By Kaylin Flukey
Picture from gettyimages.com
The 2022 NFL season has been anything but ordinary. Teams that were projected to be top in their division are at the bottom while others that were projected to be lower in the rankings are coming out on top.
A main factor in the successes and hardships of these teams is the environment they play in. Most teams thrive in their home stadiums, whether it be the pride they feel playing for their hometown or the energy coming from the fans.
According to a study done by lineups.com home teams usually win in between 55 and 60 percent of the time. A prime example of why home-field advantage matters is the New Orleans Saints. The Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been the home stadium for the Saints since 1975. It is known for being one of the toughest stadiums to play in because of its structure. The Saints have maintained the fifth highest win percentage at home since 2008.
Picture from WAFB
It is nearly impossible for opposing teams to hear while on offense because of how loud the fans can get. In 2013, the arena set a Guinness book record as the loudest stadium when the loudness level reached 136.6 decibels. To put that into perspective, that is almost as loud as a military jet taking off from an aircraft carrier.
At this point in the season the Saints have maintained their home-field advantage reputation, according to TeamRankings, they stand with a record of 3-3-0 at the Superdome and an away record of 1-5-0. Another team this season that is thriving at home, is the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins play at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Florida. They have a record of 5-1-0 at home and an away record of 3-4-0.
The Philadelphia Eagles are infamous for their rowdy and loyal fan base. No matter where the Eagles play if you look in the stands you will see Eagles fans screaming and decked out in their fan gear. So far in the 2022 season, the Eagles hold a record of 12-1 putting them in first place of their division.
Chart from Statista
Throughout the 2020 season, the Eagles organization did not allow fans to attend games due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That same year, the Eagles finished with a record of 4-11-1, coming in last in their division. Not having fans in attendance was not the sole reason that the team did not have a successful year, but it defiantly had an effect.
Attendance of games around the NFL this season have increased from previous years. There are no longer restrictions relating to Covid-19 and fans are taking advantage of having a normal season back. The Dallas Cowboys are having a stellar season so far with a record of 10-3-0 putting them second to the Eagles in their division.
The Cowboys currently lead the league in attendance for home games with a total of 747,438 people in attendance after 8 home games, and averaging 93,429 per game, according to ESPN. That is 268,482 more people than the second highest team, the New York Jets, with a total of 478,956 people.
Chart from Statista.
Not only is there a disadvantage of playing in a stadium that isn’t your own, but the disadvantage also comes from the travel to the game. Recent studies have shown that teams are affecting by traveling from east coast to west coast and vice versa.
According to yahooentertainment, researchers believe that peak athletic performance occurs late in the afternoon especially for NFL players who have acclimated to 1p.m. game time starts in their respective time zones. West coast teams have struggled with 1.p.m games on the east coast, but they have dominated Monday Night Football. Between 1970 and 2010 west coast teams have won 74% of all MNF contests.
Every NFL team is different and certain teams dominate because they are just simply having a good season. However, home-field advantage really takes an effect during a close game or for a team that falls in the middle of the rankings. The environment of a game and the support from the fans can give a team that extra drive to win.
Data Journalism 395 