The Pittsburgh Penguins were on their way to
winning their first Stanley Cup in Bloomington, MN on the night of May 25,
1991. At the same time, 872 miles away at the Coca Cola Star Lake
Amphitheatre in Burgettstown, PA, AC DC’s lead vocalist Brian Johnson stopped mid-song to
announce that the Penguins had a 6-0 lead in a clinching Game 6 to an already
excited crowd of Pittsburgh sports fans. On Saturday night, January 16, 2016 at
CONSOL Energy Center (also in Pittsburgh, PA), the Bruce Springsteen and the E
Street Band show was “delayed” 25 minutes until the completion of the New
England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs AFC Divisional Playoff Game.
Sometimes, the world of sports and music intersect each other without trying.
I know that there is typically a lot of
anticipation for the artists/bands asked to perform at the Super Bowl or when
athletes join bands. Who can forget the late Wayman Tisdale, one-time
professional basketball player in the NBA who turned into a smooth jazz bass
guitarist? Also in the world of jazz, former baseball player Bernie
Williams is a classically trained guitarist who has released two jazz albums and
nominated for a Latin Grammy. Not leaving the diamond, pitchers Jack
McDowell and Bronson Arroyo, both past and current Major Leaguers, book shows
and play guitar both as solo performers and with bands. I would also be
remiss if I did not mention the music career of Shaquille O’Neal. In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released four rap
albums with his first ‘Shaq Diesel’ going platinum and gifting us with the
lyrics, “In other words you better make a funky decision/Because I'm a be a
Shaq knife and cut you with precision”.
On the flip side, Boyd Tinsley who is certainly most known for being the
violinist of the Dave Matthews Band plays tennis. He has his own tournament,
the Women's Clay Court Classic held annually in Charlottesville, VA and once
played doubles with John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.
There was also Percy “Master P” Miller’s short lived career
as a professional basketball player for both the Charlotte Hornets during the
1998 pre-season, and the Toronto Raptors in 1999 pre-season. Jack Johnson
meanwhile is known for being a singer-songwriter, but before giving the world
“Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” he was sponsored by Quicksilver and entering
prestigious competitions for surfers.
I am happy that there is synergy between music
and sports. I am always wondering what players are listening to on their
headphones pre-game when the cameras show them entering an unnamed arena.
And it has been a lot of fun to play in pick-up basketball games with band
members on the hoops sometimes set-up outside of live music venues. As people,
we need more than basic knowledge to be successful in the paths that we have
chosen. And according to the University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center, “a
full and productive life also requires social skills, discipline, cooperation,
and creative thinking. These are all learned from the training involved with
sports and music. . .”.
Thanks for reading.
