If you named the most common interests that the vast majority of people share, sports and music would be right near the top of the list. While technically casual interests for most, these are still parts of many people’s daily lives, impacting their mood, schedule, spending habits, and more.
At first glance, these interests might seem to be separate from each other. In reality though, the two have crossed over for a long time now, and the connection has only grown more prevalent in recent years. Let’s take a look at the relationship between music and sports in more detail.
Music and Sports – A Longstanding Crossover
For as long as organised sports have been around, they have been connected with music. The Olympic Games are the longest-surviving sporting event we have, and – in Ancient Greece – these were paired with musical contests. The same was true of the Pythian Games, which took place during the same era.
It’s fair to say, therefore, that this connection isn’t new. In fact, it’s been going on for over two thousand years. Fast forward a couple of millenia to the birth of regulated football in the UK during the 1800s, and music – this time in the form of songs that fans wrote and sang – was already a key part of ‘the beautiful game’. Obviously, that connection still continues to this day.
Music at Sporting Events
Nowadays, music and sporting events are inextricably linked. The only bigger connection with sports we can think of is betting, using bookies like those recommended by Punters.Pub. In fact, if you attended a live game, it would be more shocking if there wasn’t any music there.
Contemporary music comes in two main forms at these events.
The first is fan-generated. Whether simply chanting, or singing full-blown songs, attendees generating their own ‘music’ drives the atmosphere at live sporting events all around the world. In fact, it’s one of the main arguments for continuing to attend games in-person, rather than simply watching from home.
Then we have the more ‘organised’ form. In some cases – most notably in college football, in the USA – this can be created by live bands. Far more commonly though, it comes via the PA blasting songs through enormous speakers. The extent to which this actually generates ‘atmosphere’, or simply gives you a headache and even drowns out the crowd noise, is debatable.
Sporting Songs
The impact of music on sporting events goes far beyond what actually happens while the action is ongoing, of course. Sports stars are continually providing inspiration for musical artists. The crossover between hip hop and basketball, for instance, is not only indisputable, but has had a significant impact on wider pop culture.
Some acts have such a keen interest that they’ll name songs, or even their entire band name, after their passion. SPORT – who unfortunately called it quits after releasing 3XLP+7”, following eight great years of activity – are an obvious example here. Grime star Dave has had plenty of hits, but his most famous is arguably Thiago Silva, named directly after the legendary Brazilian defender.
The Impact
The link between music and sports is indisputable. But what impact does this have on the actual events?
Quite simply, it’s impossible to imagine live games nowadays without music playing a role. The national anthem can set the tone and get players and fans alike revved up pre-game, as can other songs like You’ll Never Walk Alone at Anfield. A certain song playing after a goal can amplify the impact and the moment. Other songs put a perfect bow on proceedings, whether it’s Barcelona’s iconic post-game Catalan anthem, or Queen’s We Are The Champions played at the conclusion of baseball’s World Series and other massive sporting events.
Music and sports have been interlinked for over two thousand years. There are not only no signs that the link will be broken – it’s actually getting stronger all the time.
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