10 Biggest Current Home-Field Advantages in Sports
Home-field advantage is only worth as much as the home squad and crowd, the combination of which creates a potent edge.
Fans may fancy themselves the best in the world, but it doesn't matter if the team doesn't perform. The Superdome incited fear in most opponents during the New Orleans Saints' recent heyday, but adversaries now lick their lips at the chance to pad their numbers against a subpar defense in a climate-controlled domain.
Winning, however, doesn't always guarantee a raucous arena. Just ask the Tampa Bay Rays, who ranked No. 23 in average attendance during the 2009 MLB campaign, per ESPN.com. They made the World Series in 2008.
What does it take to generate an insurmountable home edge? A top team who can win anywhere certainly helps, and so does a prestigious stadium with a deep history and even larger seating capacity. Although a big market occasionally does the trick, a couple of sports' most reputable clubs benefit from absorbing all of a small town's attention.
Teams shutter at seeing these road games on the schedule, so let's break down the top home-field advantages today.
Arrowhead Stadium
1 of 10
On a day with a kickoff temperature of 1 degree, per the Topeka Capital-Journal's Matt Derrick, Andy Reid failed to ice the kicker.
The Kansas City Chiefs head coach gave Ryan Succop a second chance to convert a game-winning field goal by negating his 53-yard miss with a timeout. He booted the next attempt, giving the Tennessee Titans a road upset.
Such a narrow margin is necessary to upend the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where they are now 5-2 with a pair of 19-17 losses in 2016. Since signing Reid and acquiring Alex Smith in 2012, they're 22-9 at home. They'll finish 6-2 for the third-straight season if they defeat the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
While it may not match other NFL stadiums in pedigree, no other place gets as loud. Two years ago, Arrowhead attendees reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the loudest outdoor crowd in the world from CenturyLink Field fans at 142.2 decibels.
Unfortunately for Kansas City, its latest loss allowed the Oakland Raiders to jump back into the AFC West driver's seat. Although they're likely to make the playoffs, the Chiefs may no longer receive an opportunity to host their first postseason clash at Arrowhead since 2011.
AT&T Center
2 of 10
On Sunday night, the San Antonio Spurs bid farewell to the man who oversaw plenty of wins inside AT&T Center. They immortalized Tim Duncan by hanging his jersey in the arena's rafters, and it's possible they also retired (or temporarily halted) their home-court dominance.
Without The Big Fundamental, their splits have taken an odd turn early into the 2016-17 campaign. They're an NBA-best 14-1 on the road, but they lost four of their first eight home bouts. They're suddenly in danger of suffering double-digit home defeats for the first time since 2009-10, chunks of which they played without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Last season, the Spurs went 40-1 at AT&T Center, with their only blemish against the Warriors in a game Duncan sat out. Along with ending a 48-game home winning streak, the Warriors picked up their first win at San Antonio since 1997, a year before the Spurs drafted Duncan.
As a result, San Antonio was in danger of falling off this list. Yet the future Hall of Famer hardly carried the franchise in his final season, averaging 8.6 points over 61 games. The team still took care of business at home, and it has responded to this season's slow start with four consecutive home victories.
Those early four losses will likely end up as no more than a short-lived outlier for a team once again quietly trailing close behind Golden State in the Western Conference's No. 2 slot. In a city with no other major sports franchises, the fans devote all of their energy into the Spurs, which creates a special atmosphere of dedicated supporters.
Centre Bell
3 of 10
The Montreal Canadiens have not reached the Stanley Cup Final since moving to Centre Bell in 1996, representing the longest title drought in franchise history. Considering the team won 22 of its 24 championships inside the Montreal Forum, their new locale has not come close to matching the old one's legacy.
Yet as the Habs improve, their players and vocal fans have helped restore the prestigious organization's home-ice edge.
According to ESPN.com, the Canadiens have drawn the second-highest home attendance behind the Chicago Blackhawks this season. They have frequently satisfied the packed crowds by going 14-2-2, guiding them to an Atlantic Division-best 44 points.
Star goalie Carey Price has played 17 of his 23 games at home, where he has notched a 93.8 save percentage. No wonder they have capitalized so well on an early schedule setting the majority of their games in Quebec.
