Does "Home Court Advantage" ACTUALLY Exist? Are Refs BIASED Towards Home Teams?

[@MDJiang]

There's so much more that could be talked about regarding home court advantage in the NBA: -Denver's high altitude advantage -Are refs biased towards specific teams? -Are refs biased towards specific players? I find this stuff fascinating. If you like these super in-depth videos then DROP A LIKE GODDAMIT. :) HMU on Twitter or Instagram if you wanna suggest any future video topics/chat about basketball.

[@molife1664]

Kryptonitee24 Denvers is a MILE above sea level, To put that in perspective the highest elevation in Florida is under 400 ft the Magics Arena doesn't even crack 100 ft

[@henrycavanagh668]

MDJ who do u think is the 2nd best nba player

[@fearlessfighter3807]

Henry Cavanagh LeBron

[@Tethloach1]

home court has to do with the players comfort level, and confidence, and routine.

[@king_datboykick3674]

Who has a better Advantage at home thunder Cavs GWS

[@farmerwithshotgun1293]

finally a unique video people stopped making original basketball vids

[@Dom-tk4nb]

BIG VOOCH

[@aramissantiago585]

big vooch COUGH MIKE SHITZEMBA COUGH COUGH

[@willharmeyer79]

This entire video felt like my AP Statistics class

[@MDJiang]

+Will Harmeyer lmao

[@barca29np]

Will Harmeyer I don't know how you guys can study that stuff, so dry to me

[@officialbrianteweber5686]

Bruh same I saw the null hypothesis and was like wtf u can apply this in real situations lol

[@carboy101]

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[@jcar4lifemancity4life5]

Will Harmeyer At least this is actually interesting lol

[@servus_incognitus]

This is, in fact, one of the greatest basketball videos I've ever seen. Scientific, evidence based, logical, interesting and fun. Keep up the great work MDJ!

[@MDJiang]

+Will Matos thanks😊

[@youtubedoctor6223]

The crowd because you get pumped.

[@karmafire8712]

KZbin Doctor confidence can lead you to mistakes aswell

[@4wayy_x363]

Tbh I feel like unless your someone like Lebron I feel like it lowkey makes it harder cause your pressured to play at least at a certain level

[@samiswilf]

you're guessing

[@mugenchamplooo]

I think it's definitely the fact that the players are in their own home, surrounded by their own fans and team colors... just go to a Warriors home game and you'll 100% understand. A person on their team makes a free throw and the whole arena shakes, I sear 😂

[@David-rt2oo]

Fax. It’s a combination of the travel, home fans, the weird colours of the court, and comfort level. Warriors stadium is bright and yellow and loud as hell 😂

[@profot3]

Bruh NBA croud is gay...If you want to see what home court advantage is, watch ehat happens in Europe.You will get shocked.Especially those Greek fans...

[@jcar4lifemancity4life5]

Lebron James Idk those Serb and Croatian crowds get pretty rowdy

[@nmarbletoe8210]

I think it's the travel. Travel has gotten easier over the decades, which would explain the trend in HCA getting lower over time.

[@josueguillen8209]

I think it’s just the home players wanting to defend home court

[@buenvidanadz1969]

damn this is one factor that was not mentioned but is viable

[@nmarbletoe8210]

that's an excellent hypothesis. I was thinking travel, but I'll add that.

[@melkerottosson878]

Basketball is a game of runs. Having your fans cheering you on and for example screaming ”DEFENSE!” really helps. The crowd makes runs for the home-team easier and runs for the away-team harder. Therefore I believe it’s the crowd that helps and creates the home-court advantage.

[@drose_1206]

I think that home court advantage still exists because the home team is just more comfortable and used to their own arena than the away team is but it is very slight however

[@tallsword21]

Your statistical analysis of seemingly elementary variables affecting and shaping the NBA is impeccable

[@Shadrake]

This is a great video! It's well thought out and you actually cited sources! That's more than most other people online. This was well put together, and at the end you showed an awesome attempt at connecting with your fanbase. I am genuinely impressed with you sir! The internet needs more content creators like you.

[@ericashton5911]

Thank you another unique video this is why I love this channel

[@umig666]

As someone who has played team sports for a good amount of time, for me its easier to play at home because you are just used to the court you practice day in and day out... I play handball and sometimes courts may have different sizes so that could be it... But in pro basketball I think it is the traveling and the court

[@lonewolfvideobball]

Wow! MDJ, you are fantastic! And thanks for that articles in description!

