Miami home field sun advantage and why this is wrong on so many levels

[Lionel Hutz]

It makes no sense the recent trend of playing the first game in September in Miami and then playing in Buffalo on December. Why not reverse it to avoid either extreme weather scenario?

[Just Jack]

8 hours ago, Lionel Hutz said:

It makes no sense the recent trend of playing the first game in September in Miami and then playing in Buffalo on December. Why not reverse it to avoid either extreme weather scenario?

 

So, for SnG's, I looked at the schedule, only going back to 2000, how the games were scheduled between the Bills and Dolphins, I did not care about what month games were played, just who played at home first...

 

Miami then Buffalo was 15

Buffalo then Miami was 8

 

Miami defiantly has the advantage of playing at home first, but usually the @Buffalo game was late in the season. 

Edited September 30, 2022 by Just Jack

[LeGOATski]

5 hours ago, Lionel Hutz said:

It makes no sense the recent trend of playing the first game in September in Miami and then playing in Buffalo on December. Why not reverse it to avoid either extreme weather scenario?

The NFL wants the home field advantage and the story line it provides. "hot in Miami" and "cold in Buffalo" is on brand. It's entertainment.

[Matt_In_NH]

A couple points on this.

 

1.  The weather benefit is due more to acclimatization not as much sun/shade as is being thrown around here.  Sure the sun makes it worse, the Bills were holding up some kind of shade tent things, not sure how much that helped or did not help but it did something.  The point is the Bills players were more affected by the heat because they dont live in that weather day in and day out, not as much because of sun/shade as is being thrown around in this thread.  The body adjusts physiologically to climate.   From Google: "Acclimatization is the beneficial physiological adaptations that occur during repeated exposure to a hot environment. These physiological adaptations include: Increased sweating efficiency (earlier onset of sweating, greater sweat production, and reduced electrolyte loss in sweat)."   That bolded/underlined explains why the Bills were cramping more than the Dolphins.  Dolphin defenders were also cramping even though they live there due to the fact of the workload the Bills O/Dolphins D got.

 

2.  The game last week was exceptional because of how much the Bills offense was able to move between the 20's.   40 minutes of possession and 91 plays are rare numbers, that is atypical to say the least.   This contributed to the Bills offensive players being wreaked by the heat.  It is not an unfair advantage.  The weather was not atypical of weather in Miami for the last 40 years...it was not an exceptionally hot day out of the norm.

 

3.  The Bills get the climate/weather advantage in December.  And I know a bunch in here will talk about how "it's so different" but the two points above argue it is not, we love the homefield advantage in December/January as we should.  The stuff being thrown around how it is so different in Miami because sun/shade is way overblown and just excuses in my opinion.

[Orlando Tim]

26 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

A couple points on this.

 

1.  The weather benefit is due more to acclimatization not as much sun/shade as is being thrown around here.  Sure the sun makes it worse, the Bills were holding up some kind of shade tent things, not sure how much that helped or did not help but it did something.  The point is the Bills players were more affected by the heat because they dont live in that weather day in and day out, not as much because of sun/shade as is being thrown around in this thread.  The body adjusts physiologically to climate.   From Google: "Acclimatization is the beneficial physiological adaptations that occur during repeated exposure to a hot environment. These physiological adaptations include: Increased sweating efficiency (earlier onset of sweating, greater sweat production, and reduced electrolyte loss in sweat)."   That bolded/underlined explains why the Bills were cramping more than the Dolphins.  Dolphin defenders were also cramping even though they live there due to the fact of the workload the Bills O/Dolphins D got.

 

2.  The game last week was exceptional because of how much the Bills offense was able to move between the 20's.   40 minutes of possession and 91 plays are rare numbers, that is atypical to say the least.   This contributed to the Bills offensive players being wreaked by the heat.  It is not an unfair advantage.  The weather was not atypical of weather in Miami for the last 40 years...it was not an exceptionally hot day out of the norm.

 

3.  The Bills get the climate/weather advantage in December.  And I know a bunch in here will talk about how "it's so different" but the two points above argue it is not, we love the homefield advantage in December/January as we should.  The stuff being thrown around how it is so different in Miami because sun/shade is way overblown and just excuses in my opinion.

