Was reading the magazine Popular Science yesterday and they had a very detailed info graph on the advantage of playing on the home turf. You can read the whole summer issue for free on their website.
The thing that caught my eye the most was the decline in the home turf advantage. The two things the author talks about are the referee bias and comfier travel as factors contributing to the decline. There are a few irregularities though, for instance the spike gong up in the late 1980's and the steep fall in mid and late 1990's are present both in NBA and NHL. An article dated June 15, 1995 talks about this decline and attributes it to the labor strikes leading to low game attendance, and the sustained performance of the top six teams bringing the average low.
A research article published in Feb of 2019, titled The Sustained Reduction-by-Half of Home Advantage in the NHL, 1991-1992 to 2000-2001, attributes the decline to rule changes based on instant replays for NHL.
As technology gets better, bias training improves, quality travel and training for athletes is given higher preference we are going to see home advantage reduce over time. The crowds have been found to create a psychology impact but mostly in form of booing on the visiting team and not on the referees. So next time you visit a home game, make sure to chant along to support your team and maybe given them a edge.
Good things
1. Made an amazing smoothie: After working out yesterday made a smoothie from the stuff I had available which included açaí, berries, hemp & chia seeds plus protein powder with a splash of soy milk. The outcome was a delicious smoothie.
2. Used looper along with the handpan: I have been procrastinating playing my handpan. Yesterday I set aside some time to use LooperHD app and the handpan to create some interesting patterns and that 30 minute session was a delight.
3. Finished rewatching House MD: I've been re-watching House M.D. with my lunch and dinner. Yesterday was the final episode of the last season and it has an appropriate ending with House pretending to be dead so that he can spend time with his dying friend.