The Seattle Seahawks Unfair Advantage

seattle seahawks home field advantageCenturyLink Field – Major Contributor to the Seahawks’ Success

CenturyLink Field, the home-field of the Seattle Seahawks, is one of the noisiest stadiums in the game—the PA system, the foot-stomping, and screaming fans all contributing to the noise.

All NFL games have their fair share of noisy fans, but CenturyLink Field beats them all. Last September, during the San Francisco 49ers vs. Seahawks match, the noise reached an incredible 136.6 decibels and created a record in the Guinness Book of World Records. The stadium has been designed especially to trap the noise in and give the team a definite edge over opponents.

Ever since the NFL season of 2005 began, opponent teams have had six times more false starts at CenturyLink Field than at any other stadium.

All this makes things very difficult for opponents.  And the Seahawks definitely play better in their home stadium, the noise contributing a great deal to their success. Ever since the venue was thrown open in 2002, Seattle has enjoyed 67 wins. According to Troy E. Renck, a Broncos reporter, CenturyLink Field is the loudest stadium in the NFL.

The other loud NFL venues are Superdome in New Orleans, Arrowhead Stadium at Kansas City, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The noise at Superdome reaches 122 decibels and the lights going off sometimes add to the effect. The fan crowd at Lambeau Field in Green Bay is especially boisterous and the environment sometimes resembles a high school football match. Irrespective of the weather, the crowds at Lambeau Field are always large and over enthusiastic.

* image provided by centurylinkfield.com.