I lived in WNY for 24 years and 21 in Orlando now- the sun vs shade is a larger difference than simply being used to the heat. When I go for run I have a route I follow that maximizes the shade due to it being a noticable amount cooler, especially when it is 90* out. The largest part of the winter advantage for Buffalo is the wind, not temperature, and we have the right QB to deal with the wind. 

[bmur66]

19 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

A couple points on this.

3.  The Bills get the climate/weather advantage in December.  And I know a bunch in here will talk about how "it's so different" but the two points above argue it is not, we love the homefield advantage in December/January as we should.  The stuff being thrown around how it is so different in Miami because sun/shade is way overblown and just excuses in my opinion.

The Bills do not take advantage of the winter weather home field advantage. It's not like it used to be. I don't think they like it anymore than the visiting team. There was a time the players would sleep on their porch, ride snowmobiles in t shirts and laugh at the visiting team when it was 5 degrees out.

[John Gianelli]

10 hours ago, Orlando Tim said:

There is only one way to eliminate this kind of advantage- allow road team that select sideline. You can't actually make it illegal but you can easily make it unlikely 

I would love to see this, but the NFL would never do this. It makes too much sense!

 

You could call it the "Karma" rule, so teams like Miami that designed their stadiums that way get a taste of their own medicine.

[Heavy Kevi]

50 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

A couple points on this.

 

1.  The weather benefit is due more to acclimatization not as much sun/shade as is being thrown around here.  Sure the sun makes it worse, the Bills were holding up some kind of shade tent things, not sure how much that helped or did not help but it did something.  The point is the Bills players were more affected by the heat because they dont live in that weather day in and day out, not as much because of sun/shade as is being thrown around in this thread.  The body adjusts physiologically to climate.   From Google: "Acclimatization is the beneficial physiological adaptations that occur during repeated exposure to a hot environment. These physiological adaptations include: Increased sweating efficiency (earlier onset of sweating, greater sweat production, and reduced electrolyte loss in sweat)."   That bolded/underlined explains why the Bills were cramping more than the Dolphins.  Dolphin defenders were also cramping even though they live there due to the fact of the workload the Bills O/Dolphins D got.

 

2.  The game last week was exceptional because of how much the Bills offense was able to move between the 20's.   40 minutes of possession and 91 plays are rare numbers, that is atypical to say the least.   This contributed to the Bills offensive players being wreaked by the heat.  It is not an unfair advantage.  The weather was not atypical of weather in Miami for the last 40 years...it was not an exceptionally hot day out of the norm.

 

3.  The Bills get the climate/weather advantage in December.  And I know a bunch in here will talk about how "it's so different" but the two points above argue it is not, we love the homefield advantage in December/January as we should.  The stuff being thrown around how it is so different in Miami because sun/shade is way overblown and just excuses in my opinion.

 

While acclimatization is at play, it does not disqualify shade and how much of a difference it makes. You are definitely minimizing it's effects.

 

Do you think they would purposefully build the stadium to give them shade if it wasn't an advantage?

 

Of course they wouldn't. It is very different than our "home field advantage" and I don't really think that's debatable at this point. If it wasn't, they'd have shade for the opposing teams too 

[Matt_In_NH]

17 minutes ago, Orlando Tim said:

I lived in WNY for 24 years and 21 in Orlando now- the sun vs shade is a larger difference than simply being used to the heat. When I go for run I have a route I follow that maximizes the shade due to it being a noticable amount cooler, especially when it is 90* out. The largest part of the winter advantage for Buffalo is the wind, not temperature, and we have the right QB to deal with the wind. 

 

Most everyone here has experienced Buffalo and South Florida weather, you are not alone.   Why is this coming up now/this year vs last year when the weather was very similar and the Bills won 35-0.  The answer is partially in my post.  Standing in shade is better than standing in the brutal Florida sun, no argument.  It is an advantage and it has been that way for several years since they built the canopy.   Which sideline would you want the Bills to choose?  Stadiums are built to have a homefield advantage...compare it to sound....remember when the NFL tried to "make that even" and penalize the home team if the crowd was too loud for the opposing offense?  I mean should the NFL do something when a stadium is loud for one team and not the other, its an advantage right?  The stadium design can have a big affect on sound, what should be done about this unfair situation?   I remember when they had a penalty for noise and it was ridiculous as is discussion.  Home field advantage takes many forms.  One group that is not complaining about this and that is the Buffalo Bills.

