Music In Sport

Music plays a massive role in sport, particularly in Welsh Rugby. There has always been a big emphasis on singing the anthem and songs like Bread of Heaven, Hymns and Arias and Sosban Fach are all known as Welsh Rugby songs and can be heard from the terraces of the Principality Stadium on a match day.

Football clubs and music also go hand in hand, too. The vast majority of clubs around the world have a song or chant that is seen as their own and can instantly make supporters feel a connection to the club when that music plays. Liverpool have ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone”, Manchester City have “Blue Moon” and even closer to home, Swansea City have “Take Me To The Vetch Field”. Music plays a huge role in the identity of these clubs and their supporters.

Music has a big role to play in sports like Darts and Boxing, as each athlete has their own walk out music, which again becomes part of them and when the song is heard it’s recognisable with the athlete that it’s used by.

Music and popular songs are also used in football chants sung in the terraces and songs like “Sweet Caroline” are often sung by fans at boxing fights and darts events. Music plays a huge role in sport however it’s not without its controversies.

England Rugby supporters chant of ‘Swing low, sweet chariot’ has been deemed controversial due to the links to slavery, and there have been people who have come out against the RFU and requested that the song should not be sung anymore at Twickenham.

The RFU has said that the singing of the song will not be banned at Twickenham, but they will stop putting the lyrics to the song up on the big screen, and hoardings around the stadium.

In June 2020, due to the emergence of the BLM movement, RFU bosses conducted a review into whether the song should be sung, and England player Maro Itoje admitted that it made him feel ‘uncomfortable’. However, it has not be banned.

This just goes to show how music in sport has become so embedded into the traditions of some teams and the huge role music actually has in the sporting world.