[@erikhowlin1844]

Ot probrably used to be travel because it was harder to travel but it is going down because traveling is easier

[@adrianbuck8772]

Erik Howlin Thats my point aswell. NFL doesnt have that big of a HCA because the away Teams have enough time to travel.Also Back to backs are on the road an they are hard to Play.

[@MaddMan621]

that was my thought. It even explains the drop in advantage, because scheduling is gradually getting less brutal, and back to back away games are becoming less common, which reduces travel fatigue

[@ChiRoseOne]

MDJ is the only one who can make me like maths.

[@TheChessViking]

Best NBA channel with some real though-provoking content! Well done MDJ!

[@MDJiang]

+Zibbit 😊

[@bryvebasketball6580]

I'm taking into stats in college rn and some of the stuff you've said has been right on with what I'm learning. Anyway great video as always I'm always excited when I see you post a new video

[@aznguyener]

Great analytical video! Can't wait for the next video. Keep up the good work!

[@knifi415]

All these factors play an importance but the reason why HCA plays a bigger part in the NBA vs other sports is due to the crowd and the close proximity of fans to the players within a closed arena. Sound levels are increased and players are far more likely to hear and notice abuse/heckling etc that would influence their game

[@jairmaldonado9300]

Thank you so much. I’ve been waiting for a video like this forever

[@aka4577]

I think its comfort in their home arena

[@BasedChe]

This is definitely one of your best videos. I love the analysis of stats and the amount of work that goes into your video. Keep it up man

[@MDJiang]

+Based Che ✊️✊️

[@CrackerBarrelXheese]

These videos never fail to impress. Brilliant analysis as always, and I'm still in love with your introduction - simple, clean, fantastic. Keep em coming man!

[@MDJiang]

+Ryan Walters appreciate it. ✊️

[@kevinlin5323]

Looking at the 2-minute report is really interesting. It does introduce more complication: for instance, another way of making sense of the referee mistakes is to see if these errors tend to favor either the team leading in score or the team trailing. In other words, the difference in incorrect call may be a function of bias against either team leading or trailing, rather than home or away team.

[@TheCarpentersApprentice]

I'm loving this channel man! Keep it up!

[@kys3264]

What makes HCA bigger factor in NBA compared to oter sports probably has mostly to do with baskerball being so fast paced where very little things can affect the outcome more than in a slower paced game like baseball or soccer

[@michaelangst6078]

It really comes down to the players not trying as hard away as they do at home some o f the time, as well as the player feeling more comfortable with fans cheering for them and in a stadium they play in 41 games in a year

[@bballgriot4864]

Salt Lake City is also quite high above sea level, like Denver. Part of the Nugget's/Jazz's home court advantage, vs. East. Conf. opponents, is scheduling. Generally, East teams will play those two teams, one after the other, while on a Western trip that will include Sacramento & Portland, and maybe Phoenix.. It is always tough to win both of those two high altitude locale games.

[@KingKluch]

I'm taking a statistics course right now in college and love how what I've learned is being implemented into your analysis!

[@Trent-ertainment]

Great educational video ! Loved your passion, subscribed

[@Eggmancan]

I'd guess it's a psychological advantage. Because basketball is more influenced by individual performances (especially of stars) than other sports, the psychological boost would be more prominent in basketball. (Psyched up baseball players have a lot less control over the outcome of a game than psyched up basketball players, for example.)

[@modernhoops8719]

Man love the way you in depth really enjoy your vids keep it up bro👌

[@MDJiang]

+ModernHoops 🔥🔥🔥

[@stephenvance4867]

As a former basketball player, I feel like the crowd had the biggest effect on my game. The only time it didn't seem to bother me was in big rivalry games.

[@B92LG]

I would say that the main reason is that role players tend to play better at home (no stat checked, just what I seem to see in the league). I also read an article some years ago that staed that almost 70% of the NBA players had their career-high in points at home. And I would say that comfort can have a lot to do with that. Most players have their everyday routine for home games, but of course can't keep that on the road. And the fans might have something to do with that aswell, looking at motivation. But that of course is just a guess.

[@bborders135]

Videos keep getting better brotha, keep it up MDJ!

