Sound in sport

It's been well known for many years that noise has a major effect on performance.
　　Jackie:  Sports psychologist Dr Sandy Wilson says noise affects the performance
　　of sportsmen and women. It 'affects their performance' means it
　　influences how well they do or don't do when they're taking part in a
　　sport – their performance. Listen to Sandy again and try to answer this
　　question: how does noise affect our bodies?
　　Sandy Wilson
　　It's been well known for many years that noise has a major effect on performance. Noise
　　causes an increase in people's arousal level, so that when people do hear noise, their
　　heart rate increases, they breathe more quickly, they sweat a bit more. And all these
　　kinds of things have an effect on performance.
　　Jackie:  Sandy says noise affects arousal levels. If your body becomes more
　　aroused, it is ready for action – as Sandy said, your heart might beat
　　faster to get the blood around your body faster and you might breathe
　　more quickly to get more oxygen in. This means your body is more
　　prepared for the physical challenge of sport. So the sound of a noisy,
　　cheering crowd can give sportspeople the extra energy to do well. But
　　what about the noise spectators make when they're angry with their team
　　because they aren't performing well?
　　Angry spectators sometimes boo their team. To 'boo' someone is to make
　　a noise to show you don't like their performance. How does this affect
　　players? Listen to Sandy to find out.
　　Sandy Wilson
　　I think it makes them distracted and self-conscious and ultimately will have a negative
　　effect on them, so I think it's counterproductive to boo your own team.
　　Jackie:  Did you get the answer? Sandy says it's counterproductive to boo your
　　own team. 'Counterproductive' – it achieves the opposite effect to what
　　you want. It's counterproductive because players get 'distracted', which
　　means they can't focus on what they're doing and 'self-conscious', which
　　means worried about what people think of them. All this means they'll
　　find it more difficult to perform well. Listen again.
　　Sandy Wilson
　　I think it makes them distracted and self-conscious and ultimately will have a negative
　　effect on them, so I think it's counterproductive to boo your own team.
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　　Jackie:  Sandy says it's not just the players who are affected by the noise crowds
　　make. As you listen to this next clip, you'll hear the word 'handball'
　　which is an expression used when a footballer has touched the football
　　with his or her hand when they weren't meant to. So, let's listen to Sandy
　　again. Now try to answer this question: apart from the players, who else
　　might be affected by crowd noise?
　　Sandy Wilson
　　I think the noise that comes from the crowd can have a major effect on the referee. It's
　　not just the players who are affected, but the referees are affected. If you're a referee and
　　you suddenly hear 40, 000 people shout 'handball!' then it might not be a question of
　　being intimidated by the crowd…it might be that that information can help you make a
　　decision on what's been happening.
　　Jackie:  Did you get the answer? Sandy says crowds can also influence referees –
　　the people who make sure the rules of sport are being followed during a
　　game.