Athletes get hype before gameday
Almost every athlete has a tradition or a superstition that comes before a game, most of these superstitions and traditions include music. Northern High School athletes are especially known for their pregame playlists.
“[My pregame playlist consists of] Chief Keef Faneto, a little bit of country music,” freshman Freddie Oliver said. “Tennessee Whisky is my go to and a little bit of Dora the Explorer.”
A pregame playlist is something that is supposed to hype athletes up and get them in the mindset to go as hard as they can on the field. Music is known to interact with peoples emotions: When they are sad they listen to sad music, when they are happy they listen to music that make them smile. So it would be a good idea for a player to have a playlist they can listen to to hype them up before a big game.
“Listening to music before a game sends this feeling through my body,” sophomore Donte McCall said. “The right song will automatically get me hype and ready to play.”
After sitting at a desk and taking notes for seven hours players need a boost to get their energy level where it needs to be for a game. Listening to that one song that is upbeat and connects with the players competitive side takes all the tiredness and stress away enough for them to give it their all for at least an hour.
“Listening to music before a game boosts my confidence and gives me the determination and stamina to play throughout the game,” sophomore Zakiree Furlow said.
In the sport baseball and softball the teams use music to pump players up during the games. Each player gets to pick their favorite song to play while they are walking up to the plate during a game, which is why it is called a walk-up song. The songs are used to boost the confidence of the batter and hype up the team to cheer on the batter.
“My walk-up song is ‘Bigger Than You’ by 2 Chainz,” freshman Ashton Hawthorne said “I chose it because I feel like some parts of the song fit me when I am playing and it is lit.”
From a coaches point of view music could be considered a distraction, and cause more damage that good. In a case where the coach wants the player to be focused they may not let their players listen to music before a game.
“I think that listening to music when you need to get things done is a distraction,” assistant softball coach Terry Wagner said. “But I do not have a problem with the girls listening to music before a game.”
No doubt about it the athletes at Northern High School are ALL N for music before their big games.