The 12th man

Whenever it comes to sports, home field advantage is something that always comes into play. Home field advantage can make the worst of teams come together and beat the top ranked team. You see home field advantage upsets like this a lot in sports, why?

Image result for beaver stadium

The fans have a lot to do with what happens on the score board. The Seattle Seahawks one of the biggest and loudest group of fans you’ll see out of all NFL teams. There was actually a study done on the Seattle Seahawks and other NFL teams on how their fans at home games impact the scoreboard. In the study they show fans emotions can control the game. The fans can get the players hyped by their cheers of joy, or great them depressed with their boos. The fans have a physiological pull on the players they are cheering for. The study shows that games fan numbers are low the score is normally lower, with a few outliers here and there. With games the fans are at an all-time high, the score is a higher score on average.

Players on NFL and college football teams have been surveyed and conducted interviews with many people studying the impact fans have. Overall in both you see players saying they feel that they have an extra man out on the field with them, and they can definitely feel the disadvantage of it at away games. Studies show that the 12th  man theory is correct. The fans have a physiological and emotional advantage when it comes to teams playing at home.

9 thoughts on “The 12th man

  1. Sean Patrick Hickey

    Home field advantage has always been a really cool concept to me. Fans can have an impact on the game and help their team win with out actually playing, thats a pretty cool thing. I remember when the warriors wherein the playoff last year the tv broadcast measured the noise level inside the arena and it was almost as loud as a jet engine at some points. I can’t imagine playing in an environment like that as the visitors. But for the warriors that must have been an awesome advantage. http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/2013/09/15/you-did-it-seattle-12th-man-sets-world-record-for-crowd-roar/ , this is an article about the seahawks fans setting the record for loudest crowd roar. That shows how some home field advantages can e better than others.

  2. Matthew Hogan

    I thought this was a great topic. Especially as a Penn state student where our student sections and school spirit are incredible, I would like to think that we really do have an impact on the game. It definitely makes sense that the studies show that fans do have an impact because if players are being cheered for and supported by so many fans, it will give them confidence and make them play better. Also it will make them excited being in that atmosphere and will motivate them to do better. Hopefully the 12th man will be a big factor against Ohio state and will help us win.

  3. David Ross

    Very interesting topic you wrote about. Home field advantages are almost always accredited to helping the home team win. I wonder though if playing at an away site can motivate the players in a different way that could cause them to play better. While this is a very philosophical view, perhaps there is no difference between home and away crowds and the effect it has on the game. Could the 12th man be on both sides? Maybe not but it is something I think you would find interesting to discover.

  4. Brett Alan Merritt

    I definitely agree that the 12th man is a real thing. When i was a player, having the fans behind me always gave me that extra boost to take my game to the next level. I can also see it as a fan. When the stadium erupts, the players go harder the next play and perform better. Do you think the noise also hurts the opposing team since it is harder for them to communicate?

  5. Lucas Thomas Hansen

    the 12th man certainly plays a main role in how well a team performs. Having the support of thousands of people as they roar in your favor makes you proud to be a part of any team and pushes you beyond your limits. As a lacrosse player myself, I believe having the crowds support by my side every second of every play helped me do exactly so. I found a link giving the perspective of an NFL players point of view about the 12th man. http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/1/22/7871519/seattle-seahawks-12th-man-super-bowl-patriots

  6. Cole Donald Rogers

    Coming across a blog that pertained to football I knew I could not give the opportunity up. This is a very interesting topic and one that personally I can hold accountable. Playing football all my life I had always seemed to block out the crowd while I was playing so I never held it as a problem. It was not until the state championship football game my senior year where I truly heard what an immense group of fans could stir up. During this game it was a lot different I could barely hear my quarterback let alone even think for myself. I came to the conclusion that the 12th man was the real deal and I could not imagine what it would’ve sounded like had all those empty seats been filled that night (we played at MetLife Stadium). I am not surprised by the conclusion found by the scientists and I like that the article had a concrete answer. However personally I would have liked to hear the specifics of how the 12th man kind of developed or how seriously people take the term in use. Here is an article describing all of that encompassed at Texas A&M:
    The 12th Man
    http://12thman.tamu.edu

  7. dff5115

    I am a strong believer that the crowd noise has a direct impact on the game. A lot of people say that as a fan you do not impact the game; this maybe true at home but when you are in the crowd it can disrupt the play calling of the opposing team. You mentioned the Seattle Seahawks and how they have a large home field advantage. The reason for this is because of the way the stadium is set up, it amplifies sound

  8. Claudia Lynn Hatch

    i do agree with this blog post. The home team advantage really is a thing. I played sports for 13 years, so I have a lot of experience with this sort of psychological advantage. I really do think you’re right but could have found more cites to back up your claim. Look at This

  9. Matthew Edward Simco

    Playing on your home field definitely impacts the result of the game. This weekend, versus Ohio State, is a prime example. If we were on the road, I would have absolutely no confidence whatsoever. Although I am still not confident, I feel a lot better about our chances at home, especially during the whiteout at 8 pm. The atmosphere will be so tremendous that it will definitely affect the game. Beaver Stadium is known to have one of the best home field advantages in all of college football. Penn State coach, James Franklin, wants this game to be the craziest, toughest environments in college football history. If you look at the link below, it shows James Franklin talking about the upcoming game.
    http://www.roarlionsroar.com/penn-state-football/2016/10/719/franklin-wants-beaver-stadium-to-be-most-difficult-environment-in-history-of-college-football

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