SVG Sit-Down: 7 Point Audio President Jeff Ball on the Evolving Role of the Sports DJ Dating back to the venue organist, the DJ is at the intersection of sports and entertainment By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monday, January 23, 2023 - 1:54 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The sports DJ is the audible - and loudly so - but mostly invisible cheerleader, the ultimate partisan but supposedly there for team fan and foe alike. The role has a history: it grew out of the venerable and still very viable venue organist, wielder of the Mighty Wurlitzers in stadiums and arenas for the past 80-plus years, since the first one was installed in Wrigley Field in 1941.
The sports DJ came along in the 1970s and '80s, an outgrowth of disco (which was not always welcome in ballparks) but also reflective of the growing presence and influence of Black athletes and culture in major-league sports. They have become a fixture at most sports venues, striving to fill the bowl with stings and chants while keeping the music as far as possible from broadcast's crowd microphones, lest it precipitate a copyright infringement.
Just weeks before perhaps the ultimate intersection of entertainment and sports, the Super Bowl Halftime Show, SVG sat down with Jeff Ball, president, 7 Point Audio, a developer of digital tools for the sports DJ, to discuss what that role has become and where it's headed.
7 Point Audio's Jeff Ball: We're going to continue to see that position evolve. It's not going to be just audio.
DJs in sports have more of a history than many might realize.
In the early days, they'd have folding tables with color-coded cassettes [of] recorded sounds and effects for use during the game. As the moment came up, they'd reach for the right-color cassette for the sound it needed, like a broken-glass sound for a foul ball coming down. Then they would rewind it real quick and eject it, put it back on the desk, and watch for the next sound moment. The reaction time they needed for that, using cassettes, is mind-boggling. But that's how it developed: watching the game and creating interaction with it for the fans.
Is the role of the sports DJ to be a cheerleader?
I see the role of DJ as being to use music to create that emotional and visceral response that we have to music, to get us further engaged. If we see that our team is doing well, we typically want to cheer, but that's multiplied when we put music and sound to it. When we give the game a soundtrack, that gets more people engaged, more people out of [their] seats. And the more the fans are engaged, the more the players react to that energy on the field.
Are DJs and live music beginning to share this space more?
I think I'd have to agree with that. DJs have been around for many years, but they sit in the booth, out of sight of the spectators. What we have seen in the last 10 years is more teams putting more DJs into a place where they can be seen, so that the DJs themselves become the live music. They become interactive, because now not only do fans hear the music but they see the DJ creating it. They see the DJ dancing and vibing with that music that they're generating. And the fans react to that.
DJ EJ, aka Erik Jorgenson, is the team DJ for the Dallas Cowboys.
Also, there are often multiple DJs: one to focus on music like a traditional DJ and one to work and follow the game and maybe do more things like mash-ups to follow the action on the field.
Are some DJ positions becoming more identified with specific teams?
Yes, including my business partner, Erik Jorgenson, aka DJ EJ, who is the team DJ for the Dallas Cowboys. We're also seeing pregame DJs out in the plaza, trying to get people pumped and engaged before they even get inside. You're going from one DJ's sound to another. Another DJ position is the walk-up music DJ for baseball. That's now happening throughout baseball, even in Little League.
Another one that's becoming more popular is a DJ in hockey, who plays a unique piece of music when goals are scored. That's a challenging one because hockey is a lot faster than any other sport. In some cases, some NHL teams, including the Washington Capitals, are pairing the DJ with a spotter, to confirm the goal and who made it, to get a quicker reaction time.
What does the future hold for the sports DJ?
We're going to continue to see that position evolve. We want to see more of what we can do and what tools we can provide to allow them to be creative. It's not going to be just audio; we're developing tools to tie into the [venue] DMX lighting and video infrastructure. That will give them some control over those [production] elements.
We're planning on integrating Ross [Video's] RossTalk protocol [which allows control of the switcher from an external device]. That will have implications for baseball, which tends to do fireworks shows after the game using DMX, too. There's a lot more to the DJ than just music when it comes to sports.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
SVG Sit-Down: 7 Point Audio President Jeff Ball on the Evolving Role of the Sports DJ Dating back to the venue organist, the DJ is at the intersection of sports and entertainment By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