[Matt_In_NH]

20 minutes ago, bmur66 said:

The Bills do not take advantage of the winter weather home field advantage. It's not like it used to be. I don't think they like it anymore than the visiting team. There was a time the players would sleep on their porch, ride snowmobiles in t shirts and laugh at the visiting team when it was 5 degrees out.

Acclimatization - the Bills and their fans may or may not like it but science shows its an advantage.

14 minutes ago, Heavy Kevi said:

Do you think they would purposefully build the stadium to give them shade if it wasn't an advantage?

 

Up until recently there was no shade at that stadium.  The canopy is symmetrical but it favors the Dolphins sideline, which would you choose?  Come on

[Augie]

1 minute ago, Bandito said:

The Bills won in Miami last year under similar conditions. Time to grow a pair and man up. Bills lost fair and square despite the sun beaming on their sideline.

 

You have an outstanding ability to miss the point completely. 

 

I’m not talking about any particular game, with or without the Bills. It’s a big picture issue. If I had never watched a football game in my life, and didn’t have a team that I followed, I could look at that and say having one team suffering thru temps 20-30 degrees hotter due to deliberate stadium design is BS. It’s pretty simple. 

[NewEra]

12 hours ago, Peter said:

I live in Miami and am a season ticket holder to the Miami Hurricanes (who also play in that stadium) and purposely chose the home side because of this.

 

It is my recollection that the Dolphins (or NFL) used to avoid 1:00 pm games early in the regular season. I got in an argument with some Dolphin fans about this and ended up taking a look at the Dolphin schedule from 1970 through 1989.

 

Guess what? During that entire time, only 6.3% of Dolphin games before the last week of September were 1:00 pm home games. The rest (93.7%) were 4:00 pm or night home games or away games.

 

The easy solution is to make sure that early regular season Dolphin games should be later in the day or on the road.

 

P.S. I know some Dolphin fans try to respond by claiming that we have an advantage in cold weather games. That counter argument only goes so far. In our stadium, both home and away games have the same exposure to the elements. At Hard Rock Stadium, only one team bakes in the son. That side of the stadium is miserable even sitting in the stands in shorts and a t shirt. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be player . . . especially a 300+ pound lineman.

 

P.S. I love the idea by Orlando Tim (immediately above) who suggests that the visiting team should be able to select its sideline.

But, but, but no one complained about this until the bills lost last week.  

[Mr. WEO]

5 minutes ago, NewEra said:

But, but, but no one complained about this until the bills lost last week.  

 

finally got one right

[Royale with Cheese]

43 minutes ago, Bandito said:

The Bills won in Miami last year under similar conditions. Time to grow a pair and man up. Bills lost fair and square despite the sun beaming on their sideline.

 

It was not similar conditions last year.  It was below 80 degrees and mostly cloudy by half time.

It was 81 degrees by the end of the 1st quarter.  

 

https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/fl/miami/KMIA/date/2021-9-19

Edited September 30, 2022 by Royale with Cheese

[What a Tuel]

3 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

finally got one right

 

Can you tell us when we saw a game of attrition due to the heat like we saw sunday? You guys are acting so arrogant about this being about the bills losing, when we have never seen what we saw sunday. 

 

If the home bench gets shade, then the visitor bench should get shade (aka tents). It is beyond moronic to say "hey we aren't using tents on the shaded home side, so you guys over there in the sun can't either."

[Mr. WEO]

12 minutes ago, What a Tuel said:

 

Can you tell us when we saw a game of attrition due to the heat like we saw sunday? You guys are acting so arrogant about this being about the bills losing, when we have never seen what we saw sunday. 

 

If the home bench gets shade, then the visitor bench should get shade (aka tents). It is beyond moronic to say "hey we aren't using tents on the shaded home side, so you guys over there in the sun can't either."

