Home advantage in speed skating: Evidence from individual data

Home advantage is a well-documented phenomenon in many sports. Home advantage has been shown to exist for team sports (soccer, hockey, football, baseball, basketball) and for countries organizing sports tournaments like the Olympics and World Cup Soccer. There is also some evidence for home advantage in some individual sports, but there is a much more limited literature. This paper addresses the issue of home advantage in speed skating. From a methodological point of view, it is difficult to identify home advantage, because skaters vary in their abilities and the conditions of tournaments vary. There is a small but significant home advantage using a generalized linear mixed model, with random effects for skaters and fixed effects for skating rinks and seasons. Even though the home advantage effect exists, it is very small when compared to variation in skating times due to differences of rinks and individual abilities.     

The second leg home advantage: Evidence from European football cup competitions

Abstract

The home advantage is a widely acknowledged sporting phenomenon, especially in association football. Here, we examine the second leg home advantage, an effect that is discussed in the public domain but which has received very little scientific attention. The second leg home advantage effect occurs when on average teams are more likely to win a two-stage knock-out competition when they play at home in the second leg. That is, both teams have a home advantage but this advantage is significantly greater for the team that plays at home second. Examining data from three different European Cup football competitions spanning 51 years, we show that the second leg home advantage is a real phenomenon. The second leg home team has more than a 50% probability to qualify for the next round in the competition even after controlling for extra time and team ability as possible alternative explanations. The second leg home advantage appears, however, to have decreased significantly over the past decade. Possible reasons for its existence and subsequent decline are presented.     

On referee bias,crowd size,and home advantage in the English soccer Premiership

Abstract

In the present study, we examined the independent and combined effects of an inspiratory muscle warm-up and inspiratory muscle training on intermittent running to exhaustion. Twelve males were recruited to undertake four experimental trials. Two trials (Trials 1 and 2) preceded either a 4-week training period of 1 × 30 breaths twice daily at 50% (experimental group) or 15% (control group) maximal inspiratory mouth pressure (PImax). A further two trials (Trials 3 and 4) were performed after the 4 weeks. Trials 2 and 4 were preceded by a warm-up: 2 × 30 breaths at 40% PImax. Pre-training PImax and distance covered increased (P < 0.05) similarly between groups after the warm-up (～11% and ～5–7% PImax and distance covered, respectively). After training, PImax increased by 20 ± 6.1% (P < 0.01; d = 3.6) and 26.7 ± 6.3% (P < 0.01; d = 3.1) when training and warm-up were combined in the experimental group. Distance covered increased after training in the experimental group by 12 ± 4.9% (P < 0.01; d = 3.6) and 14.9 ± 4.5% (P < 0.01; d = 2.3) when training and warm-up interventions were combined. In conclusion, inspiratory muscle training and inspiratory muscle warm-up can both increase running distance independently, but the greatest increase is observed when they are combined.     

Home advantage in judo: A study of the world ranking list

Abstract

In 2009, the International Judo Federation established a ranking system (RS) to classify athletes and to distribute the competitor quotas of the Olympic Games. However, the RS does not consider the home advantage. This issue has not been studied in judo, and its implications for the RS have not been determined. The objective was to verify the home advantage in judo in terms of winning a medal or the number of matches won. Therefore, 25 competitions that computed points for the RS in 2009 were analysed. Logistic regression analysis and the Poisson generalised linear model were used for the analyses, which included the relative quality of the athletes. The sample was composed only of athletes who had competed both at home and away. The odds ratio for winning medals was higher for athletes who competed at home for both males and females. The association between the number of matches won and competing at home was significant only for the male athletes. The home advantage was observed in the competitions that used the judo RS. Thus, it is likely that athletes from countries that host competitions using the RS have an advantage in terms of obtaining their Olympic classification.     

Home advantage and the debate about competitive balance in professional sports leagues

A recurrent theme in sports economics is the extent to which overall league attendances will be raised by measures, such as revenue sharing, which aim to improve competitive balance. This debate has ignored the phenomenon of home advantage, which may, however, be important to the extent that, if all teams had equal talent, all matches may then be weighted heavily in favour of the home team. We present an analysis of the relationship between attendance and match-level uncertainty in the English Football League. A simulation from our model indicates that equality of playing talent would in fact lower aggregate attendance. This result is explained by the loss of prospectively the most uncertain games, where weak teams have home advantage over strong teams.     

