The Black Hole is a huge student attraction at Xavier and it encourages kids to come and watch the football games as well as to hang out with friends while eating good food. However, does the Black hole actually have a positive effect on the outcome of the game? Does the cheering and pressure of the crowd help the players play their best, or does it distract them?

I talked to Mr.Bell about this situation and what his background and beliefs are about the Black Hole. As many of you already know, Mr. Bell and a group of his friends created the Black Hole. “The Black Hole was a long process” Bell told me. “It started off as just me and a group of my friends going to hockey games and we would call where we sat ‘the Nest.’ Many seniors thought we were dumb doing [it], but we continued all the way through senior year. It started to pick up steam, because in 2003, Xavier was predicted to have an amazing football team, as one the players from that team made it all the way to the NFL. Everyone was extremely excited and the mix of passion and talent really brought it all together.” Mr. Bell also stated that the Black Hole affects the games because, “When it is noisy and loud the fans and the players can feel the energy which really gives a home team advantage.” When I asked what the Black Hole does for the Xavier community, Mr. Bell replied, “It helps bring everyone together, even those who may not have as much athletic ability; it also makes them feel like they are a part of the team even if they’re not on the field playing. When the band, athletes, and fans all come together, it creates a huge amount of energy for everyone.”

The energy can help excite the players and prepare them to play hard. But can all the noise and pressure cause players to mess up? A study performed by the Sports Performance Bulletin showed that overall, kids performed not as well under pressure. Out of the 66 participants, 35 had a lower score under pressure, 7 scored the same, and 24 scored better. Even though this study shows that under pressure people scored worse, Xavier has continually played well despite the loud noise and cheering and the Black Hole is still seen as a major home field advantage. In conclusion, the Black Hole helps the players perform well because of the loud noise and excitement that can influence the outcome of the game and really create an advantage for all the players.