Home Field Advantage Thoughts

[Soonerborn59]

There seems to a lot of grumbling going on from fans across the country in regard to the WCWC being played in OKC every year when it comes to OU.

Personally I think in many ways HFA is overrated because athletes in general are always going to give it everything no matter if the game is on the road or at home. In baseball and softball I think HFA is less of a factor than in Football or Basketball.

Those that are complaining in regard to softball are basically west coast and SEC based fans. I actually find it ironic because getting to the WCWS or the baseball WS still requires a team to earn that right and as we all know more P12 teams and SEC get far more regionals and Supers than any other conferences. However they never complain about those advantages.

So just out of curiosity how do your opinions of HFA play out in your mind? Do you think it gives our Sooners an unfair advantage in the WCWS?

 

[tansoonerfan]

There seems to a lot of grumbling going on from fans across the country in regard to the WCWC being played in OKC every year when it comes to OU.

Personally I think in many ways HFA is overrated because athletes in general are always going to give it everything no matter if the game is on the road or at home. In baseball and softball I think HFA is less of a factor than in Football or Basketball.

Those that are complaining in regard to softball are basically west coast and SEC based fans. I actually find it ironic because getting to the WCWS or the baseball WS still requires a team to earn that right and as we all know more P12 teams and SEC get far more regionals and Supers than any other conferences. However they never complain about those advantages.

So just out of curiosity how do your opinions of HFA play out in your mind? Do you think it gives our Sooners an unfair advantage in the WCWS?

No one complained when OU wasn’t good & not making the tourney every year. No complaints either when it used to seem like nothing more than the PAC 12 Invitational all through the 80’s & 90’s.

 

[CTOkie]

Seems to me if you're a high school player being recruited, it should be understood and accepted that 50% of the games you will compete in will be on the road.
In 1981, when Switzer took his team to California to play USC, one of his players was asked if they were concerned about playing the game. In so many words, his reply was that he and his teammates were recruited by OU to play in such games and they accepted that challenge. He said that while some fans were concerned about facing USC, there were USC fans that were equally concerned about playing OU. I think the player may have been QB Kelly Phelps.
Of the three main sports (basketball, baseball and football), I see basketball as having more of a home field advantage issue for visiting teams. It's played in an enclosed arena with the fans seating close to the court and the noise level, from what I've seen, seems to work often against the visiting team.....plus I think it often influences calls by the referees.

 

[pssooner]

There seems to a lot of grumbling going on from fans across the country in regard to the WCWC being played in OKC every year when it comes to OU.

Personally I think in many ways HFA is overrated because athletes in general are always going to give it everything no matter if the game is on the road or at home. In baseball and softball I think HFA is less of a factor than in Football or Basketball.

Those that are complaining in regard to softball are basically west coast and SEC based fans. I actually find it ironic because getting to the WCWS or the baseball WS still requires a team to earn that right and as we all know more P12 teams and SEC get far more regionals and Supers than any other conferences. However they never complain about those advantages.

So just out of curiosity how do your opinions of HFA play out in your mind? Do you think it gives our Sooners an unfair advantage in the WCWS?

well they better get used to it since the WCWS will be played in OKC until at least 2035!!!!!!

 

[Soonerborn59]

Seems to me if you're a high school player being recruited, it should be understood and accepted that 50% of the games you will compete in will be on the road.
In 1981, when Switzer took his team to California to play USC, one of his players was asked if they were concerned about playing the game. In so many words, his reply was that he and his teammates were recruited by OU to play in such games and they accepted that challenge. He said that while some fans were concerned about facing USC, there were USC fans that were equally concerned about playing OU. I think the player may have been QB Kelly Phelps.
Of the three main sports (basketball, baseball and football), I see basketball as having more of a home field advantage issue for visiting teams. It's played in an enclosed arena with the fans seating close to the court and the noise level, from what I've seen, seems to work often against the visiting team.....plus I think it often influences calls by the referees.

