Using Orthodromic Distance to Determine Homefield Advantage in Professional Bass Fishing Tournaments.

This article investigates the presence of a homefield advantage in professional bass fishing by analyzing angler performance in the two premier U.S. tournaments: the Bassmaster Elite Series (B.A.S.S.) and Major League Fishing’s (MLF) Bass Pro Tour. Using data from the 2022 season, the study finds that angler performance is positively related to experience and career success, and negatively affected by the geographical distance between an angler’s hometown and the tournament lake, indicating a modest homefield advantage linked to local familiarity with fishing conditions. While living in the same state as the tournament generally does not confer a significant advantage, MLF anglers fishing in Texas lakes showed a notable home-state benefit. These findings contrast with much of the literature on individual sports, where homefield advantage is often absent, and suggest that local environmental knowledge plays a unique role in bass fishing performance.