4 Calling Birds

We're up to 10 birds... this is ridiculous. My first thought was alarm clocks... benefits of morning training... blah blah blah... but then I remembered that I had kind or already done that. So, what else has to with calling? Calling your friends... benefits of group training... dang, Sean already posted something about that. I know... calling out someone's name (better known as cheering)... does it really help, or is it in my head that I run faster? This brings us to the Home Team Advantage phenomenon.

Turns out, it is for real, with the home team winning 52-66% of the time depending upon the sport. But why? Well, it's not because of the crowd cheering you on (so I was wrong), or that the home team is better rested because they don't have to travel, or that they know the field better. Rather, there is evidence to suggest that there is a general referee bias to the home team. The authors attributed this, in part, to pressure from the crowd.

This is all well and great, but there are no referees in road races. And, even though we've all had our quibbles with various timing companies (I want my 2 seconds!), local runners are no less susceptible to the finish line receiver not reading their chip compared to those visiting from out of town. There is also something to be said for not having to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it to a race and knowing the course. And, even though baseball, football, basketball, and soccer players might be immune to cheering... runners can't seem to get enough of it... I'm guessing it's because we're are a lot closer to our "fans" :-) .