Warm up music for all Whitman sports teams will experience a major change Feb. 1 after the administration decided to ban all songs with lyrics in response to an incident at a Damascus JV football game and the urging by MCPS that schools adopt this new policy.   

The administration’s decision spurred from the Damascus incident when songs on a warm-up mix included the n-word several times.

Many students have expressed frustration with the school’s decision to eliminate lyrics. The current policy allows teams to have lyrics in their warm-up mixes, but before any songs can be played during warm-ups, they must be approved by athletic director Andrew Wetzel. Whitman boys varsity basketball team captain Jonathan Harris met with both principal Alan Goodwin and Wetzel after the decision was made to discuss the policy.

“MCPS recommended that schools go lyricless, but left it up to the schools to decide,” Harris said. “There are schools that will continue to allow lyrics in warm-up music.”

The decision to adopt the policy was made in order to avoid controversy regarding the appropriateness of lyrics and the content of songs that are played before school sporting events, Wetzel said.

“We decided to go to lyricless music to make things simple and easy,” Wetzel said. “Now we don’t have to fight over what’s approved and what’s not approved.”

Boys baseball coach Joe Cassidy understands why the decision was made, as he recognizes that many parents expect music to be appropriate.

“We play a lot of country music when we hit,” Cassidy said. “Almost every country song has a mention of alcohol or beer.”

Many of the basketball players are frustrated by the new policy being implemented mid-season because their warm-up mixes were approved before the season started.

“We got it approved by Mr. Wetzel before the season and now they are taking it away from us,” guard Jack McClelland said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Others are concerned that a warm-up mix of lyricless songs will break team traditions and be less motivating.

“We definitely have some songs that are traditions or that we like to hear before games or in the warm ups,” point guard Carter Witt said. “I’m really going to miss that.”

Though the lyricless warm-up mix policy only affects the basketball teams this season, the policy will apply for all school sports teams in the future.

Some parents and administrators have commented on the music being played before games in the past, Wetzel said. However, many Whitman students don’t pay much attention to the songs being played before sporting events. Junior Kelsey Oshinsky has attended Whitman football games, and can’t recall ever being bothered by any the lyrics or themes of songs played during warm-ups.

“If you asked me to remember any music that I heard at a football game, I would not be able to tell you,” Oshinsky said.

As for the future of warm-up music with lyrics at Whitman, Wetzel and Goodwin may look into purchasing a system that some schools have already purchased to pre-scan songs and only play those that are appropriate, Wetzel said.

“We’re not planning on lifting it,” Wetzel said. “We may look into going the way that Damascus has gone by purchasing a system, but that can be a little bit expensive.”