Effects of crowd size on referee decisions: Analysis of the FA Cup

Abstract

Data were collected on the number of first yellow cards awarded during 857 games, over six seasons (1996 – 2002), played in the Football Association (FA) Cup. Overall, a significantly higher number of yellow cards were awarded against the away team, while a non-linear relationship between crowd size and yellow cards was observed. In general, the probability of a yellow card being awarded against the home team decreased as crowd size increased, but was attenuated for the largest crowd sizes. Crowd size may be related to the probability of the home team receiving a yellow card in two potential ways. Crowd noise may be a decision-making heuristic whereby the likelihood that an incident is a foul is increased when accompanied by crowd noise. Alternatively, referees may seek to appease the crowd and are more likely to do so as crowd size increases. The present findings have implications for the training of match officials and for coaches and players as they prepare to play away from home.     

发挥厦门区位优势促进海峡两岸体育交流

厦门与台湾体育合作交流处于＂来的多,去的少;体育产业合作多,竞技体育合作少;机会多,把握少＂的现状,明确厦门与台湾体育合作交流的前景是光明的,提出如何充分发挥厦门区位优势,把厦门打造成为两岸青少年体育交流基地,大力培育发展厦门民间体育社团组织等开创厦台体育合作交流新局面的措施.     

Activity and recovery cycles and skill involvements of successful and unsuccessful elite rugby league teams: A longitudinal analysis of evolutionary changes in National Rugby League match-play

We investigated changes in activity and recovery cycles and skill involvements: (1) during National Rugby league (NRL) match-play from 2004 to 2014 and (2) among successful and unsuccessful teams over the same period. Teams were divided into 4 tiers according to final ladder position: (A) 1st–4th, (B) 5th–8th, (C) 9th–12th and (D) 13th–16th. Total, mean and maximum ball-in-play time decreased, while recovery time increased from 2004 to 2014. Offensive and defensive skill involvements changed differentially over time with moderate to large reductions in the number of play-the-balls, offloads and missed tackles, and moderate to large increases in the number of passes, tackles made and ineffective tackles. The gap between Tier A and Tier D decreased for mean activity time and the proportion of short (<45 s) ball-in-play periods. Conversely, the gap between Tier A and Tier D increased for skill involvements, with Tier A completing more play-the-balls, and Tier D performing a greater number of offloads, and total, missed and ineffective tackles. Our results demonstrate the decreasing ball-in-play demands of NRL competition over 11 seasons. However, our data also highlight the narrowing gap in ball-in-play demands, and increasing gap in skill involvements between the top tier and bottom tier teams.     

从南非世界杯看体育赛事、传媒、体育产业的互动关系

文章运用文献资料法,结合2010年南非世界杯,对体育赛事、传媒、体育产业三者之间的互动关系进行深入分析研究,结果表明体育赛事与传媒是一种互利的"联姻关系",传媒居主动;体育产业得益于两者的繁荣,并在此前提下,才会获得高速发展;三者关系中,本应居核心地位的体育赛事却最脆弱,赛事的纯洁性不断受到传媒收视率的威胁;保持纯洁性并争取利益最大化是体育赛事在互动关系中谈判的底线。     

The impact of a mega-event on inter-organisational relationships and tie strength: Perceptions from the 2011 Rugby World Cup

Few studies have investigated the impact of mega-events on existing, inter-organisational relationships within regional tourism networks and how the event may change these relationships. This research explores the perceived impact of the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC 2011) on relationships and tie strength between Tourism Auckland (as the focal organisation) and its partner organisations. The research utilises an exploratory, qualitative case study approach. Data were collected using semi-structured pre- and post-event interviews, a formal survey and a documentation review. Emphasis was placed on comparing the intra-regional versus the inter-regional destination environment. The findings demonstrate the significant opportunities of a mega-event to strengthen existing relationships among organisations involved, and to build a valuable portfolio of both strong and weak ties. RWC 2011 positively impacted on intra-regional relationships as opposed to inter-regional relationships. A model is developed illustrating these findings. The findings can help practitioners to strategically leverage relationships, both intra- and inter-regionally. This would not only assist in attracting and delivering successful events in the future but also in creating more competitive destinations.     

