We live in a world that is all about 52 inch plasma’s, but takes for granted dolby digital surround sound.
What am I talking about?
The other day, I’m at work talking to my buddy BMV – I don’t quite remember the topic of the conversation – but I do remember him saying to me that his favourite sound in sports is the sound of a baseball ricocheting off of the Green Monster at Fenway Park and in my mind’s eye, or mind’s ear as the case may be, I knew precisely as to what he was referring. Then it occurred to me that, the sounds of sport, are just as enduring as some of sports most memorable visual images. To use a sports analogy, sport’s sights and sounds are similar to an All-Pro Quarterback and his All-Pro left tackle – both are valuable, but one goes for the most part unsung, all the while assisting the other in achieving fame and adoration.
That being said, here are, in my humble opinion, the 10 best sounds in sport;
10. The sound of an Ace being served in Tennis.
It acts to jolt you out of the rhythm that you have settled into during a tennis match. Ralleys with the sound of ball to racket as consistent as the one-two-three of waltz timing. Then the sudden thud of an ace, a welcome reminder of the unpredictability of sport.
9. The sound of a Starter’s Pistol.
It is perfectly metaphoric that the 100 meter dash commences with a gun shot. The ferocity of the weapon being fired releases an equally ferocious combination of speed and power as sprinters push there bodies to, and beyond their limits for the next 10 to 11 seconds, and hopefully less the sprinter may add.
8. The sound of a Big Hit in Football.
Does anything satiate a sportsfan’s need for violence quite like a big football hit? The popping, the crunching, the thud, the groaning. The sportsfan’s version of being in a vehicle during a head on collision with the guarantee of walking away unscathed.
7. The sound of Racecars roaring by.
We live in a world of speed. Fast cars, fast trains, fast flights, fast food, fast technology. The power of hearing these magnificent mechanical specimens wiz by appeals to the Id in all of us.
6. The sound of the Swish of a Basketball Shot.
Unlike most things in life, the more it happens, the more impressive it becomes. The ability to shoot a ball 12 inches in diameter, at a target 20 feet away, 10 feet raised, through a ring 18 inches in diameter, completely avoiding contact and rippling the mesh cords. Simply harmonic.
5. The sound of a Home Crowd cheering a Home Run.
Not your tape measure variety but the dinger that clears the fence by a foot or two. The crowd starts to rumble upon contact. The rumbling grows and grows recognizing that that ball’s got a chance, exploding into a roaring crescendo as the ball clears the fence. What a rush.
4. The sound of the hockey glass or Basketball backboard shattering.
Actually a combination of sounds. First, the high pitched explosion of the glass, followed by the gasping of the crowd in awe, followed by the raucious cheering for no real specific reason. Three sounds that seem to happen almost simultaneously, but combined, remind us that sports were meant to be fun.
3. The sound of a Puck hitting the Post dead on.
No sound in all of sports solicits such polarized emotions as does the ping of vulcanized rubber off of steel. You either collapse in your chair, dejected that your team missed a goal by inches, or you leap to your feet, elated that your team dodged a bullet.
2. The sound of a College Fight Song.
I defy any true sports fan to listen to the Michigan band play ‘Hail To The Victors’ or the Notre Dame band’s rendition of the ‘Notre Dame Victory March’ in front of a packed stadium without breaking out in goosebumps.
1. The sound of Soccer Fans singing.
It’s common knowledge that I am not a fan of the sport but even I can admit this much. Part patriotism, part nationalism, part fanaticism, the site of eighty thousand people singing in unison and in tribute to the squad that they adore, is breathtaking.
Gotta go, nothing’s on but I have the urge to listen to some classical music.
What am I talking about?
The other day, I’m at work talking to my buddy BMV – I don’t quite remember the topic of the conversation – but I do remember him saying to me that his favourite sound in sports is the sound of a baseball ricocheting off of the Green Monster at Fenway Park and in my mind’s eye, or mind’s ear as the case may be, I knew precisely as to what he was referring. Then it occurred to me that, the sounds of sport, are just as enduring as some of sports most memorable visual images. To use a sports analogy, sport’s sights and sounds are similar to an All-Pro Quarterback and his All-Pro left tackle – both are valuable, but one goes for the most part unsung, all the while assisting the other in achieving fame and adoration.
That being said, here are, in my humble opinion, the 10 best sounds in sport;
10. The sound of an Ace being served in Tennis.
It acts to jolt you out of the rhythm that you have settled into during a tennis match. Ralleys with the sound of ball to racket as consistent as the one-two-three of waltz timing. Then the sudden thud of an ace, a welcome reminder of the unpredictability of sport.
9. The sound of a Starter’s Pistol.
It is perfectly metaphoric that the 100 meter dash commences with a gun shot. The ferocity of the weapon being fired releases an equally ferocious combination of speed and power as sprinters push there bodies to, and beyond their limits for the next 10 to 11 seconds, and hopefully less the sprinter may add.
8. The sound of a Big Hit in Football.
Does anything satiate a sportsfan’s need for violence quite like a big football hit? The popping, the crunching, the thud, the groaning. The sportsfan’s version of being in a vehicle during a head on collision with the guarantee of walking away unscathed.
7. The sound of Racecars roaring by.
We live in a world of speed. Fast cars, fast trains, fast flights, fast food, fast technology. The power of hearing these magnificent mechanical specimens wiz by appeals to the Id in all of us.
6. The sound of the Swish of a Basketball Shot.
Unlike most things in life, the more it happens, the more impressive it becomes. The ability to shoot a ball 12 inches in diameter, at a target 20 feet away, 10 feet raised, through a ring 18 inches in diameter, completely avoiding contact and rippling the mesh cords. Simply harmonic.
5. The sound of a Home Crowd cheering a Home Run.
Not your tape measure variety but the dinger that clears the fence by a foot or two. The crowd starts to rumble upon contact. The rumbling grows and grows recognizing that that ball’s got a chance, exploding into a roaring crescendo as the ball clears the fence. What a rush.
4. The sound of the hockey glass or Basketball backboard shattering.
Actually a combination of sounds. First, the high pitched explosion of the glass, followed by the gasping of the crowd in awe, followed by the raucious cheering for no real specific reason. Three sounds that seem to happen almost simultaneously, but combined, remind us that sports were meant to be fun.
3. The sound of a Puck hitting the Post dead on.
No sound in all of sports solicits such polarized emotions as does the ping of vulcanized rubber off of steel. You either collapse in your chair, dejected that your team missed a goal by inches, or you leap to your feet, elated that your team dodged a bullet.
2. The sound of a College Fight Song.
I defy any true sports fan to listen to the Michigan band play ‘Hail To The Victors’ or the Notre Dame band’s rendition of the ‘Notre Dame Victory March’ in front of a packed stadium without breaking out in goosebumps.
1. The sound of Soccer Fans singing.
It’s common knowledge that I am not a fan of the sport but even I can admit this much. Part patriotism, part nationalism, part fanaticism, the site of eighty thousand people singing in unison and in tribute to the squad that they adore, is breathtaking.
Gotta go, nothing’s on but I have the urge to listen to some classical music.
posted by average john at 10:01 PM
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