Student Research Symposium Program Portal: Submission #236

Abstract Home field advantage is a widely discussed concept in sports that suggests teams perform better when they play at their home venue rather than away. This research focuses on understanding whether home field advantage truly has a measurable impact on team performance in major professional sports leagues. The central question this study addresses is whether teams win more often and perform better statistically when playing at home compared to playing away. Previous research has shown that factors such as crowd support, familiarity with the playing environment, reduced travel, and possible referee bias may all contribute to this advantage. While many studies support the existence of home field advantage, some focus on only one sport or use older data, leaving room for further comparison using recent and consistent data. The goal of this research is to examine home field advantage across multiple sports leagues in a simple and organized way. This study is important because game location can influence coaching strategies, athlete preparation, and sports predictions. To collect data, publicly available game statistics from recent seasons will be gathered from official league websites. These records will be used to compare home and away wins as well as scoring differences. It is expected that the findings will show teams perform better at home, which would support existing research and help explain why home field advantage continues to play a significant role in sports outcomes.