Get Your Head in the Game: How music plays a part on game day.

The easiest way to tell that it’s game day here at Eastern is by the sound: there is usually music pumping onto the field that is filled with athletes who are warming up for their game. No matter the sport, athletes across campus use music as a way to get themselves ready for a game. The Waltonian spoke to over 20 different student-athletes about their experience using music as a way to prepare for their games.

While everyone has a different taste in music, all the athletes that spoke to the Waltonian said that strong beats were important to warm-up songs. “I like a lot of music that is upbeat,” said senior lacrosse player Nate Hawkins, “(it) gets me happy and relaxed.” Many Eastern athletes that we spoke to singled out rap and rock music as their go-to genres for warm-up music; artists like Meek Mill, Kanye West, and Post Malone seem to be popular among Eastern athletes as well.

For baseball and softball players, they have the chance to pick a song especially for the purpose of hyping them up mid-game. As batters approach the plate or pitchers approach the mound, an athlete’s walk-up song will be played. Some choose an upbeat song to get them ready, and others choose a joke song to get the crowd engaged. Graduate softball player Meghan Johnson said that she chose her walk-up
song, “Touch the Sky” by Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco, because “it’s just super upbeat and confident and that’s the type of energy I want on the field.” Johnson also shared her game-day playlist with the Waltonian. The five-hour-long playlist is filled with rap music, pop music, as well as some throwback music.

With all of this being said, does music actually affect an athlete’s performance? Sophomore volleyball player Trey Miller said that while listening to music doesn’t affect his overall gameplay, it “definitely affects (his) mentality and fluidity going into the game.” Miller’s teammate and freshman volleyball player Ben Sierier echoed this by saying that “warm-up music allows us to get loose and relax. It also helps us focus.” Many athletes even said that they use warm-up music as an indicator to get ready for a game since music is usually played over the loudspeakers just before the commencement of a game.

No matter what sport an athlete may play, it is important to warm up before a game. Whether that warm-up be a physical warm-up of stretches or a mental warm-up of listening to music, it is key to the pregame ritual.