Do Professionals Choke in the Face of Pressure and Distraction?

Citation

Butler D, Butler R & Singleton C (2026) Do Professionals Choke in the Face of Pressure and Distraction?. Journal of Economic Psychology, 117, Art. No.: 102940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2026.102940

Abstract
We ask whether facing partisan audiences affects the execution of a skilled task. Our setting is penalty shootouts in the high-stakes environment of elite professional football (soccer). In this context, performers take penalties under intense pressure, while facing a subset of the crowd behind the goal who attempt to distract them through visual and auditory tactics. Using data on 1,322 penalties taken in the later rounds of major English cup competitions from 1992 to 2026, we find no evidence that having supportive allied spectators behind the goal provides a strategic advantage. This implies that elite professionals in this domain can effectively screen out crowd-induced distractions when performing under extreme stress.

Keywords
performance; distraction; penalty kicks; football

• Do Professionals Choke in the Face of Pressure and Distraction?