Sports and music have a long-running and close working relationship. From the halftime show at the Super Bowl to the tune chosen by UFC superstar Conor McGregor to accompany him on his walk to the octagon. You can find examples of music’s importance in the sports industry without looking far. But there are hundreds more examples to be found.
Music sets the scene during the build-up to a significant event, such as a trophy awarded to a title-winning team or even a sports video game soundtrack. It creates excitement when added to TV adverts for MyTopSportsbooks, soccer, and horse racing. And it’s not all one-way traffic, either. The music business can’t get enough of professional sports.
Over the years, we’ve seen several famous songs written and produced that tell the story of sporting triumph or heartache. Hurricane by Bob Dylan is, perhaps, the best of these, telling the tale of Ruben Carter, a boxing contender who was wrongly convicted of murder and spent much of his adult life behind bars.
A match made in heaven
It would be challenging to imagine sports without music or vice versa. They would both exist, of course, but they would be less intense. But you don’t have to be a professional sports star or a prisoner serving life to enjoy music and weave it into your passion for sports. The workout playlist is the best example of this, and it has the potential to make or break a heavy training regime.
As any gym-goer will testify, the importance of a good playlist can’t and shouldn’t be overlooked. It was the power to lighten your mood on a dark day, lifting your spirits when needed. Music is also the original motivator. Are you struggling to get off the sofa and to the gym? Play your favorite workout song loud, and you’ll soon find that welcome burst of energy you had prayed for all morning.
In less than three minutes, your water bottle will be filled with the best pre-workout, running sneakers tied, and you’ll be out the door clutching your bag. The session now can’t come quickly enough, all thanks to the power and magic of recorded music. Do you have a gym playlist? Is it one you can trust to come in handy and pull its weight when you desperately need assistance during your training?
To hardcore fitness enthusiasts who love hitting the gym four or more times a week, the playlist added to their smartphone or audio device is a crucial part of their kit. It rates alongside the bag, fluids, clothes, and any protective equipment your style of training demands. If you don’t have your workout music confirmed or could do with freshening things up, we’re here to help.
Without knowing your taste in music and what motivates you to find that extra gear on the treadmill, we have taken our lead from combat sports. Each tune on this playlist has been featured during the career of a famous professional boxer. And if it’s good enough to send a warrior into battle, it should be enough to add a bit of bounce to your work.
Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
Is there a more motivating song for a gym-lover than Eye of the Tiger from Survivor? It was made famous by the Rocky movies and has played a massive part in boxing since. Manny Pacquiao, the multi-weight world champion, is the most renowned fighter to use the Eye of the Tiger in their ring walk. Pac-Man fought in some memorable contests against the sport’s biggest names, including Floyd Mayweather and fans’ favorite Miguel Cotto.
Tina Turner – The Best
What a gym tune Simply The Best is from Tina Turner. It’s widely used in the sports industry and is played before all Glasgow Rangers games at Ibrox Stadium. But it’s best known for accompanying English fighter Chris Eubank (Snr) to the ring for his wars with the likes of Nigel Benn. The middleweight strutting towards the apron before flipping over the top rope in time with the music is an iconic piece of sporting history in Great Britain.
Kanye West – All of the Lights
Used by Kell Brook – the former welterweight world champion – All of the Lights doesn’t half set an atmosphere. When played to an audience in the thousands, it helped inspire Special K to some memorable wins. Brook has retired from boxing and spoken of his struggles to re-adjust to life after the sport, but he’ll always have those memories of the big nights and packed arenas singing his name.
Stormzy – Shut Up
English music star Stormzy is by no means an overly aggressive man, nor does he rely on aggression in his music, but the track entitled Shut Up has become a regular in many gym playlists. That’s after it was adopted by former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua who used Shut Up as his track before an epic fight with countryman Dillian Whyte at Wembley. Stormzy is just one of the artists who has worked with AJ, others including Nines, Burna Boy, Fela Kuti, Giggs, and White Stripes. Add Seven Nation Army to your workout playlist while we’re on the subject, as that’s a huge track when you’re in need of motivation.
Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hot Stepper
Was there a more striking and confident fighter than Naseem Hamed? The world featherweight champion was a big name in England, but many fight fans in the US found him to be a bit over the top, bold, and even disrespectful to his opponents. Whatever your thinking on Prinze Naz, Here Comes the Hot Stepper is a fantastic tune. When that drops into your ear pods at the gym, you know an injection of energy is headed your way. Naz was another English fighter who liked to announce his arrival by flipping over the ropes and into the ring. He didn’t do anything in halves, that’s for sure