The Bell Centre made its mark six years ago, when the arena hit a record noise level of 138 decibels during a Stanley Cup playoff game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Montreal fans are eager to witness a hockey powerhouse again, and few fanbases vocalize their passion to such deafening levels.
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CenturyLink Field
4 of 10
The Seattle Seahawks are playing their shakiest football since drafting Russell Wilson in 2012, but they have still clinched an otherwise horrid NFC West and maintain the conference's No. 2 seed by a narrow margin. For all their flaws, they remain perfect at home.
On the road, Seattle is 2-4-1 with a minus-31 point differential. The team has scored six points or fewer in three of those games, engineering a subpar 14.6 points per contest. The winless Cleveland Browns have amassed 15.7 points per game this season.
At CenturyLink Field, the Seahawks morph back into the NFC champions from 2013 and 2014. They're 7-0 with a plus-94 scoring margin and 28 points per bout.
In front of the fabled 12th Man this year, Russell Wilson holsters a 100.6 quarterback rating with 10 total touchdowns and three interceptions. Away from the venue designed to acoustically accost all visitors, his rating dips to 80.4, and he has uncharacteristically tossed eight picks while throwing for seven scores.
Their current steep splits are reminiscent of Wilson's rookie campaign, when they went a perfect 8-0 at home but 3-5 on the road. Although they have since continued to perform better at CenturyLink Field, they haven't relied this much on their home-field advantage to stay in the the title picture.
Lambeau Field
5 of 10
Lambeau Field is no longer the mythical venue of years past, when a trip to the Frozen Tundra felt like an inevitable loss. Since losing its first-ever home playoff game during the 2002 postseason, the Green Bay Packers have dropped four more playoff bouts in front of their loyal cheeseheads.
Considering they went undefeated at home in both the 2011 and 2014 regular seasons, their current 5-2 record seems underwhelming by comparison. Yet the strength of those victories fortifies the Lambeau mystique, as they have triumphed over the Detroit Lions, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks in Wisconsin.
Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Aaron Rodgers has led Green Bay to 55 wins in 70 regular-season home games, netting a 108.9 quarterbacking rating in the process. This year, however, the defense has received the boost, allowing 19.6 points per game inside the Tundra.
As of now, the Packers are fighting just to make the playoffs, even if it means playing exclusively on the road as the conference's second wild-card club. Yet they trail the Lions by one game, so the NFC North could be up for grabs when they meet in Week 17.
If the Packers claim the division and earn first-round hosting duties, they may have to defend Lambeau Field's honor against the Giants, who won at Green Bay during each of their last two Super Bowl runs. Righting that wrong would help restore the venue's legacy as an arctic death trap for all visitors.
Ohio Stadium
6 of 10
Following their double-overtime triumph over archrival Michigan—a close victory securing a College Football Playoff spot—Ohio State finished the season 7-0 at Ohio Stadium. In five seasons with head coach Urban Meyer at the helm, the Buckeyes have won all but two of their home games.
With a seating capacity above 100,000, one of college football's largest venues has come to life during Meyer's tenure. The Buckeyes didn't just beat everyone at home—they clobbered them. Even with their narrow victory over the Wolverines in front of a record-high 110,045 people, per Eleven Warriors, they outscored the opposition by a combined 274 points.
As noted by NCAA.com's Janie Harris before the 2016 season, the Buckeyes boasted an 87.7 home winning percentage over the last 20 years, which has now climbed to 88.3 (128-17). That makes losing twice at The Horseshoe in one year an anomaly even before hiring Meyer to revitalize the program.
Fans in Ohio Stadium's lower deck hover right over the action, creating a particularly unfriendly atmosphere for visitors. The Buckeyes have utilized the atypical setup to the best of their abilities.
If only they could host Clemson in their upcoming semifinals showdown.
Oracle Arena
7 of 10
A hush engulfs Oracle Arena every time Stephen Curry uncorks a shot. They're preparing to rejoice over another deep bucket from the two-time NBA MVP. The muted gaps prelude loud shrieks as the Baby Faced Assassin hits nothing but net yet again.
