Educator Guide: When Fans Are Away, Home Teams Lose Their Sway

a referee holds up a yellow card amid during a soccer game in Germany

Two German soccer clubs play in an empty stadium on May 16, 2020 due to pandemic restrictions. Without fans, referees hand out more yellow cards to home teams than when fans are present, a study shows.

Michael Probst/Pool via Getty Images

About this guide

In this guide, students will learn about scientific research into bias in sporting events that was made possible by the coronavirus pandemic. Then, students will define and discuss the role of questions in the scientific method before brainstorming a scientific question of their own.

This Guide Includes:

Investigating bias with ‘ghost games’

Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “‘Ghost games’ spotlight the psychological effect fans have on referees,” which describes research into a phenomenon in sports known as home field advantage. A version of the story, “When fans are away, home teams lose their sway,” appears in the September 25, 2021 issue of Science News.

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