Soccer Referees and Crowds......Survey Says?
 

Maybe in the U-8 division. More bull puckey "research".

I disagree. Bear in mind that Italian officials deal with crowds that sometimes resort to hooliganism we'll never see here in the U.S. Try working those atmospheres and tell us all they'll have zero effect on you.

Perhaps the players are also affected by crowds? This is another poential explanation for fewer fouls called in games without spectators.

Correlation does not equal causation.

You mean like this?

http://forum.officiating.com/basketb...-official.html

Isolated incident perhaps but you can't say it doesn't happen here. I've had it nearly happen in football and baseball games I've worked. The crowd's anger has never influenced how I call a game and I'd expect the same for most good officials.

I'd like to see a larger sample size, but it's not ridiculous to believe that the intensity of the crowd impacts the intensity of the players. Even at neutral site games, the size and involvement of the crowd affects the emotions of the players, which in turn forces the referee's hand toward tighter or looser control.