[@MDJiang]

+bborders135 ✊️✊️✊️

[@leekxsa]

I'd say biggest reason is the fatigue of going to the road games and a minor reason could be that teams rest stars more on road games than home games i think

[@everettjohnson1389]

Definitely there is a combination of all of the above. However I do believe that the crowd being on your side is very impactful on teams. You can clearly see this not only in basketball but in football as well. Two examples that I have are the Seattle Seahawks (12th man) and the warriors in oracle arena. I’m sure there are statistics to show that they do make an impact on the game (just too lazy to find them).

[@sillyrabbit77]

I think the advantage of being at home is you can keep your routine the exact same. On the road you can’t eat your same meal, sleep in your same bed, or do many of the routine things you do at home before a game. Factor that with an arena cheering for you keeps motivation up not wanting to disappoint fans. Interesting topic with complicated answers.

[@snake1625b]

One thing to consider is that the audience cheers defense when the away team is on offence. This makes it harder for the away team to talk and coordinate.

[@danny2320]

Been watching your videos here and there when they come up in my recommended, and i like why you've been doing. keep it up bro. new sub

[@Ali-xs6bx]

This guy put so much work on this videos #respect

[@codeytrantino2682]

the environment. some arenas are at different altitudes and different environmental temperatures which could benefit the home team as they could be adapted to the circumstances.

[@Sawamura_Eijun]

Also MDJ , please upload more often man, KZbin isn't the same without you!

[@mokgethwabsp1362]

Basketball and Soccer are rhythm oriented sports, familiar surroundings and routine are a key to developing team rhythm

I think it's about the combination of travelling, home fans and mentality. The travel is the one thing that has definitely gotten better through the years, so that could be another significant factor for the declining trend of the HCA.

[@boatboystrackclub6528]

What are your thoughts on Ray Allen?

[@barca29np]

Avery Bradley’s Son tienes a tiempo mucho en tus manos

[@wolfiewiggins2810]

Nas PB speako ingles por favor

[@urikag]

Nas PB wtf what language is that cause if its spanish its suposed to be tu tienes mucho tiempo en tus manos is that catolonian or Portuguese?

[@barca29np]

God didn't mean to put the a, idk why I typed it lol.

[@barca29np]

God if it de dónde eres

[@Jimmygetbuckets22]

Great video appreciate the hard work

[@badboy4lyf27]

i love your statistics and hypothesis testing

[@Charlie-yo7vv]

HCA is a thing because when shooting you may not feel comfortable because of the wall behind the rim, this is viable because in the 2017 NCAA national championship both teams shot poorly because they were both not use to shooting in a larg spaced out arena

[@VlV109]

I'm saying it's like sleeping in your house vs sleeping at a friend's house (or something like that). Your feel more comfortable, chill, smooth. On the other hand at the friend's house you're a bit of, not do stuff you normally do, you don't think like you in your house.

[@riggygoyal]

I haven’t heard “null hypothesis” since AP biology. I love how you can truly break basketball down to a science

[@tianjacques]

Very good video. Worth subbing

[@braidenb3973]

5:00 isn't there a website with a bunch of those?

[@buenvidanadz1969]

I think it's really the combination of all the factors you have mentioned (probably including this one that you didn't mention, home teams not wanting to lose in front of their crowd) . .but yeah, I think the problem lies on which factors give the greatest impact towards the advantage

[@futurekillerful]

Null hypothesis= there likely is no relationship between the variables or whatever just for those who don’t know (I didn’t know before I took some stats course this year so just making sure)

[@BTimelessC]

As someone who's played basketball when I was young, intuitively not scientifically I have to go with the travel. Traveling and having to readjust is a very difficult procedure. Playing at a game where fans are booing is not that hard. A good research would be if the home court advantage is as effective to games where teams have to travel less, like teams who are close one to another.

[@BridgesOnBikes]

Mark, kick ass video once again. I think it’s a psychological factor more than anything. Players feel the need to perform better at home and “protect” their house. On the road there is less of that mentality.

[@MDJiang]

+Bridges On Bikes thanks✊️

[@AwsomeNinja001]

Having the home crowd cheer for you can make players give more effort on the defensive end witch can have an impact in close games.

