Every time the NC State football team comes storming out of the tunnel at the historic Carter-Finley Stadium, a familiar sound pierces the eardrums of nearly 60,000 Wolfpack faithful.
That sound? A remixed version of “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes. Whether you like the song or not, Wolfpack football and “Seven Nation Army” are inextricably linked. The distinct bass tab has become a staple for NC State Athletics, including basketball, where the song first made its appearance as part of a 2013 basketball intro video.
Since then, “Seven Nation Army” always seems to find a way into NC State sports. Nearly every sport at the University uses the song in some way before and during games.
While the White Stripes blaring over the stadium and arena speakers set a tone and add to the atmosphere of the stadium, it’s a different story for players.
“What’s ‘Seven Nation Army’?,” senior defensive end Bradley Chubb said. “To be honest, on game days, I’m so zoned in I don’t even hear what’s going on.”
Senior cornerback Mike Stevens plays the music in the locker room before games to get the team ready, according to Chubb. However, among the many types of music played at football games, hip-hop is among the main genre.
“I would say hip-hop is associated with [football],” Chubb said. “Because it’s upbeat, up-tone and when you’re hitting that’s how you want to be.”
Music in baseball has also made its mark. “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” a 1908 song by Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer, has become the unofficial anthem of America’s national pastime. In the middle of the seventh inning at virtually every professional and college game, fans sing along to the age-old tune.
Along with “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” players each have their own individual “walk-up song” that plays as they step up to the plate.
As for NC State baseball, it’s whatever happens to be playing at the moment.
“Baseball is a little bit of everything,” sophomore catcher Brad Debo said. “Country, classic rock, rap, old-school rap, hip-hop, everything. When you put something on in the clubhouse, everybody knows the song.”
Debo will walk up to the tune of “Round Here” by Kid Ink, the same as last year. Freshman infielder David Vazquez, a native of Coral Springs, Florida, will walk up to Spanish music this year.
“For me personally, I like to listen to Spanish music, that’s what I usually listen to back home,” Vazquez said. “But when I’m here, it’s rap, Spanish and a little bit of country, maybe a mixture.”
Baseball has a massive Hispanic influence. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, 27.4 percent of all Major League players in 2016 were Latino. According to Baseball Almanac, the Dominican Republic, a country of just over 10.5 million, produced 170 of the 1,494 players that appeared at the Major League level in 2017. This number has steadily increased over the last 15 years, and the impact can certainly be heard through music in stadiums around the country.
Country music is also a big hit among baseball players and fans. A large portion of baseball players hail from the “Bible Belt,” where country music has some of its roots.
Music certainly varies among different sports, but it’s interesting to see the how the regional influences shape the music of them. In sports, music is a huge part of the experience, and “Seven Nation Army” will continue to be part of that experience for NC State fans.
