Column: What music motivates Chicago athletes? Here’s a sports mixtape of their favorite songs.

Shakeia Taylor, Chicago Tribune
Updated ·4 min read
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If you’ve attended a sporting event in Chicago, you’re probably familiar with each team’s anthem.

The Cubs have the Steve Goodman jam, the White Sox have “Sweet Home Chicago,” the Blackhawks have “Chelsea Dagger,” and the Sky have Chicago classic “The Percolator” — OK, the Sky haven’t really claimed that song but they should. We are all familiar with the sounds of our favorite teams’ victories.

For many people, music is critical to setting the mood — or getting them out of one. It’s me, I’m people. But throughout 2023, I learned a lot of Chicago athletes are too. Whenever time and the vibe of a conversation allowed, I asked interviewees what they were listening to on repeat or what music motivated them.

In talking to people like Sky guard Dana Evans, Ohio State wide receiver and Heisman finalist Marvin Harrison Jr. and former Simeon stars Malik Elzy and Aneesah Morrow, I learned some athletes listen to slower music pregame to stay calm and not turn themselves up too much. Some really, really love Rod Wave — something that surprised me considering how down-tempo his music is. DJs like Jay Funk and Jay iLLA who spend their time rocking venues shared that when they aren’t working, they too prefer to listen to R&B.

Top Illini defensive lineman Johnny Newton had the most surprising answer of all when he shared he starts every game day with Disney soundtracks.

Each person perked up when asked about their music preferences. It was a shift from the expected conversation and something that didn’t require them to think too much. Yet they all paused thoughtfully to consider the question, likely wondering not only what music they wanted to represent them, but how I would judge whatever they revealed. Music is both a personal and a shared experience, and in those moments, I felt like it was a window into the person. Sometimes I’d agree with their tastes and other times I’d ask follow-up questions because the answers surprised me.

As the list in my notebook grew, I realized I had the makings of a mixtape. I know people don’t really make those anymore. The era of curating a playlist, burning a CD and writing on it with a Sharpie is long gone, but sharing music is still a love language.

If you’ve ever wondered what local athletes and sports personalities listen to, there’s a playlist for that. In the list below, you’ll find the names of the people I spoke with and the songs, artists, and genres they shared with me.

To create the playlist, if I wasn’t given a specific artist and song, I chose a song by the artists listed. A couple of the songs are from stories I’ve written that simply were mentioned in the course of the interview. As a true child of the 90s, I ended the playlist in the only way I know how — with a gospel song, the way God intended. New Sky head coach and WNBA legend Teresa Weatherspoon told me she blasts gospel at the gym sometimes.

If I were an elite athlete, I’d listen to a lot of rap before a game. When I write I often find myself listening to all kinds of music but I always start with rap and end up at soul and R&B. Hype to start, calm and introspective at the finish. Sometimes I wonder if my song selection impacts my writing cadence.

Music plays an important role in our daily lives, it’s cool to know what the people we watch and listen to enjoy.

Chicago sports mixtape

Click here to see the full list on Spotify.