Well in the end it’s not really worth arguing over as I have had this discussion with friends and some think it does and others not. It would be interesting to see a study done where players are asked how much effect it has on them when playing.
I think one of the issues is that as our maturity level increases our composure generally increases and that some players are impacted a lot more than others by a loud crowd. This is why I believe the NFL game isn't as impacted by a loud crowd.
Even if you were not an athlete who was impacted in either direction many good coaches have seen enough to know that noise impacts this age group. So even nif we are playing like crap, why not stay resilient, give them the benefit of doubt, stay and support the program. We need to make a positive impression on the players we are recruiting. They are the key to a better future.
Remember we are dealing with a snowflake generation who in to many cases look for reasons to be offended and thus distracted....this is already an age group that is already easy to distract...
As an adult who is 40 years removed from this age group people my age tend to forget what its like to be of college age.
I have learned that its usually best to trust what successful coaches say about something like this.