Football: Talk about home-field advantage
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It struck me recently that there might not be a better home-field advantage than that enjoyed by varsity football teams.
That advantage is magnified when the visiting team has to travel a long way and sit through a junior varsity game that precedes the varsity contest. Let’s take the example of the Boron Bobcats, who last month had to travel 108 miles ONE WAY to play Lake Isabella Kern Valley.
Boron left school just before 1 p.m. for the two-hour drive. Then the Bobcats varsity players waited an hour before the JV game and sat around in a cramped, smelly locker room for two more hours during the undercard. You would think all the waiting around might make a team come out flat, but the Bobcats took an early lead during an eventual come-from-behind, 36-35 victory.
Imagine college or pro teams having to endure such a long wait. I wonder how well they would perform under similar circumstances.
--Ben Bolch