Forget the Jock Jams. Forget the Top 40. Forget “Cotton-Eyed Joe.”
I think every sporting event needs a drum.
Picture it...
Bottom of the ninth, two outs, two strikes, winning run on third... pum-pum-pum-pum...
Fourth and goal at the 1, three seconds left in the fourth quarter, home team is six points down...pum-pum-pum-pum…
Five seconds on the shot clock, point guard streaks down the court, 2 to tie, 3-pointer to win… pum-pum-pum-pum...
I never realized how lacking most sports soundtracks are until I went to the DC United-Houston Dynamo soccer match this past weekend at RFK. As I sat with 18,077 raucous fans and a drummer, I couldn’t help but feel my blood pressure rising with each passing minute. Whether the ball was being kicked from player to player or whether it was flying in the air towards the goal, that low level pum-pum-pum-pum never let up. It was the perfect way to truly feel every ounce of suspense the match could offer.
Of course, I suppose it isn’t realistic to have a drum at every event, and certainly soccer fans are a rare breed of aficionados because they have a passion that surpasses the levels of even the most rabid fans of homegrown American sports. But Barra Brava and El Norte, the two main fan clubs for the United, set a fine example by making that soccer match positively electric, both on and off the field. Their enthusiasm made it seem like they had just discovered the beauty of the game for the very first time, which is a feeling so many of us have forgotten when it comes to the sports close to our hearts.
So if there is no drum at your next baseball game or tennis match, then just pay close attention to the rhythmic pum-pum-pum-pum deep down inside. That's the sound of your heart beating like it did the very first time you fell in love with sports.
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