Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 9:53 am  |  9 responses

Tweet

Hype Music

What music gets hoopers ‘game ready’?

by Kevin Owens / @Waiting4Godunk

I received an email this week asking an interesting question…”What kind of music do you listen to before a game?” I never thought to write about the correlations between music and athletics before, yet the two go hand in hand. Before 2005, or the pre-NBA dress code era, whenever a big name entered the arena, they usually were sporting a pair of headphones. That’s because music, unlike any other stimulant, gets players “game ready.”

There is a wide variety of music professional athletes listen to. Some prefer rap, some prefer heavy metal. I have a weird and unique pregame music list. Now before I start getting into my “psyche up” music, let me first tell you that musically, I like everything. If it was recorded in a studio, chances are I enjoy it. Actually, that is not totally accurate. I was driving to practice the other day and put on the Estonian radio station. The song that was playing may have been the worst song I have ever heard. The beat was totally off key. It’s like someone watched me dance, and then put that rhythm into music.

My game day musical play list is set up like that of a wedding DJ. I start off with a few slow songs and before you know it my tie is wrapped around my head, while covered in sweat, belting out the chorus to Guns and Roses Paradise City.

Anyway, I begin my preparation with some slow music. Oasis, Coldplay, The Fray…as long as it contains some piano and acoustic guitar I am all about it. This music puts my mind and body at ease. Once at peace, I tend to take it up a notch with an inspiring video. My favorite clip is the Nike commercial from the 2008 Olympics featuring The Killers song All These Things That I Have Done. This commercial is so inspiring. Every time I watch it, I feel like I can run through a wall. If you can watch the Lance Armstrong montage and not feel the same way, you may be dead inside…Go get checked out.

During my drive to the arena, the music gets a little heavier. I usually switch over to bands like The Killers. This music tends to fire me up, but not too much. I don’t want to be overly pumped when I’m driving. I could be a hazard to myself or the people I share the road with. Once I arrive at the arena the party really gets started. I throw on a little rap or some heavy rock. I become officially “game ready.” That’s when I walk onto the court and my buzz is killed by the mellow elevator music echoing throughout the arena.

The music that plays over the sound system during warm ups here in Tallinn is not very uplifting. Our pregame music is fairly outdated. And when I say fairly, I mean horribly. The fastest song on the mix is Van Halen’s Jump. Now don’t get me wrong, Van Halen had some good stuff back in the day, but it’s no longer 1984. Back then I’m sure Larry Bird and the rest of the Celtics would be fired up listening to our warm up music; however, in 2010, we are not.

Fortunately, I was just informed that one of our younger players is making a new mix of contemporary music for the game tonight. We currently lead 2-1 in a best of 5 series. One more win and we are in the finals. Hopefully the good people at Saku Arena leave the pregame music at home next to their Trapper Keepers and Swatches.

Kevin Owens is a veteran of overseas professional basketball who currently plays for Kalev/Cramo in Tallinn, Estonia. Owens also writes for Waiting For Godunk and Hugging Harold Reynolds. You can also catch him on Twitter @Waiting4Godunk.