If you want to understand the impact of Christian music on society, then look no further than the playlists of the 68 head coaches in March Madness. CBS Sports asked all 68 head coaches in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament their favorite band or musician and found a range of musical tastes. These ranged from “rock to hip-hop to old-school soul to go-go music to legacy artists,” as CBS Sports put it. The Beatles made the list, as did Jimmy Buffett, Pearl Jam, Taylor Swift and Drake. But 10 head coaches said their favorite musicians were Christian artists.
Alabama coach Nate Oats and Grand Canyon University coach Bryce Drew each said it was Toby Mac. Stetson University’s Donnie James listed Casting Crowns, while Morehead State’s Preston Spradlin said it was Jeremy Camp. Baylor University’s Scott Drew listed Elevation Worship. Longwood’s Griff Aldrich named Hillsong. Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland said it was Jervis Campbell. Other coaches on the list who put down Christian artists: Nevada’s Steve Alford (Sanctus Real), Virginia’s Tony Bennett (Maverick City Music) and Dayton’s Anthony Grant (Lauren Daigle).
The CBS Sports article said there is “nothing like” the power of music. “Think about the bands and artists that mean the most to you, how they reflect your personality and have shaped who you are. College basketball coaches are no different,” it said.
Among all 68 coaches, the most popular artists were Michael Jackson/Jackson Five, who were listed as their favorites by five coaches. Tied for second with three each were the Eagles, Luke Combs and Jay-Z. Nine bands/artists tied for third with two each: 2Pac, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews Band, Drake, Earth Wind & Fire, Jimmy Buffett, Pearl Jam, Prince, and Toby Mac.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander compiled the list. “Being a huge music guy myself, I wanted to bring back a passion project I first did in 2016,” he wrote. “To better understand these coaches, let's take a peek at their streaming favs/record collection/CD archive and get a sense of who they are by learning about the artists they love most.”
You can't have a Big Dance without some epic music. So I'm bringing it back. I asked all 68 coaches in the men's NCAA Tournament to name their favorite band/musical artists. The answers are incredible. Here are their picks, + the stories behind them🎸🎤⤵️ https://t.co/RPRMzmLvMs pic.twitter.com/qbUxDK4wnH
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 19, 2024
Although the coaches “might not seem like it,” he wrote, “I assure you they are indeed human. And just like you, they've got their favorites.”
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Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tom Pennington/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
