992) The home advantage in sport competition: A literature review. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 14, 13–27.
4.
GaytonW. F.MatthewsG. R.NicklessC. J. (1987) The home field disadvantage in sports championships: Does it exist in hockey?Journal of Sport Psychology, 9, 183–185.
5.
HowellD. C. (1989) Fundamental statistics for the behavioral sciences. Boston, MA: PWS-Kent.
6.
WrightE. F.VoyerD.WrightR. D.RoneyC. (in press) Supporting audiences and performance under pressure: The home-ice disadvantage in hockey championships. Journal of Sport Behavior.
