Anyone who’s strolled onto the University of Tennessee football practice field might be jarred by the hearing the sounds of a car crashing, glass breaking, or a baby screaming over the speakers. That’s all part of the playlist, however, at practices, where such noises, including crowd sounds, are used to test the players’ ability to concentrate in the midst of such audio distractions.
But cacophony is not all that Coach Butch Jones allows to blare over the sound system at Haslam Field. He also wants music played before practice and during the opening drills. Handling the DJ duties from her iPod is Jessica Leifheit, an assistant on the school’s sports technology crew. She plays a mix of what the players like, including hip-hop, rap, country, and rock. One tune that is off limits, however, is “Sweet Home Alabama.”
