Since I stopped watching the NFL a couple years ago when players began protesting during our National Anthem, I became a more avid college basketball fan than I was before. I used to only follow or watch a couple of college teams, but since my personal boycott of the NFL, I’ve become a fan of a number of college teams.

At this time of year, it’s March Madness, when the top college teams play a series of 1 and done playoffs, whittling the list from 68 down to the one team that will be crowned as the national champion.

While watching game after game after game of college basketball playoffs, one particular story caught my attention.

It’s common to see the players get of their bus and walk through the arena wearing headphones. For many, it’s listening to their favorite music which has become part of their pre-game ritual of getting their minds ready to play ball.

No big deal, until they showed the University of Cincinnati Bearcats players with their headphones. Yes, the players were listening to their favorite music, BUT, the headphones they were wearing were doing more than just play music – they were massaging the scalp in a way described as stimulating the players’ brains.

While I rarely promote any specific brand of product in my posts, I will tell you that the headphones the UC players were wearing are Halo headphones.

According to Halo Sports website:

Halo Sport Enhances Cycling Performance by 17%

Halo Sport improves running endurance by 15% over control

Halo Sport enhances sprint cycling and cognitive performance

Halo Sport increases efficacy of neck rehab by 6% over control

And there are a number of additional research papers posted on the website.

How the team become acquainted with the Halo Sport headphones? According to a report by our local news:

“It began four years ago when Mangine received a pair of the Halo headphones from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. With a long background in research in physical therapy and athletic training, Mangine has periodically consulted and used various devices to help with athletic enhancement and injury prevention.”

“Through Andy McKinley of the Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson near Dayton, Mangine was introduced to transcranial direct stimulation and how it can augment brain function visually and through creative cognitive skill development.”

“‘It’s like muscle memory,’ Mangine said of the process. ‘Let’s say I want to be a better golfer and hit like 10,000 shots a day like the pros do. What they want to do is try to get that muscle memory of replicating the perfect swing. The (basketball) kids can replicate trying to get a good shot. If you stimulate them over 20 minutes, they’re then in that learning mode (with) increased focus for up to six hours’.”

“Now, several sets of headphones are with the Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena and on basketball road trips. Massaging sensors are paired up via Bluetooth on the athlete’s phone and technology then goes to work. While the UC athletes pick up good vibrations, they’re not limited to The Beach Boys. The app allows their music of choice while stimulating them into a proper state of mind for their competition.”

Since the players began using the Halo Sport headphones, the players performances on the court has steadily improved.

How does the headphones work? Watch this video:

After hearing about the headphones and seeing how they work, I began wondering if they would help with a number of health and mental issues. Would they help calm a kid with ADHD to the point where the child wouldn’t have to be dumbed down? Could it help relax people with seizures that emanate from certain locations in the brain? Could they help a stroke victim recover quicker? What about helping our veterans or others suffering from PTSD? Could the technology help with migraine headaches?

I’m not a medical expert, but it just seems logical that the technology used in the Halo Sport headphones could help numerous people with a variety of conditions. It seems to me that the possibilities are endless.