Home field placebo

The meaning system around which the placebo effect is often achieved is that the team represents that particular place. Home stadiums fill up with fans that fuel the athletes with cheers, huge numbers, face paint and apparel and the like; all of this stems out of a pride in your home team. This support and this expectation drives the athletes to do better. The meaning system at work here is that somehow these men represent your city/town, and that their victory is shared by the fans (and perhaps the population of the given place). The irony here is that, the team members do not (and often aren't) representative of the city. The Blue Jays for example are not mainly made up of Torontians, not even Canadians; however that doesn't diminish the meaning system and therefore the placebo effect. It is a placebo because there is no reason for the ability of the players or the team to increase or change based on field they play in, however the home field advantage does maintain it's validity.