Do Baseball Players Pick Their Own Songs?

Do baseball players pick their own songs? It’s a common question, and the answer may surprise you. Read on to learn more.

The Process

When a player is up to bat, the music that is playing is entirely up to them. There are some guidelines that each team must follow, but within those guidelines, the player has free reign to choose the song that gets them pumped up and ready to play. So, do baseball players pick their own songs? The answer is a resounding yes!

How it used to be

For years now, music has been a staple in Major League Baseball. Every time a player steps up to the plate, they have the opportunity to pick their own song that will play over the stadium speakers. But have you ever wondered how these songs are chosen?

It turns out, until recently, it was up to the players themselves to select their own walk-up songs. This process would often involve asking friends and family for suggestions, scouring their music libraries for the perfect tune, or simply picking a song that they liked.

In some cases, players would change their walk-up songs from year to year depending on their mood or what they thought would get them pumped up for the game. Others would stick with the same song for years, even if it wasn’t necessarily their favorite.

However, things have changed in recent years as teams have started to get more involved in the process of selecting walk-up songs. In some cases, team personnel will work with the players to come up with a list of potential songs that fit the player’s personality and style.

Then, it’s up to the player to make the final decision and pick the song that they think will help them succeed at the plate. So while players still have some input into what song plays when they step up to bat, it’s not entirely up to them anymore.

How it is now

Players have a lot of input on what music is played during their at-bats, but it is ultimately the decision of the team’s sound operator. During spring training and the regular season, each team’s sound operator creates a list of songs for each player. The operators also keep track of any special requests from players or coaches.

Why the Change?

In the old days of baseball, stadiums played music to help energize the crowd and the players. When a player came to bat, they would often have their own personal song that played. This was a fun way to get the fans involved and help the players get pumped up for their at-bat. However, things have changed in recent years.

The business side

Commercialization and the business side of baseball have also contributed to the changing landscape of player walk-up music. In 1998, Major League Baseball and Nike entered into a partnership that saw the sporting goods giant outfitting all MLB teams with uniforms and apparel. As part of that deal, Nike also became MLB’s “official provider of on-field player music.”

What that meant in practice was that players were increasingly asked to pick walk-up songs that were already being used in Nike commercials featuring MLB stars. While many players were happy to obliged — after all, it’s not every day you get asked to be in a Nike commercial — others saw it as a sellout move by the league and its corporate partner.

The creative side

Major League Baseball decided this season to let each player pick his own walk-up song. The switch from the organ to personal Playlists has been gradual, but it seems that this year, nearly every stadium is on board. Why the change?

For one, it’s a way to connect players with fans. In an era when every at-bat is dissected and analyzed, and free agency can mean a player changes teams every few years, walk-up songs are one way players can show some personality and build an identity with fans.

But there’s also a practical side to the change. With so many games and so many players, it was becoming increasingly difficult for stadiums to have an organist on hand who knew all the songs. With personal Playlists, players can submit their songs in advance, and they can even make last-minute changes if they’re in a hitting slump or want to switch things up.

So far, the reaction from players has been overwhelmingly positive. And it’s not just the young guys who are into it—veterans like Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have been known to pick some pretty eclectic tunes for their at-bats. So whether you’re a fan of hard rock or hip-hop, country or metal, there’s sure to be a walk-up song that you can enjoy at your next ballgame.

What does this mean for baseball?

It turns out that many baseball players do not get to pick their own songs. Instead, the music is selected by the team’s operations staff. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Let’s take a closer look.

The players

In baseball, as in other sports, music has become an integral part of the game-day experience. At almost every level of the sport, from Little League to the major leagues, players walk or run up to the plate to their own theme song.

This ritual has its roots in the earliest days of professional baseball, when players would often choose their own walk-up music. In the 1950s, baseball stadiums began playing recorded music during games, and by the early 1960s, popular songs were regularly played when batters came to the plate.

However, it was not until the late 1990s that walk-up songs became widespread in Major League Baseball. In 1997, Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch became one of the first players to use a walk-up song when he chose Lil Wayne’s “A Milli” as his at-bat music.

The following year, then-Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel chose his own song, Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba,” as his walk-up music. It quickly caught on with other players, and by 1999, almost every player in MLB had a walk-up song.

Since then, the practice has only become more popular, and today it is not uncommon for players to change their walk-up songs multiple times over the course of a season.

The fans

The fans are the people who come to the ballpark to watch the game and support their team. They are also the ones who buy tickets and souvenirs, and whose dollars support the salaries of the players and front office personnel. In return, the fans expect a good product on the field and an entertaining experience at the park. To that end, most teams try to create an atmosphere at the ballpark that is fun for the whole family.

One way teams try to create this atmosphere is by playing music during the game. The music is usually played during breaks in the action, such as between innings or when a player is coming up to bat. It is also generally played at a volume that is loud enough to be heard over the PA system but not so loud that it interferes with the game itself.

The type of music played at a baseball game can vary depending on the team, but it usually falls into one of two categories: popular music or traditional baseball songs. Popular music is typically what you would hear on the radio; it includes current hits as well as older songs that are still popular. Traditional baseball songs are generally about the game itself or about specific players or teams. They often have a nostalgic quality to them, and many of them date back to the early days of baseball.