Research Finds That Red Is for Winners

NY Times ^ | May 19, 2005 | JOHN SCHWARTZ

[Pharmboy]

Wearing red increases the chance of victory in sports, say British researchers who clearly do not follow the Cincinnati Reds.

"Across a range of sports, we find that wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning," Dr. Russell Hill and Dr. Robert Barton, researchers in evolutionary anthropology at the University of Durham, wrote in a paper that appears today in the journal Nature.

The research began a year ago with a hunch based on observations in the animal kingdom, where red coloration is often associated with male dominance, Dr. Barton said in an interview. Zebra finches fitted with red leg bands tend to become dominant, while those given blue bands are more submissive. In humans, anger reddens the face, which may send signals of fierceness.

The two researchers studied results of the 2004 Summer Olympics to eliminate the possibility of a home team advantage, and found that contestants in tae kwan do, boxing and wrestling were issued red or blue protective gear at random. "It's almost as if somebody had designed an experiment for us," Dr. Barton said.

Dr. Hill said the evidence of a beneficial effect had emerged, with combatants wearing red winning 6 out of 10 bouts in especially close matches. "Even we were surprised at how consistently the results have been coming out across the range of sports we have looked at," he said.

They have taken a preliminary look at soccer as well, and found that in the Euro 2004 international soccer tournament, the five teams that wore predominantly red shirts did better.

[Spirited]

"And the new Washington Nationals wear red and they suck."

"They're a game out of first in the NL East, and 1.5 games out of the Wild Card spot. Suck, they do not."

In case you did not see this post I wanted to draw attention to your error, Condor51.

Leave the new Nats alone in your assessments. Give them time to find out that they have a home and we shall see. Right now they are just dandy and the stadium is more filled than most in any league just for emphasis.