Everybody knows about home field advantage and the boost that a ravenous fan base can give their team. In some places, however, that home field advantage turns from a minor factor in a team's winning equation to something that's downright terrifying for a visiting team.
10. Fenway Park [35]- Boston Red Sox [36]: The Red Sox finished this season with their worst record since Elvis and Priscilla got married and that reference was relevant. Over the last few years, however, they have consistently been near the top of the list for best home record in baseball. Not only that, but the Green Monster is, well, a monster for batters to hit over, killing any dreams of hitting a line drive home run to left field.
Photo: Flickr, Charlie Walker
9. Joe Louis Arena [37]- Detroit Red Wings [38]: Always loud, always full and an absolute nightmare if you have a fear of octopi, which Detroiters are famous for tossing on to the ice since 1952 [39]. It symbolized the amount of wins necessary to win the Stanley Cup [40]. The Red Wings have had no difficulty in that department, going to the playoffs 20 years straight and winning four cups in that span. If you go to Detroit, there’s a good chance you’ll leave with another loss on your record.
Photo: Flickr Kevin Ward
8. M&T Bank Stadium [41]-Baltimore Ravens [42]: Despite the injuries they've suffered this year, the Ravens have a vicious defense led by Ed Reed [43] and Haloti Ngata [44]. Even more fearsome than their defense is their fans, who earlier this year created the loudest “Excrement!” [45] chant in recent memory. Want proof of how terrifying M&T can be? In the 14 seasons they have spent in Baltimore, the Ravens are 84-31, good for an astonishing .730 winning percentage, second only to the Patriots.
Photo: Flickr Connor Turner
7. Yankee Stadium [46]- New York Yankees [47]: So their fans abandoned them during the playoffs, but with the way the Yankees played, can you blame them? This is a fan base that is used to seeing winning, winning and more winning. The Yankees have won 56.8 percent of their home games, almost 5 percent higher than any team in baseball. That comes out to almost four wins per year more than anyone else over 112 seasons, good for an approximated grand total of 448 wins. Wow.
Photo: Flickr Eric Beato
6. The Horseshoe [48]- “The” Ohio State Buckeyes [49]: I grew up a Wolverines [50] fan so this one is hard to say, but the fact of the matter is the Buckeyes have one of the most terrifyingly obsessive fan bases in all of sports. In Columbus there are two topics, Ohio State football and everything else. Doesn't hurt that they've gone to three national title games in the last ten years and are one of the winningest programs in college football. Oh, and if you value your life, don't wear maize or blue within city limits. The list of people who get beat up while visiting the Horseshoe would be almost comical if it wasn't so horrifying
Photo: Flickr Mjurn
5. HP Pavilion [51]- San Jose Sharks [52]: According to a player poll conducted by Sports Illustrated in 2010 [53], HP Pavillion is hands down the scariest place to play in the NHL. Despite only holding a little over 17,000, the Pavilion is one of the loudest, rowdiest venues in all of sports. Hockey might not be that popular in California, but don't tell that to Sharks fans. They are a rabid fan base and consistently drown out the national anthem during playoff games by cheering so loudly.
Photo: Flickr HarshLight
4. Chesapeake Energy Arena [54]- Oklahoma City Thunder: [55] Anyone who watched the NBA playoffs last year knows how rabid Thunder fans are. In fact, the biggest reason they got the Sonics from Seattle [56] was because of how much they supported the Hornets when they were forced out of New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina. That support has been on display since they moved to Oklahoma City, where prospective season ticket holders must sit on a waiting list. The greatest showing of support was during the playoffs though, where the area would get so loud players had to shout to hear each other. The Thunder rode the wave of energy and support all the way to the NBA Finals, where they ultimately fell to the Heat [57], but Oklahoma City fans proved that coming into Chesapeake Arena should be a nerve-wracking experience for any team.
Photo: Flickr Seth Werkheiser
3. The Carrier Dome [58]- Syracuse Orange [59]: So I’m a homer, sue me. Fact of the matter is the Carrier Dome is one of, if not the hardest college basketball arena in the country to play in. Not only are the Orange consistently one of the best teams in the country, but they are also one of the most incredibly difficult teams to beat at home. Since 1980 alone [60], the Orange have won almost 84 percent of their home games. Add in the fact that passionate Syracuse fans have set the record for the most attended college basketball game of all time, and you get one scary place to play in.
Photo: Flickr MattCC716
2. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum [61]- The Oakland Raiders [62]: Want to talk scary? Just go to a Raiders game. For starters, Raiders fans are a violent, drunken, eerily dressed lot every game day. Even scarier is how proud of it they are. Even in the last 10 years as the team has fallen on hard times, die hard Raiders fans have packed the stadium, making opposing teams (and any of their fans foolish enough to enter wearing anything but Raider black) incredibly unwelcome. Need more proof? Starting in the late '80s the Raiders colors and logos were used as gang signs [63]. Now that's pretty freaky.
Photo: Flickr, Chris Yunker
1. Lambeau Field [64]- Green Bay Packers [65]: You know what’s scarier than gangs? Here’s a hint, it’s freezing to death in the middle of a football game. One of the most storied and successful sports teams in history, the Green Bay Packers play at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field [66]. While the fans are loud, fiercely loyal and the team is usually very good, there is nothing particularly intimidating about the confines of Lambeau, that is, until winter begins. Not only are the Packers nearly unbeatable at home during the regular season (a ridiculous .806 winning percentage in the last 20 years and .639 all time home winning percentage) but when the freezing cold of winter rolls around right in time for the playoffs, the Packers are 13-4 at home. What else would you expect from a team who once played in a game called “The Ice Bowl?” [67] And with weather that can go as low as -4 degrees with a -21 degree wind chill factor, that's chilling news for anyone who might be forced to play the Packers.
Photo: Flickr Brian Giesen
