Scientists say the colour gives such an advantage in sport that it should be regulated. So, if you want to bet, the red jersey is worth the risk this June
PARIS: Fancy making an outside bet for the World Cup? How about Spain? South Korea? Costa Rica? Trinidad and Tobago?
What unites all these teams is that they wear red, a colour that some scientists say gives such an advantage in sport that it should even be regulated. Anthropologists at the University of Durham, northeastern England, looked at the results of contests in four disciplines in the 2004 Olympics Games - boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling — where competitors were randomly assigned red or blue outfits.
Contestants wearing red won 16 out of the 21 rounds in these competitions and 55 percent of all matches overall.
They also looked at the Euro 2004, looking at the outcome when teams wore shirts of different colours in different matches. Teams scored more goals and had more wins when they played in red than when they played in the other colour. The scientists, Russell Hill and Robert Barton, believe there is a subliminal link between red and aggression and male dominance.
In nature, red is linked with the male hormone testosterone. Anger among humans often causes a reddening of the skin and can be a prelude to violence, whereas fear is associated with pallor, as the body reacts to a threat.
In sport, in matches where strength and skill are equal, “wearing red presumably tips the balance between losing and winning,” the researchers say. “The implications for regulations governing sporting attire may also be important. The colour of sportswear needs to be taken into account to ensure a level playing field in sport.”
In football, successful teams playing in red have been Liverpool, Manchester United, South Korea, which was the shock team of the 2002 World Cup, and England, in its 1966 World Cup victory.
Liverpool is English football’s most successful team winning 18 league titles, followed by Man Utd who have seven. However, they have not yet won the Premiership, while Man U has eight to their names.
But white, too, can claim its stars, such as Germany, Real Madrid and the Leeds United of 1960s and 1970s.
So, which red are you supporting this World Cup?
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