The Golden State Warriors always carry themselves with a swagger, but it's elevated tenfold in front of their home fans, who have waited decades for a successful franchise worth losing their voices over. (Or maybe they just jumped on the bandwagon, in which case, welcome aboard.)
They're 11-2 at home this season, with the defeats occurring in the season opener against San Antonio and a double-overtime shortcoming to the Houston Rockets. That's disastrous for their standards. They've dropped as many games at Silicon Valley in each of the past two regular seasons.
Their offense decimates regardless the location, but the Warriors are particularly unfair inside Oracle Arena, where they have averaged 123.1 points per contest. They have registered a triple-digit point tally each time, a streak that nearly never started after mustering a measly 100 against the Spurs on Oct. 25.
Golden State's home edge, however, vanished when it was most needed, as the Cleveland Cavaliers stole two of three NBA Finals wins down 3-1 at Oracle Arena. Before possibly meeting again for the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the Warriors must defend their turf against the defending champions on Jan. 16.
Rupp Arena
8 of 10
On Dec. 3, UCLA beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena, snapping the Wildcats' home win streak at 42. After the surprising loss, per Gary B. Graves of the Associated Press, head coach John Calipari hoped to use the shortcoming as a teaching moment.
"This is a lesson for us," Calipari said. "We didn't have the energy. I had to call a timeout a minute into the game. I mean, just wasn't the same team. There are great lessons out of this. I wish we would have come back and won. ... But sometimes you need to get hit on the chin, especially at home."
It's rare for the Wildcats to receive such a lesson. According to RPIratings.com, they entered the 2016-17 season sporting an 89.59 winning percentage (542-63) at home since opening Rupp Arena 40 years ago. Only Gonzaga, which has lost just 14 times in the McCarthey Athletic Center, has fared better inside its home arena.
The Bruins' victory marked Calipari's fifth loss in Lexington. This is his eighth season leading the Wildcats, and he has maintained their campus dominance amid a revolving door of one-and-done recruits.
Their next big challenge comes on Jan. 28, when they host the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks, who have also fortified a significant home edge at Allen Fieldhouse.
Stamford Bridge
9 of 10
Redeeming a down year in all arenas, Chelsea are especially flexing their muscles at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues currently sit atop the Premier League table with 43 points. While their 7-1-1 home record mirrors their home mark minus the lone draw, they have dominated those fixtures with 21 goals scored and four allowed.
This comes a year after winning just five of 19 home matches, but they have reclaimed their mojo in Fulham, London. In the previous three seasons, they lost a combined three times at Stamford Bridge.
Diego Costa has particularly delighted the home crowd, accounting for a score in all but one contest by tallying five goals and three assists.
Although not one of two clubs (Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur) who have yet to lose at home, Chelsea continues to impress in search of their sixth Premier League title. Anyone looking to stop them must find a way to challenge their dominance inside the ancient stadium.
Wrigley Field
10 of 10
Wrigley Field, a baseball cathedral in service since 1914, hosted one of its grandest moments when the Chicago Cubs extended the 2016 World Series with a Game 5 win. The long drought paired with the dramatics of high-stakes baseball created one of the most memorable sports atmospheres ever, and tickets cost fans a pretty penny.
As other MLB franchises race to construct state-of-the-art facilities, the Cubs play in a stadium where ivy decorates the outfield wall and someone must manually update the antiquated scoreboard. It's all part of Wrigley's charm, just like the assembly line of notable guests—led by Bill Murray—who serenade the crowd with off-key renditions of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
Those quirks accompanied losing for several years, but team president Theo Epstein has assembled a juggernaut around studs Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Baseball's best team anywhere went 57-24 during the season, prompting multiple "Go Cubs Go" singalongs.
Chicago's pitching staff especially enjoyed its games at Wrigley Field, posting a 2.73 ERA with a .203 opposing batting average. During his breakout season, Kyle Hendricks held a 1.32 home ERA and allowed just four home runs despite the park's wind frequently driving balls out.
After years of rooting for their hapless Cubbies, the loyal fans have reason to turn every home game into a party. (If they don't, Murray certainly will.) Then again, it also helps to have a traveling fanbase that transformed Progressive Field into a homecoming of sorts during their Game 7 championship win over the Cleveland Indians.
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