Home field means less, even for Chiefs

Whatever happened to home-field advantage? The home team went 0-7 in the World Series, 1-5 in the NBA Finals and 2-5 in the Stanley Cup Final this year. In the NFL playoffs last season, home teams went 5-5 — the worst record by home teams in the playoffs since 2010 (4-6).

It’s even more pronounced this season. Home teams are 57-63-1 (.475). Through eight weeks last season, they were 73-46-2 (.612). In the previous 10 seasons, home teams were 692-490-5 (.585) through eight weeks.

Why has home-field advantage diminished? The answer is obvious: Everybody’s on their cellphone at sporting events these days. Or they’re hanging out at Club 1914 or the outfield patio or the United Club.

A sporting event is a meeting place where everything is designed to make you feel as though you’re at home. At some stadiums, most fans can see the game better on the giant videoboard than by watching the actual play on the field. So they feel like they’re at home instead of at a live event where they’re supposed to go crazy. Every timeout is filled with some kind of distraction that makes you forget you’re there to watch a game. Check out the empty seats at the start of the third quarter of an NFL game.

Whether there’s even a morsel of truth to that theory, Vegas has responded to the trend. There are nine home underdogs this week, including the Chiefs, one of the best home teams in the NFL under Andy Reid (36-12 through 2018) but 1-3 this season (1-2 even with Patrick Mahomes). The Vikings should feel at home.

Pick: Vikings 23, Chiefs 7.