Impact of Spectators, League and Team Ability on Home Advantage in Professional European Basketball
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Our aim in this study was to examine the impact of fans (vs. no fans), geographical location of league, and team ability on home winning percentage (HW%) or home advantage (HA) in professional European basketball. Data were collected from five prestigious professional, national basketball leagues within Europe (Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece and Israel) across 16 regular seasons (2005-2006 to 2020-2021). We conducted comparisons between matches with and without fans, location of leagues, team ability (High, Medium, Low), and combinations of these factors via non-parametric tests (e.g., Mann-Whitney tests, Kruskal-Wallis). We found significantly greater HA during matches with fans for leagues in Germany ( p = .001), Italy ( p = .012) and Spain ( p = .002). For matches with fans, HA and HW% were significantly different between several, but not all, leagues for high ( p < .05), medium ( p < .05) and low ( p < .02) team abilities. In conclusion, HA and HW% were enhanced by spectator attendance, with this phenomenon varying by location/region and team ability. Consideration of these multiple contextual factors may assist coaches and sport organizations to develop key strategies for enhanced team success.
Source: Perceptual and Motor Skills
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,250
OpenAlex ID: W4388935201