preprints_ui: 3xaph_v1
Data license: ODbL (database) & original licenses (content) · Data source: Open Science Framework
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| 3xaph_v1 | The Impact of Cheering on Sports Performance: Comparison of Serie A Statistics Before and During COVID-19. | Background: The role of cheering in home advantage in sports performance is the subject of much debate. No definitive scientific evidence has so far been found capable of highlighting or denying its relevance. As pandemic restrictive measures (COVID-19) have prevented crowds from entering stadiums, analysis of the past two football seasons may reveal important new details. Objective: This paper aims to compare the statistics of the last two football seasons in Italy with the previous six, trying to highlight any pronounced and statistically significant changes due to the absence of cheering in the stadiums. Methods: We compared the average percentages of points obtained in home matches from 2013 to 2019 with those in the timelapse 2019-2021. The same operation was performed with referee statistics, such as fouls, penalties, and cards awarded against home teams. To do this, we used measures such as Welch's t-test and percentage increases. The distributive normality of the datasets was evaluated with the Shapiro-Wilk test and a graphical control. The lack of trend in the series was assessed with the Mann-Kendall test and Sen's Slope. Finally, Pearson and Spearman's correlations were searched between the percentages of points collected in home matches and total points, year by year, from 2013 to 2021. Results: The average percentage of points collected by teams in home matches dropped by almost 8% (Welch’s t-test = -4.3). Moreover, the negative correlations between home collected points and total points in 2013-2019 timelapse have drastically diminished during the last two seasons (average Welch’s t-test = 6.0, 95% CI: 5.4 – 6.4), approaching zero. Finally, penalties against home teams have increased by 30% (Welch’s t-test = 2.6), reaching figures closer to 50%. Conclusions: This research provides statistical evidence in favor of the relevance of home advantage in the top football league in Italy, such as Serie A. During the anti-COVID-19 restrictive measures - which prevented public access to the stadiums - a net reduction in the points collected by the teams in home matches was detected. In addition, the number of penalties awarded against home teams has increased significantly, approaching the ideal 50%. Since there are valid psychological reasons in the literature to support the crowd’s impact on sports and refereeing performance, it is plausible that our findings are causally related to the absence of cheering. Finally, as the averages of points collected at home remained far from 50%, our results suggest that a not negligible part of the home advantage in Serie A is linked to factors independent of the audience. Future research can deepen the above phenomena from a theoretical-psychological point of view. | 2021-07-16T15:14:40.914568 | 2023-07-27T10:57:21.011824 | 2021-07-28T17:00:12.567646 | sportrxiv | 1 | accepted | 1 | 1 | https://doi.org/10.31236/osf.io/3xaph | CC-By Attribution 4.0 International | COVID-19; Cheering; Crowd; Football; Home Advantage; Pandemic; Referees; Serie A; Sport Performance | ["COVID-19", "Cheering", "Crowd", "Football", "Home Advantage", "Pandemic", "Referees", "Serie A", "Sport Performance"] | Alessandro Rovetta; Alessandro Abate | [{"id": "zynxa", "name": "Alessandro Rovetta", "index": 0, "orcid": "0000-0002-4634-279X", "bibliographic": true}, {"id": "yxgv7", "name": "Alessandro Abate", "index": 1, "orcid": null, "bibliographic": true}] | Alessandro Rovetta | Sport and Exercise Science; Other Sport and Exercise Science | [{"id": "5995e3a754be8104361ac1c3", "text": "Sport and Exercise Science"}, {"id": "5995e3a754be8104361ac1d0", "text": "Other Sport and Exercise Science"}] | https://osf.io/download/60f1a2642fbdb4010dfc417c | 0 | not_applicable | not_applicable | [] | 2025-04-09T20:04:17.899404 |