 

Bills lost 3 O-lineman by the 4th Q: 2 from heat and 1 from head injury.  A couple of players receiver some reported form of treatment (stretches and IV) but came back.  1 threw up on the sideline.

 

The Bills still, despite all this, were able to thoroughly outplay the Fins--500 yards on O.  But they went 2-4 in the redzone and missed a FG.  

 

Yes, shade on both sides would be good.  

[Royale with Cheese]

Just now, Bandito said:

On field temps were in the 90s though. It was still hot and the Bills were not affected at all last year.

Geez man.  Heat doesn't vary to you I guess.  All hot is the same and feels the same.

You obviously feel that sitting in the shade and sitting in the sun....it's the exact same.

 

So you honestly believe in last years game, at 78 degrees by half time is equally as hot as this game.  Do you honestly believe that?

 

When the Buffalo Bills took on the Miami Dolphins in southern Florida this past Sunday, everyone quickly realized that the excessive heat was going to be a problem. One report stated that by 10:00 AM Eastern, it was already 120 degrees Fahrenheit on the field.

 

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs recently made an appearance on the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and he was asked about how the extreme temperatures affected him. “I have never been that tired in my life,” Diggs replied. “I had full body cramps after the game. Full body cramps! I’ve never experienced that in my life.”

 

Diggs also believes that Hard Rock Stadium is set up to make the opposing team uncomfortable. “The Miami side is under the shade. Our side is in the sun that, you know, turns those grapes into raisins,” he said with a little laugh.

 

 

https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/29/23376857/stefon-diggs-dehydration-bills-dolphins-nfl-week-3

[Augie]

5 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Bills lost 3 O-lineman by the 4th Q: 2 from heat and 1 from head injury.  A couple of players receiver some reported form of treatment (stretches and IV) but came back.  1 threw up on the sideline.

 

The Bills still, despite all this, were able to thoroughly outplay the Fins--500 yards on O.  But they went 2-4 in the redzone and missed a FG.  

 

Yes, shade on both sides would be good.  

 

Take the football game out of it. The game seems to be blinding you.  Look at the overall situation.

 

I don’t care if we won by 40, they switch field directions to keep things even and fair due to varying weather conditions. Yet this stadium design intentionally gives the home team an unfair advantage in certain conditions unlike any other in the league. 

 

I know how much you like to argue. I understand what you are trying to say, I just don’t understand why you can’t comprehend that this is an unfair advantage and a safety issue. BIG PICTURE….not last week’s game. Pretend you’ve never seen a football game. Does that seem fair or safe? 

[What a Tuel]

12 minutes ago, Bandito said:

On field temps were in the 90s though. It was still hot and the Bills were not affected at all last year.

 

More cloudy, 10 degrees cooler, and no indication on whether Flores prohibited the same measures (tents, cooling benches, misters or whatever) that McDaniels did.

 

Difficult to find that info since we didn't see the same heat exhaustion as last year.

 

Just now, Augie said:

I don’t care if we won by 40, they switch field directions to keep things even and fair due to varying weather conditions. Yet this stadium design intentionally gives the home team an unfair advantage in certain conditions unlike any other in the league. 

 

Thats the key part. On the field both teams play in the sun. Off the field both teams should have some reprieve from oppressive heat, just like in the winter we have heaters. On the field both teams fight it out in the elements.

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by What a Tuel

[Royale with Cheese]

14 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Bills lost 3 O-lineman by the 4th Q: 2 from heat and 1 from head injury.  A couple of players receiver some reported form of treatment (stretches and IV) but came back.  1 threw up on the sideline.

 

The Bills still, despite all this, were able to thoroughly outplay the Fins--500 yards on O.  But they went 2-4 in the redzone and missed a FG.  

 

Yes, shade on both sides would be good.  

 

Yes, the Bills blew opportunities.  They had the ball at the 1 with a chance to win the game.  They shot themselves in the foot...no doubt.

 

But the issue is we had to face much more adversity with the conditions.  That cannot be debated.  It's not a level playing field with the set up the way it is.