A Myth or Fact? Are Foul Calls in Team Sports Influenced by Jersey Colors

Color has psychological influence on human feelings and perception of aggression. Team sports are complex and combating. Some violations are subtle. Prior research studied aggression perception on specific colors, say red, white or black. In this study, authors use foul calls received to study aggression perception on light and dark colored jersey using English Premier League (EPL) data from 2010 to 2020. Authors found that home teams receive fewer foul calls than away teams. Meanwhile, home teams also tend to wear light colored jersey. A further study, conditioned on home and away teams, denies any significant statistical difference in foul calls between light and dark colored jersey teams. A more comprehensive study at referee level also confirmed that result that home teams tend to receive fewer foul calls, but not because of jersey colors.