I think you may be correct in regard to basketball as far as the crowds ability to possibly influence some calls. However in my opinion a good majority of the time the better team is going to win regardless of it being home or away. I think HFA has very little to do with baseball / softball and to be truthful I don’t believe it does in football in the grand schemes of things. Ultimately its about which team executes / produces the best on a given day.

I think when it comes to the WCWS fans in general are just bitching about OU because Gasso teams have been so great over the last 4 years and just like the Bama / Clemson fatigue in football its become the same for fans in regard to softball.

I sure hope OU pulls it out against UCLA to piss those fans off even more.

 

[Soonerborn59]

well they better get used to it since the WCWS will be played in OKC until at least 2035!!!!!!

I think it remains in OKC longer than that unless someone steps up to the plate and builds a larger stadium for softball. OKC has put up a lot of money over the years to maintain it.

 

[CTOkie]

I think to this day that the OU-Kansas basketball championship result was impacted by the game being played within 40 miles of the KU campus....and I believe OU was the better team,

 

[humblesooner]

A few thoughts;
1. It is not any different than playing baseball in Omaha every year. If Neb and Creighton were any good, they would have the HFA. If local teams are any good, someone will always have the HFA, regardless where it is played.
2. It is played at the Softball Hall of Fame.
3. These kids have been playing "travel ball' for 15 years, already. They are used to playing out of town. OU (and Osux every 15-20 years) has to drive 30 minutes away to attend. All others get to make a road trip to the HOF. I would think it would be harder for OU to get "up" for games, since it is in their back yard.
4. Alabama and UCLA, in particular, travel to OKC very well. While there may be more OU fans in attendance, it's not like football games, where the visitors get 5,000 tickets out of an 85,000 seat stadium.

 

[Plainosooner]

There seems to a lot of grumbling going on from fans across the country in regard to the WCWC being played in OKC every year when it comes to OU.

Personally I think in many ways HFA is overrated because athletes in general are always going to give it everything no matter if the game is on the road or at home. In baseball and softball I think HFA is less of a factor than in Football or Basketball.

Those that are complaining in regard to softball are basically west coast and SEC based fans. I actually find it ironic because getting to the WCWS or the baseball WS still requires a team to earn that right and as we all know more P12 teams and SEC get far more regionals and Supers than any other conferences. However they never complain about those advantages.

So just out of curiosity how do your opinions of HFA play out in your mind? Do you think it gives our Sooners an unfair advantage in the WCWS?

Mostly coming from the SEC. That is absurd. They get every advantage possible, including SEC officials working games who somehow see things like the pro SEC broadcast crews at ESPN. You can hear the excitement in their voices when some SEC team has something good happen. Too bad we've gone a while without an SEC team in the finals, despite all of the advantages they get from the committee.

IT'S NOT OUR HOME FIELD! Their fans can buy all the tickets we can. They just choose not to. Playing the in middle of the country may not be popular for the coastal places, but they just project the bias they'd get in their home field advantage, if the games were at their place.

A central location is fairer for everybody. Strange that we don't hear complaining about Nebraska's home field advantage in baseball. They just can't beat Patty Gasso, because she's such a great coach. What would happen if SEC teams had to play night games at 11 PM Pacific time, which would be 2 AM back home. Or PAC 12 teams having to play 10 AM games in Florida which would bat 7 AM back in their home towns. Central is the best place for everybody.

 

[Oklabama]

Well, hell I don’t like that the Sugar Bowl is always played in New Orleans right there in SEC land. Not fair to the B12 Conference. Fans will always find something to bitch about. Meh.

I like that they feel we are getting an advantage. I hope we are. Let them chew on it forever.

 

[OUSOONER67]

Well, teams play on Neutral Fields and in Neutral States all the time, only one team can win and one can lose. Hell even teams win on the road all the time. Quit your whining and play ball.