[@spartyfanatic123]

Deserves so many more views. This video is unique, insightful, well researched, etc. So much better than that Korzemba garbage

[@baselinejordan1744]

spartyfanatic123 mdj is more intellectual while korzemba is more entertaining

[@baselinejordan1744]

Aravind Narayanan entertaining as in exciting and humorous but thats just my opinion

[@CQBinsanity]

They both have their appeal, I perfer MDJ because I love the more analytical side of the nba, and personally agree with many of his beliefs on certain players i.e. Westbrook

[@cf_15]

it's only been 10 hours but i reckon it'll blow up within a couple days

[@Agelastic_LuCi]

Korzemba USED to be entertaining. Nowadays I only watch MDJ and SDC.

[@trevorbenos9540]

My guess is that away teams typically tour the city, occasionally going to clubs. Going to a club late, and getting incredibly drunk/high cannot help you win a basketball game

[@xr8dmoose135]

I'm Aussie and i can assure you home ground advantage is definitely a thing (especially interstate travel) in most of our "national" sports, AFL is a perfect example - 90,000 screaming hostile fans has an impact on Umpiring (referee) decisions and pressure situations for the away team. then you need to factor in environmental reasons, altitude, heat, humidity etc.

[@cobypieros4960]

I believe it's a combination. If you look at the arenas with "the best home court advantage ", you get the loudest fan bases that players themselves report on (e.g. Utah, Golden State, OKC, Portland ....) . You already showed data supporting the theory about referee bias. Also, long road trips throws people out of their routine, sleeping schedules , and separates them from their families. In addition, numerous players feel more comfortable in certain arenas. Ryan Anderson for example scores much more points on the road than in Houston.

[@CanditoTrainingHQ]

I think the main reason home court advantage has decreased since the 70s is due to the internet and smart phones. Just think about how hard it'd be to navigate new areas without uber, easy access to GPS, culturally being aware of the city's environment before stepping foot in it, etc. I see it as similar to hip hop moving away from regional sounds. The more technology makes us a larger community, the less significant regional differences are.

[@alanrobert3098]

I really think across different sports there are going to be hugely different factors, but I believe one of the massive ones in the NBA will be travel for away games. With an 82 game season across not that long a timeframe, that's a lot of travelling around a very large country, to the point where you can be spending half the time between games travelling and sleeping on airplanes or coaches or whatever, and this would lead to poorer quality of sleep, poorer mental acuity and becoming more distracted or more prone to petulance in terms of fouls, as well as opportunities for muscular and joint problems to accumulate. Staying with the NBA for the moment and seeing your pinned comment, the climate will be a massive factor with such differences across such a large country, but as you mentioned in the video the colour of the court and arena had an impact on Ryan Anderson playing at home for the Rockets, where it was supposed that he shot worse at home due to the colours causing him to screw up his depth perception. Also with player favouritism... Joey Crawford's man-crush on Steve Nash where he called fouls on guys who weren't within 5 feet of him certainly suggest this happened. Moving to another sport, I'm in the UK, so football (soccer) is a huge deal over here and across Europe, and there is clear team bias from referees towards larger teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur (for some reason), Real Madrid (which goes even deeper when they were actually owned by the ruling dictatorship in the 20th century), Barcelona and many others. With football (calling it soccer hurts me so I'm not going to use that word again), there's also a significant history of fan violence, which has dulled in more recent years in Western Europe, but still remains an issue on occasions, with fan violence within the stands, repeated death threats towards players and officials, and actual murders around the stadia, tragically. In these cases, there must also be an element of fear from the referees into treating the home team better due to potentially 60 thousand or more people causing a significant disturbance if they feel hard done by.

[@Milbrandt]

Awesome vid, MDJ. You combine 2 things that I love; basketball and science/critical thinking. You acknowledge the limitations of the studies, and you don't just try to give us an easy answer without backing it up with facts. That being said, of the options you gave in the video, my solely intuitive answer is that exhaustion because of travelling has the most to do with it. Besides that, I think familiarity with the arena (color of the court, e.g.) plays a role as well. Again, just my gut feeling.

[@MDJiang]

+Milbrandt probably a combination of factors. Thanks for watching👍

[@Miles-Spider-Man]

If I I had to guess I would say that the home court bring out the passion and heart of the home team especially if one of their best or key players is from the home courts cities or state and that's where they grew up as a adult or that is where that player got his chance to play sports at a high level and promised in return that they would give it all when there out, especially in your home arean.

