Athletes’ daily routines are a crucial component to their success, and a major part of an athlete’s routine is what they listen to before a game or competition. Since the introduction of wireless earbuds and headphones, athletes have made it a priority to create a personalized playlist to help them calm down, focus, or to pump themselves up before a game. Almost all athletes rely on music, and its specific purpose in the pre-game atmosphere varies from athlete to athlete. 

Music can do more than just prepare a person before an important event, it also activates a part of the brain called the amygdala, a section of the brain that processes emotions. Professor Corianne Rogalsky of Arizona State University explains that the amygdala increases the “ability to consolidate memories, which is why when [an athlete] hear[s] that emotional song before a big game,” it helps activate that part of the brain to get them into their mentally ready condition before a game. Music can help remind the brain of what it needs to be focused on at the moment, which can help an athlete be completely ready for the competition.

Delilah Yerushalmi, a sophomore varsity dancer at Grant, and R.J. Holm, a senior varsity basketball player, both have personalized, unique playlists that they like to listen to before a competition.  R.J. Holm shared that he tends to keep his music similar, “stick[ing] to two or three of the same playlists.”  Delilah, on the other hand, says that her favorite genre definitely fluctuate[s], as it “changes daily based on [her] mood.”  

Songs athletes would like to listen to can change greatly based on their mood. While R.J. almost always keeps it the same to help him use the similar emotions that are associated with focus, Delilah likes to switch it up based on how she is feeling every day, requiring new music to set the right tone for the dance she is preparing to perform.