Physical characteristics,physiological attributes,and on-court performances of handball players: A review

Abstract

The main purpose of this article was to review a series of studies (n=23) on physical characteristics, physiological attributes, throwing velocity and accuracy, and on-court performances of male handball players – amateur players, experienced players, professional players, and players on the national team. Five main findings emerged from our review: (1) Elite players are heavier and have higher fat-free mass than amateur players. (2) The maximal oxygen uptake of male players is between 50 and 60 ml · kg^?1 · min^?1. (3) Throwing velocity is higher by as much as 9% in elite male players compared with amateur male players. (4) Heart rates can rise above 160 beats · min^?1 in male players during a game. (5) On-court distance covered in a game averaged approximately 4 km and ranged between 2 and 5 km, depending on playing position. Our methodological concerns based on the reviewed studies are: (a) a lack of on-court physiological data; (b) a lack of experimental/manipulative studies; (c) limited data on throwing accuracy; and (d) a lack of longitudinal studies. The practical implications include: (a) strength and power exercises should be emphasized in conditioning programmes, as they are associated with both sprint performance and throwing velocity; (b) speed and agility drills should also be implemented in conditioning programmes; and (c) specificity of training based upon the position of the player is of great importance when planning strength and conditioning programmes.     

Differences in maturity,morphological and physical attributes between players selected to the primary and secondary teams of a Portuguese Basketball elite academy

The present study aims (i) to compare the maturational, morphological and fitness attributes of young basketball players of primary and secondary teams of an elite basketball academy, and (ii) to identify the set of morphological and fitness attributes which better discriminate the players from the two teams. A total of 116 male basketball players of an elite basketball academy were divided into primary (team A) and secondary (team B) teams in two age groups (U-14 and U-16). All the players were evaluated during two consecutive seasons and data related to players’ practice experience, maturational, morphological and fitness attributes were collected at the beginning of the competition period. The results of the study suggest that: (i) in both age categories, team A players were older, more mature, bigger in size and had greater fitness profiles than team B players; (ii) stature and abdominal resistance were identified as discriminant attributes for youth basketball player performance; (iii) aerobic capacity for U-14 and agility for U-16 were identified as specific discriminant attributes for performance in youth basketball. Coaches are recommended to avoid premature talent identification and provide players with opportunities to progress through the talent pathway, at least until U-16 age category.     

Offside decision making of assistant referees in the English Premier League: Impact of physical and perceptual-cognitive factors on match performance

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated the accuracy of offside judgements of assistant referees in the English Premier League. The moment in the match, the position and movement speed of the assistant referee, attacker and second-last defender, together with the angle of view for the assistant referee were all considered to underlie incorrect decisions. The error rate was 17.5% (868 of 4960 situations). As the English assistant referees tended not to signal in doubtful situations (c = 0.91), there was an overall bias towards non-flag errors (773 non-flag errors vs. 95 flag errors). The flash-lag hypothesis could explain all flag errors, whereas the optical-error hypothesis could explain a proportion of the non-flag errors (45.4%). Fatigue, movement speed, and angle of view did not have a detrimental effect on offside decision making. In conclusion, there were fewer flag errors than in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, whereas the number of non-flag errors rose. The increased awareness of factors involved in offside decision making and the instructions to give the benefit of the doubt to attackers could have contributed to this situation.     

Sports participation,physical activity,and health in the European regions

In a context of stagnation of the level of health-enhancing physical activity in Europe, this study examines the geographical stratification of sports participation and physical activity (PA) at the regional level in 28 European countries. While previous research has focused on the national approach, this study considers the regional level across 208 European regions. Individual survey data from the Eurobarometer 80.2 is combined with a regional-level approach to the 208 regions to quantify sports participation and PA at the regional level. The results show important differences and a geographical stratification of sports participation and PA among the European regions, albeit following different patterns. In particular, a north–south gap is identified in terms of PA rates and an east–west gap is detected in terms of sports participation levels. Applying the cluster technique, a taxonomy of four different European regions is developed considering both types of indicators. Finally, the existence of sports spatial spillovers among regions is verified, obtaining a positive autocorrelation among neighbouring regions for being involved in PA and sporting activities. The results may have significant implications in terms of policy measures to improve health through PA and sports participation at the regional level in Europe.     

