In Sidwell sports, many coaches and players incorporate their personalities into the music they listen to, which helps them play and feel their best during the game. Music allows players to get into the right mindset, and the rhythm increases their ability to focus on the field.
Freshman Pilar Lynch on the Girls Varsity Lacrosse team listens to songs by Bad Bunny to prepare herself for her games. “‘Un Preview’ and ‘Perro Negro’ by Bad Bunny get me hype before lacrosse games because their extreme rhythm and courageous lyrics give me the confidence that I need. They make me feel like I can take on anything, just like when I’m playing lacrosse. Once I listen to Bad Bunny, I’m ready to score some goals and get great assists,” Lynch said.
Coaches also use music to get their players ready for competition. Head Track Coach Michael Cooley plays “Lose Yourself” by Eminem to hype his team up before important meets, as he finds the lyrics and beat helpful when trying to focus. “One specific lyric that resonates with me is, ‘You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let go.’ This lyric really is the epitome of getting hype, ready, and focused for the task ahead of you. This directly relates to me and my team when we have to relax everything and focus on the gun firing before it’s time to run,” he said.
Track and Field Hockey Coach Janessa Pope listens to “Levitating” by Dua Lipa with her team during practice to get them ready for their big competitions. She says this song especially gets her athletes hyped because of its catchy lyrics and upbeat vibe. It especially gets them hyped because of its popularity and memorable lyrics.
According to Brunel University Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology Costas Karageorghis, the tempo of a song can resonate with its listener at different moments; some of these moments have higher or lesser levels of intensity and anxiety. Karageorghis has researched the psychological, psychophysiological and neurophysiological effects of music in sports. He wrote, “Sometimes in those sports in which life and limb are risked, rather than the music having the function of psyching us up, it has the function of psyching us down … so that [the athletes] can counter those dangers and put themselves in an optimal psychological state.”
Music can change an athlete’s mood, which is why various types of music with different rhythms, beats and tempos will have different effects on athletes. Music helps the athlete get to a certain physiological state that unlocks their peak performance.
Brennan Kneller, a freshman playing lacrosse for the first time this season, listens to “Saturn” by SZA to get in the right mindset before practices and games. “I enjoy SZA and all her songs, but the song I love most is ‘Saturn.’ The lyrics and rhythm make me feel happy and when I’m happy, I’m ready to play the best game ever! I especially love the lyric, ‘I’m a space cadet, in my own world.’ This lyric makes me feel more confident playing lacrosse. It reminds me that I can do anything if I set my mind to it. Since this is my first time playing the sport I usually need an extra boost to get me feeling ready for the game and Saturn is the perfect song for that,” Kneller said.
All of these players, coaches, and captains have different types of music that they listen to to prepare them to have great practices and games. They vary in genre, artists, rhythms and beats. There will never be just one song that fits everyone, and that’s what makes hype songs so unique.