[@vayc7232]

In my own opinion, I think the biggest reason for home court advantage is the referees. The referees are going to be like normal people and root for the team they like more, but also referees will root for the opposite of a disrespectful team. For example, let's take the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers. The referees are going to root for the Blazers because of Boogie. DeMarcus Cousins is a player that referees do not like because of his attitude. This same argument I just brought up is show in the last Denver Nuggets game against the Los Angels Lakers game. Mike Malone got thrown out for an obvious reason, Nikola Jokic got thrown out for no reason, and Jamaal Murray got T'd up...all by the same ref. Also, I love your videos! Keep up the amazing work!

[@odiehughes9890]

I believe why homecourt advantage exists, is cause of the crowd, which helps with a teams momentum if they are on a run or make a big play.

[@WillToWinvlog]

I feel like having the crowd against you could bring out the worst in some players. Not all but enough of them for that to be the deciding factor for the home adv.

[@mycommentpwnz]

I liked your approach to this video. You used logic in your approach, applied facts when possible, and only arrived at conclusions when the aforementioned facts indicated as such. However, one thing you (or I) missed, that should be discussed, is the amount of "grey area" in officiating. For example, a lot of "charges" in the NBA could EASILY be reversed, and subsequently called as "blocking." In my view, it's these types of "grey area" fouls which often go in the favor of the home-team. Hell, it MIGHT even have a catalyst that STEMS from the subconscious of the referee!

[@tc16169]

Phil Jackson talks about this in his book. It's a combination of factors, but a big part of it many people don't realize is just human physiology. The familiarity and comfort of being home. Getting to sleep in your own bed. Getting to have sex and spend time with wives/girlfriends. Getting to eat familiar food at home vs. restaurant food. Also jet lag can be a factor for the longer trips. All these little things add up, and the happier, more comfortable and more rested a player is, the better he's going to play.

[@sadp9013]

I would say its defrente for every player some will have small change in mind set play more passive are more aggresive some may be affected by the color how ting or place in the arena are simple as they have defrente routine if they home are out

[@zackandplack6038]

My intuition leads me to think that travel is the biggest factor in HCA. The graph at 6:30 shows that the NHL has the second highest degree of HCA, and both the NBA and NHL play multiple games a week, often going on long road trips. While MLB teams go on road trips too, they play 3-4 game series where they have more time settle into their locations. Obviously NFL teams have an entire week to travel to their destination.

[@xizhehu8430]

From personal experience playing basketball, I'd say the biggest difference is familiarity with the court/arena

[@badboy4lyf27]

best youtuber out there

[@Kermit_T_Frog]

That was EXCELLENT work.

[@ballislife9924]

I would say it's the fans. Because Basketball is a game of runs, fans have more of an effect on the game. If the home Team makes a run it can become huge because the fans can pump you up while the away Team gets nervous and makes more mistakes. However this can't be the only reason because if that would be the case the trend of winning home teams would go UP not DOWN (arenas get larger, more fans etc.)

[@austinhannemann2615]

Love the null hypothesis explanation

[@bencaldwell9931]

I like the channel man!! Keep it up!

[@modpog8066]

I think because of the atmosphere, I am a soccer player in my school and I get so pumbed up when play at home rather than away.

[@salacommander2674]

In the NBA the crowd is more involved due to the closeness of them and the arenas might have more nuances than in the other leagues. For example, football fields are all fairly simple and are generally mostly green, while NBA courts can be all sorts of colors and maybe the baskets look a little different, etc.

[@tajiri7]

SalaCommander26 Yeah but in football the crowd hs more of an effect in my opinion, one example would be how the home team has full communication on offense unlike the away team that has to do with the noise, which is a direct advantage for the home team

[@sleightlyhandy889]

I think that the home team has a bigger reason to win. I was listening to some Sixers interviews in the beginning of the season, And they seemed more pumped to win at home for the crowd that supports them than they do away (they are still extremely motivated away, but they are more motivated at home).

[@TheAlexwilhelm]

part of the decline over time in addition to more threes could also be better travel, care, and less back to backs so away teams are more physically prepared, and w replay and social media incorrect calls blow up so that hampers how much a referee could even potentially swing a game now without it becoming a major event

[@8urvett]

It has to be the crowd that dictates the home team is more likely to win with or without the help of the refs. Also another key thing that might not get talked about is if players are introvert or extrovert. Extrovert depends on the crowd to get pumped and will play better. When away if not given that crowd fuel, they may not perform as well. The introvert players may be a bit shy by starting out slow as the game progress their level of confidence progresses, they'll play better. This is something that should certainly be researched.