Technical and physical match performance of teams in the 2018 FIFA World Cup: Effects of two different playing styles

ABSTRACT

In order to investigate the effect of playing styles on the match performance of football teams, data were analysed on 18 technical performance-related variables and 8 physical performance-related variables from 59 matches in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. A k-means cluster analysis was conducted to classify all match observations into two clusters of tactical approach in order to identify the playing styles of teams (characterised as direct-play, possession-play and mixed-play). Separate Poisson regression models were run in the generalised mixed linear modelling to examine the differences in technical and physical performance between teams classified as using different playing styles when facing different opponents. Results showed that possession-play characterised teams achieved higher values in all the variables related to goal scoring, attacking and passing (ES: 0.32 ~ 1.27) and covered more distance in sprints and high-intensity running (ES: 0.33 ~ 0.47) than direct-play characterised teams. Both possession- and direct-play characterised teams achieved higher values in passing, pass accuracy and delivery into the attacking third playing against direct-play characterised teams than playing against possession-play characterised sides (ES: 0.22 ~ 0.98). These findings may provide insights into the establishment of performance profiles of teams with different tactical styles and the development of specific training drills to optimise playing style.     

2008年欧洲杯足球赛运动员年龄、比赛场次与身体形态特征研究

运用文献资料调研、数理统计法,从平均数特征、位置平均数特征及结构特征3个方面对2008年欧洲杯足球赛运动员的年龄、比赛场次、身高、体重、克托莱指数5个指标进行比较分析.结果表明:不同位置运动员平均年龄存在显著性差异(P<0.05),平均身高、体重、克托莱指数存在非常显著性差异(P<0.01),而平均比赛场次不存在显著性差异(P>0.05);不同档次球队运动员的5项基本指标不存在显著性差异(P>0.05);不同档次球队守门员运动员的平均身高存在显著性差异(P<0.05),其他4项指标不存在显著性差异(P>0.05);后卫、中场和前锋运动员的5项指标均不存在显著性差异(P>0.05);欧洲杯运动员5项指标的结构特征都具有较好的正态分布效果,说明欧洲项尖足球运动员在年龄、比赛场次、身高、体重和克托莱指数5个方面已经达到相对稳定和平衡的状态.建议根据此结果,结合我国足球实际情况,制定与欧洲优秀足球运动员相适应的选材、培养和训练模式.     

Body composition,metabolism, sleep,psychological and eating patterns of overtraining syndrome: Results of the EROS study (EROS-PROFILE)

Overtraining syndrome (OTS) is caused by an imbalance between training, nutrition and resting, and leads to decreased performance and fatigue; however, the precise underlying triggers of OTS remain unclear. This study investigated the body composition, metabolism, eating, sleeping patterns and mood states among participants with OTS. Selected participants were divided into OTS-affected athletes (OTS, n = 14), healthy athletes (ATL, n = 25), and healthy non-physically active controls (NCS, n = 12). Compared to ATL, OTS showed decreased sleep quality (p = 0.004); increased duration of work or study (p < 0.001); decreased libido (p = 0.024); decreased calorie (p < 0.001), carbohydrate (p < 0.001) and protein (p < 0.001) intakes; decreased mood states (p < 0.001); decreased basal metabolic rate (p = 0.013) and fat burning (p < 0.001); increased body fat (p = 0.006); decreased muscle mass (p = 0.008); and decreased hydration (p < 0.001). Levels were similar between OTS and NCS, except for worsened fatigue (p < 0.001) and vigour (p = 0.001) in OTS. Reduced calorie intake, worsened sleep, and increased cognitive activity are likely OTS triggers. OTS appears to induce dehydration, increase body fat, decrease libido, and worsen mood.     

从体育的历史沿革和结构及整体性谈体育的概念与分类 ———兼评“竞技不是体育”、“竞技与体育分开”

运用历史与现实、层次与类型以及系统的整体性对体育概念及其分类进行探讨，指出：体育是以身体练习和运动项目为基本手段，增强体质，促进人体全面发展，提高运动技术水平的一种社会文化活动，以其活动主体和目的为依据可分为：群众体育，学校体育，竞技体育三个组成部分，体育的方法手段，知识理论，场地器材是一体化的，竞技只是体育的一种活动形式和方法，将体育与竞技分开缺乏理论依据和实践基础。     

Reflections from an Accidental Sports Historian: Arriving,Striving, and Surviving

Abstract

This article reflects on my serendipitous encounter with, and subsequent career in, sports history, and ponders on the career impacts of the changing institutional and structural contexts in which academic sports historians work.