9 Famous Athletes Who Use Headphones for Top Performance

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Most professional athletes of today have discovered the link between improved performance and listening to music. Researchers have found that in many cases, listening to a specific playlist of songs can help key your brain up and get ready for a big athletic meet or competition.

This trend is evident with the increased number of pictures of world class athletes wearing top brands of headphones before a big event for doing their strength training routines. Here are nine famous athletic superstars who are known to use music and headphones to get ready to be their best.

1. Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps is the most prolific Olympian and swimmer in history. Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals and has achieved world records in 23 swimming events. During his last trip to the Olympic pool in Brazil in 2016, Phelps was photographed wearing his earbuds and getting into his competitive mindset before a big swim race. While he’s never been photographed with headphones in the pool, the fact is that with today’s waterproof technology, Phelps could start doing laps to the sounds of his favorite bands.

2. Neymar

Brazilian professional soccer player Neymar is another famous athlete known for his music listening habits right before a big game. Neymar seems to prefer to get pumped before a game by wearing his signature Beats headphones. He even rebelled against the FIFA World Cup ban of these headphones in 2014.

3. Tom Brady

One of the best quarterbacks of all time, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, is another proponent of music to improve performance. During warm ups before a game, he’s been photographed with a pair of around the ear wired headphones. Brady uses music to help get him focused and ready to lead his team to another winning season.

4. Jamie Anderson

Snowboarder Jamie Anderson won the Olympic gold in the event in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. One of her secrets of success was the use of a discreet pair of in-ear headphones. Unlike other sports, snowboarding allows athletes to wear their headphones during the event. For Anderson, that means she needed a strong pair of headphones that were sweat proof and durable during her gold medal winning run on the slopes.

5. Richard Sherman

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is another famous player who loves his headphones. While the physical nature of football and the fit of helmets don’t allow for a big pair of headphones on the field, Sherman could use a tiny pair of wireless ear buds during practice to get himself even more pumped as he works down the field.

6. Serena Williams

Tennis star Serena Williams has been a force in this sport for many years. Williams is the record holder for the most tennis titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. One of her secrets to success is a strong pair of headphones and a playlist of her favorite songs. Williams prefers to listen to her music before her matches, but there are other tennis players who have taken their music along with them into their games.

7. Lebron James

Lebron James, basketball star of the Cleveland Cavaliers, has also been known to sport a pair of headphones before and after an important game. James knows how powerful music can be to help motivate and push his teammates. Maybe that’s why he gave his fellow basketball team members pairs of headphones as gifts in 2017.

8. Shaun White

Shaun White, another popular snowboarding Olympic star, is also a big headphone user on the slopes. White’s playlist while he snowboards includes an eclectic variety of offerings from Jay-Z and David Bowie. If you plan to listen to music while you’re on the slopes, you’ll need first-rate headphones for sports so you don’t get slowed down by your sound quality.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo

If you have as much speed and skill as Cristiano Ronaldo, a soccer star from Portugal, your music needs to keep up with your pace. Ronaldo has his own premium line of headphones that come with a premium price. His headphone line focuses on amazing sound and noise cancellation to get you deep into your zone before a big sports event.

The top athletes in the world all know that listening to music before, during, and after their competitions can help give them an edge. If you’re looking for a way to improve your athletic performance, you can start with a great pair of headphones.

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