[@jimmoralous1319]

Dude you make great videos

[@bballgriot4864]

A significant part of the Home Court Advantages are the "Morale Factors". At home, a single play by a little used bench player , who happens to be a crowd favorite, can be the catalyst for a morale boost.

[@k-demption9209]

I think the biggest reason home teams have an advantage is due to the players being more comfortable in their own environment therefore they're more prepared mentally, where as an away team might be somewhat nervous as they're in another teams court. Again, to me I think it's a mental thing for the players who have HCA

[@eazythetruth]

Teams like Seattle Seahawks who go 8-0 at home show that it is very real . You have to look at how tough the opponents are too . A team might have a hard ass home schedule and easier away schedule. But virtually every team in the league has a better home record vs away record every year in basketball and football. For example I forgot what team it was but they hadn't beaten the Spurs at the Spurs arena since 2011 until earlier this year. They were like 0-13 , alot of teams have very good home records compared to away every year . My saints do too . They're used to the dome plus the crowd noise just like the Packers are used to the frozen tundra . The crowd gets loud as hell when they try to huddle and call plays and often leads to penalties. And the pack is used to the weather unlike us who play on turf and in a controlled temperature environment. I feel like this video down played the significance of home court but good video bro. I love your content

[@andrewnewell2330]

lol you got a works cited on this. its a youtube vid not a a college essay my guy. I believe you.

[@Ginocide02]

I really think the biggest factor for Home Court Advantage is the crowd. Having everyone watching cheer for your team's every mess up and explode after every basket that the home team makes does play a really big factor.

[@SyuraStream]

hey marc, not sure if you'll read this comment 11 months later, but i thought i would ask anyway. one thing you mentioned early in the video was travel time. because of how nba schedules are designed, home teams often get several home games in a row without travel, but still have to travel if it's the first game of a homestretch. do you know if there has ever been a comparison of winning percentages by home teams on game #1 of homestands vs successive games at home after the first one? or on a smaller sample size, compare home teams in game 2 and 4 to home teams in game 1 and 3. once the away team has time to adjust and doesn't have to travel, one would think home court advantage would lessen too.

[@blacklite911]

I think it’s the travel and comfort level. Traveling has become much more luxurious for players as they get richer, more technology, and better amenities, facilities and services provided to players nowadays than before. It’s easier to get comfortable away so you’re more rested

[@lcsperuzzioliveira]

Hey MDJ, nice video, as always. I have a guess: the numbers of away back-to-back games are decreasing in the last years and this is making the players less phisically stressed, making the HCA drop in recent years. Can it be? Sorry for bad english. Hello from Brazil.

[@MDJiang]

+Lucas Peruzzi yea, back to back games are proven to be a big factor. Not sure if it matters so much between home back to back or road back to back tho

[@jakestank3681]

The first example doesn’t really account for skill level or injury. But for the sake of explaining it does make sense

[@MrJamieJamess]

I loved this video!!!! Didn’t know you were a mathematician, fellow mathematician basketball nerd!!

[@crankcarr88]

The biggest advantage is definitely the fans, they play a physiological effect on the players themselves either pumping them up or making the other team play worse. Although Refs do play a big factor in the sport itself especially for players who rely on the Refs trying to get to the free throw line. Now that I really think about it most NBA arenas that have large crowds usually have the better home court record.

[@Sawamura_Eijun]

I think there are sooo many variables for us to actually pinpoint the cause of HCA

[@rebelsoup1947]

I think it has something to do with the crowd.. since they're so close to the players.. players can hear everything the fans say.. I hear A lot of what they say when I'm watching on tv... It's gotta be more intimate in person

[@richcantgame]

As someone who plays baseball I don't notice a difference in being away vs home. I ignore spectators and when I hear opposing fans talking if anything it makes me want to shut them up and play better. Granted I know its different in different sports but I don't think professional athletes all have an issue with it. If a high schooler can learn to ignore it why cant they? I think the biggest issue athletes encounter at opposing courts is a change in surroundings. Many athlete's are very superstitious and I believe a difference in any type of pace for that player can throw them off.