Editorial: It’s A Game, Not A Concert
The squeak of the sneakers at a basketball game…the calls of “peanuts” or “ice cold beer here” at a baseball game…the clack of the puck on the tape…
The sounds you used to hear throughout the course of a sporting event were the common noises from the field and the occasional organ ditty. If a team really wanted to go out on a limb, maybe they’d pipe in the beat of We Will Rock You once in a while.
These days, it’s more like a bad iPod playlist serving as the background music to our sporting events.
Most stadiums and arenas, which are now closer to shopping malls than sports venues, rely heavily on blasting (usually crappy) music and crowd cues to generate “energy.” READ ON for more of Luke’s editorial on music at the ballpark…
It seems like singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 7th inning isn’t enough. There must be singalongs to songs like Sweet Caroline. A great tune…but as a Mets fan, I don’t need the drunken guy from Massapequa screaming it in the 8th inning after 9 beers.
Personally, as a sports fan and a music fan, I’d rather hear nothing. I don’t go to Shea Stadium to hear Whoomp There it Is, Who Let the Dogs Out or Snaps’ I’ve Got the Power. Those songs sucked in 1995 and there’s no reason to revisit them at a baseball game.
I remember as a kid going to Yankee Stadium, where the sounds of silence are still mostly preserved, and hearing nothing but Eddie Layton on the Hammond B3 organ and the crack of the bat.
Now each guy has his own song sequence. One for his first at bat. Another for his second at bat and so on. Each closer has his own anthem. Teams have brought in DJs or bands to “liven up” the scene at their ballparks. Aren’t the games themselves enough?
The sports world has been engulfed by the entertainment world and the results are Usher owning part of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Terrell Owens in Us Magazine and Jay-Z representing the New Jersey Nets at the Draft Lottery.
There is a common acceptance that all entertainers, in some way, want to be a athletes and vice-versa. That’s a fine assumption…but how they assumed every sports fan is a bad music fan is beyond me.
The Rangers closer CJ Wilson should totally come out of the bullpen to “Wilson”. That’d be heady, phans.
It’s as if they add this crap to justify the ridiculous cost of tickets and concessions…if the music stopped, can we please have cheaper tickets, too? Kthxbai.
They are playing Sweet Caroline at Shea now?
there’s a story that the owner of the Dallas Mavericks tried to have a game without all the obnoxious music and the fans didn’t know what the hell was going on and complained.
Unfortunately I think the bad music is here for good…
I’ve noticed that Wrigley Field is still beautifully quiet. No commercials blaring in between innings. It’s just like, “Hey, enjoy your Old Style in peace.” As a Yanks fan, I wish the same could be said about Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, it’s a barrage of loud sounds and songs.
THis is the wost trend ever. Even worse when people are “clapping” with thunderstix.
Over Thanksgiving, I went a Heat game at AAA, and the noise was so obnoxious, its no wonder why 1/2 the people were dressed up like they were going out to some cheeseball fest
Right on, Russell Kahn. That is one of the many beautiful things about Wrigley. I haven’t been to Yankee Stadium since I was a lad back in 1986, but a Chicago transplant friend of mine has described it as having a baseball game in between the loud, annoying techno music. I’m going this summer so I’ll have to see for myself.
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