Are all bubbles bad? an analysis on the effect of the NBA bubble on the free throw performance of NBA players
Date
2020-12-22
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Abstract
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries were shut down, and the professional sports league industry was not spared. In order to continue the season, the NBA Bubble was created where players would be completing the remainder of the season in an isolation zone, barring non-essential constituents (such as fans) from entering the grounds, ensuring the safety of those within the bubble. The new setup is speculated to have affected the play of many professional players because of changes in performance pressure, particularly through the negation of the home-court advantage due to the absence of crowd pressure, stadium familiarity advantages, and travel fatigue. With this, the researchers’ study aims to identify the effects of the NBA Bubble on individual player performance through free throw shot percentage. Using logit, the researchers were able to conclude that, compared to the normal NBA setup, individual player performance increased, with free throws being made significantly higher inside the NBA Bubble. Lastly, the researchers recommend that to extend this study by examining the effect of crowd-less play in different sports, through an analysis of other professional sports league bubbles.
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NBA Bubble, Free Throws, Performance Pressure, Home Court Advantage