The cauldron has cooled down: a systematic literature review on home advantage in football during the COVID-19 pandemic from a socio-economic and psychological perspective

Michael Christian Leitner (), Frank Daumann (), Florian Follert () and Fabio Richlan ()
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Michael Christian Leitner: University of Salzburg
Frank Daumann: Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
Florian Follert: Seeburg Castle University
Fabio Richlan: University of Salzburg

Management Review Quarterly, 2023, vol. 73, issue 2, No 5, 605-633

Abstract: Abstract The phenomenon of home advantage (home bias) is well-analyzed in the scientific literature. But only the COVID-19 pandemic enabled studies on this phenomenon—for the first time in history—on a global scale. Thus, several studies to date examined the effects of empty stadiums by comparing regular matches (with supporters) before the COVID-19 restrictions with so-called ghost games (games without supporters) during the pandemic. To synthesize the existing knowledge and offer an overview regarding the effects of ghost games on home advantage we provide a systematic literature review on this topic. Our findings—based on 26 primary studies—indicate that ghost games have a considerable impact on the phenomenon of home advantage. Deeper analysis further indicates that this effect is based on a reduced “referee bias” and a lack of “emotional support from the ranks”. From a psychological perspective, we argue that our conclusions are highly relevant by emphasizing decision making under pressure and crowd-induced motivation in sports. From a socio-economic perspective, we argue that our findings legitimize a discussion regarding compensation of fans after sporting success as plausible and worth considering. Thus, our results are significant for scientists, sports and team managers, media executives, fan representatives and other persons responsible in the football industry.

Keywords: Fans; Home advantage; Football; Systematic literature review; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 L83 Z20 Z29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11301-021-00254-5

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