In team sports, the term home advantage (also called home field/court/diamond/ice advantage) describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans. The term is also widely used in "best-of" playoff formats (e.g., best-of-seven) as being given to the team that is scheduled to play one more game at home than their opponent if all necessary games are played.
In many sports, such designations may also apply to games played at a neutral site; as the rules of various sports make different provisions for home and visiting teams. In baseball, for instance, the team designated the home team bats second in each inning, whereas the "visiting" team bats first.
Read more about Home Advantage: Advantages of Being The Home Team, Gaining or Losing Home-field Advantage, Neutral Venues
Famous quotes containing the words home and/or advantage:
“It is only too clear that man is not at home in this universe, and yet he is not good enough to deserve a better.”
—Perry Miller (1905–1963)
“Every nation ... have their refinements and grossiertes.... There is a balance ... of good and bad every where; and nothing but the knowing it is so can emancipate one half of the world from the prepossessions which it holds against the other—that [was] the advantage of travel ... it taught us mutual toleration; and mutual toleration ... taught us mutual love.”
—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)