root root root for the home team

Tonight my wife and i were talking about the clappers that the Predators just handed out at a home game last week. We weren't at the game, but from what i understand, it was insanely loud. Painfully, annoyingly loud.

Christy made some comment about the HOP (the corporate sponsor-less "Home Of the Predators") being the loudest arena in the league. I was a little harsh and kidded her that she is new to being a sports fan and didn't know that everyone makes that claim (i'm really sorry about that sweetheart). But that got me wondering just how many places do make that claim...

Here is but a small sampling:
Delta Center (Utah Jazz) "[The MCI Center] isn't nose-bleed steep like Delta Center in Utah, which, not coincidentally, is the loudest arena in the NBA..."

Arco Arena (Sacramento Kings) "Sacramento has a league-best streak of 317 sellouts at Arco Arena, which has been the loudest arena in the league..."

HP Pavilion (San Jose Sharks) "They say San Jose is the loudest arena in the NHL..."

Bell Center (Montreal Canadeans) "...in the Bell Center where Montreal could get a great boost from the noisiest crowd in the NHL..."

The RBC (Carolina Hurricanes) "...after Ray Whitney's second goal in game two the level was measured at 134 at the RBC even with all the millions of Sabre fans in the building. Say what you want but it is the loudest arena in the NHL..."

Cleveland Coliseum (Cleveland Cavs) "Michael Jordan has said that the Cleveland Coliseum is the loudest arena in the NBA"

So...that is obviously not a scientific sampling. But gives you some idea.

I can personally vouch that while you are there, the Spurs claim that the SBC Center is the loudest. Everyone still brags that the old Hemisfair Arena was louder still (no one said that the Alamo Dome was loudest, even though it had the largest seating capacity at the time...something about a massive velvet curtain tends to damping things a bit).

Point being, for the home team, home is always best. Those few souls who are impartial and actually get to visit multiple arenas (national broadcasters, etc) tend to play along and say that wherever they are, that it is the loudest they've ever heard. Of course, Bill Walton (apparently having an extremely short memory) always thinks everything he is experiencing at that moment is the best in history: "That dunk by bench player Ian McFarlin was the most amazing I've ever seen!". At the very least, he will compare to some historic figure before: "Ryan Hollins is the best rookie center to come into the league since Patrick Ewing"

Anyway...
We've got spirit, how 'bout you?