Wendlandt is a sophomore broadcast journalism major and can be contacted at mike.wendlandt@drake.edu
As music goes through the public eye, it is easy to see how it intersects life and its various cultures. My next few columns are going to be about different aspects of how music can impact life in many different ways. This week the topic is music and sports intertwining.
In sports, it’s very evident that music has at least a supporting role in the game. I mean, most sports are just for entertainment, and sometimes it’s necessary to have a sound track for a game. Just look at NFL films. Without their sound track and classic music, how different would it be to watch some old highlights?
One sport where music has really had an impact has been football. If you’ve ever gone to a game on any level from high school on up, you’ll hear music. A lot. Between every kickoff, time-out, pregame, postgame, halftime there’s usually a familiar tune. Go to an NFL game and you’ll hear music every time there is a stoppage. Now that we’re so used to it, it would be incredibly weird to go to a game and have silence between the score and the ensuing kickoff.
The rest of the time, I’ll talk about how music impacts my personal favorite sport: baseball. Music is constantly playing during these games. From batter walk-ups to the seventh inning stretch, music is everywhere in baseball.
The best part of baseball music is obviously the seventh inning stretch. From the classic “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” to “Roll Out the Barrel” and everything in between, the stretch is a classic event that everyone should experience at least once. Wrigley Field’s idea of a celebrity singing the stretch has been incredibly funny, if not particularly great sounding.
After the stretch though, nothing beats walk-up songs. For batters everywhere, it is the chance to put your own personal stamp on the impression you make when you approach the batter’s box. I remember my own song when I played. It was “Blue Collar Man” by Styx because it described my playing style: tough and determined. Some use it as a chance to have some fun, such as Troy Tulowitzki having Miley Cyrus. But some use it as their signature, their legacy. To this day, every time I hear the song “Hells Bells” I think of Trevor Hoffman and his jog to the mound. Of all you baseball fans, every time you hear “Enter Sandman,” how can you not think of Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer ever. The music not only helps them but also shows their power and it adds excitement that I can’t find anywhere else.
Even if you don’t like sports, it’s worth just going or watching to hear the music of the field and the memories it can bring. From Harry Caray to Metallica, every possible genre of music is touched upon in sports, and nowhere else can that be claimed.