You're in the car, driving your kid to their game, and from the backseat you hear it: the team playlist. Maybe it's the same twelve songs on repeat. Maybe there's a questionable lyric or two you're pretending not to notice. Maybe you've heard "Lose Yourself" so many times you now involuntarily twitch when you hear the opening piano notes.
But here's the thing: that playlist isn't just noise. It's doing something important.
More Than Just Hype Music
We tend to think of team playlists as a fun extra—something to get the energy up before a game. And sure, that's part of it. But what's actually happening when your kid and their teammates are bopping their heads to the same beat goes a lot deeper than vibes.
When a group of people listens to music together (especially music they've chosen together), their brains start doing some interesting things. Energy syncs up. Stress levels drop. There's a reason every locker room from youth soccer to the NFL has music pumping before game time. It's not just tradition. It works.
The Playlist Is the Culture
Here's what surprised me when I started digging into this: the process of building a team playlist matters almost as much as the playlist itself.
Think about it. When a coach says, "Everyone submit two songs for the team playlist," something shifts. Suddenly, every player has a voice. The shy kid in the corner gets to contribute. The veteran and the rookie both have skin in the game. And when that playlist plays in the locker room or on the bus, everyone hears a little bit of themselves in it.
That's not nothing. That's ownership. That's "this is our team."
One MLS player put it perfectly: "We have so much diversity on the team, the music we listen to in the locker room really reflects everyone's background and brings the team closer together."
From reggaetón to country to hip-hop to whatever your 12-year-old is obsessed with this month—when it's all mixed together, it stops being "my music" and becomes "our sound."
The Science-y Stuff (But Make It Fun)
Okay, I'll keep this brief because I know you didn't come here for a lecture.
When people move together to the same music—even just nodding along or walking to a beat—their brains release feel-good chemicals that are literally designed for bonding. It's the same system that makes laughing with friends feel so good, or why singing in a crowd at a concert gives you chills.
So when your kid's team is warming up to the same playlist, jumping around to the same beat, maybe doing a little synchronized hand-clap thing they invented? Their brains are quietly going: These are my people. We're in this together.
It's not magic. It's biology doing exactly what it's supposed to do.
Why This Matters More for Kids
Adults have a million ways to bond: happy hours, book clubs, complaining about email. Kids? Their social world is smaller, and team dynamics hit different.
A shared playlist gives young athletes something that belongs to them as a group. It becomes part of the team's identity—an inside joke without words. Years from now, your kid might hear one of those songs at a coffee shop and immediately think of that season, those teammates, that bus ride home after the big win.
Music is memory. And shared music is shared memory.
What Coaches (and Parents) Can Do
If your kid's team doesn't have a playlist yet, it might be worth a gentle suggestion to the coach. Here are some ideas that actually work:
Let the kids curate it. Have each player submit a song or two. Yes, you'll need to filter for appropriateness (good luck with that), but the act of contributing matters more than having a "perfect" playlist.
Make it a ritual. The playlist hits when the team arrives at the field. Or on the bus. Or during warm-ups. Same time, every time. Rituals stick.
Update it together. Mid-season playlist refresh? Let the kids vote on new additions. It keeps things fresh and gives them another moment of collective decision-making.
Don't overthink it. It doesn't need to be a masterpiece. It needs to be theirs.
The Real Win
Look, a playlist isn't going to fix a losing season or turn a struggling team into champions. But it can make your kid want to show up. It can make the quiet kid feel like part of something. It can turn a group of individuals into a unit that actually likes being together.
And honestly? That's the stuff they'll remember long after they've forgotten the score of any particular game.
So the next time you're stuck listening to the team playlist for the four hundredth time, maybe cut it some slack. Those songs are doing more work than you think.
Even if you never need to hear "Eye of the Tiger" again as long as you live.
As Executive Director of Signature Sports Camps, Maddie leads a growing network of four overnight sports camp locations across the East Coast. The Signature Sports Camp approach blends skill development, confidence building, and summer traditions—impacting hundreds of young athletes each summer.
Maddie is also President of the Florida Gulf Coast Lacrosse League, where she has developed year-round youth and travel programs, ultimately serving over 2,500 players since 2017. At Signature Athletics, she contributes to the leadership team’s bold goal of giving 10 million kids access to sports by 2030, driving innovation in gear, coaching systems, and youth development.
Through the Signature Foundation, Maddie leads domestic and international initiatives—including scholarships and global volunteer trips (primarily to parts of Africa)—that use sport as a tool for education and empowerment. She is known for building scalable programs, energizing communities, and using sport to teach life-changing lessons.
