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Favorite/Least Favorite TV Sports Theme Music

T

Tim from Springfield IL

My latest reply on the March Madness post on the National TV board regarding my dislike for the latest update of the CBS NCAA college basketball theme music (which debuted Tuesday night on both TV and the Westwood One radio coverage of the Madness) got me thinking.

What are your all-time favorite and LEAST favorite theme music for TV sports coverage?

My picks:

Some of my least favorites: See above. I also didn't particularly care for NBC's opening theme they used during at least 1983-85 for MLB coverage (and IIRC it was demoted by the 1986 World Series to lead-ins into commercial breaks), linked below (from the '83 All Star game):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I338V1Fbw60

My favorites:

--I liked the 1982 NBC theme for the World Series (more so as my favorite MLB team, the St. Louis Cardinals, won that Series), and it had been on YouTube, but sadly while searching for it for this post MLB Advanced Media blocked that video in the US on copyright grounds.

--I also enjoyed the circa 1983-88 NBA on CBS theme songs (which was updated/remixed for 1989-90), linked below (specifically the intro to the 1987 NBA Finals, Game 4)--especially how the drama of the Series was introduced within this song (this time by Brent Musberger):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB4k5qc6HIs&feature=related

--Same with the John Tesh-penned NBC NBA theme (1991-2002)--which coincided with most of the Chicago Bulls' heyday and some arguing that NBC stood for "Nothing but Chicago" when it carried the NBA (until the dynasty was mercilessly dismantled after the 1998 championship--and that's for another topic).

--Returning to the NCAA hoops themes, I would much rather see CBS bring back their 1982-86 theme music linked below than update their current theme for this season:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlz5utv5rY8

--Also the Masters theme on CBS is spectacular too.

What are you favorite/least favorite TV sports themes of all time?
 
Favorites, among others:

"The NFL Today" starting in '83 and going to '89
"NBA on CBS" 1982-90 (updated for 1989-90)
CBS College Football 1984-87

Worst:
Anything on ABC's so-called "coverage" of the NBA
FOX's NFL theme (which is now used for everything on that network, IIRC)
 
Best ever--The old NBC NFL theme from the mid 70's, or maybe CBS' NFL theme from the mid-late 60's are close, but the all time king has to be the classic "Wide World Of Sports" theme.
 
My Favorites:

For ABC:

the classic Wide World of Sports opening
Monday Night Football "Heavy Action"
the current College Football theme which I think is still in use on ESPN
the old Olympic anthem (reminds me of the great Jim McKay)

CBS:

the classic NFL Today theme (I can hear Brent Musburger saying "You're looking live...!")
NFL on CBS (1992-1993 version)
the College Football theme used since 1987
the always exciting 1990s NCAA basketball theme
the 1982 NBA finals theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnwxTbKFM18 (right up there with the other 1980s theme)
any easy-moving golf theme, including Yanni's
One Shining Moment, as sung by the late great Luther Vandross

Fox:

their NFL and baseball themes (even though their coverage is no longer what it used to be)


NBC:

Roundball Rock by John Tesh (takes me back to the Air Jordan era)

Also of worthy mention in the Favorites category:

- both the 1980s and early 90s Turner Sports NBA themes for TBS and TNT respectively
- ESPN's baseball theme
- the classic Hockey Theme which used to be on Hockey Night in Canada on the CBC until it got replaced a few years ago
- Nine Network Australia's Wide World of Sport cricket theme
And, oh yes, the old SportsCenter theme song (DA-DA-DA, DA-DA-DA!)

My least favorites:

- the current NFL on CBS open (gag)
- CBS's current botched-up remixes of the NCAA theme song

Feel free to take issue with my choices.
 
...My choices:

Best: The march that CBS used for its NFL coverage circa '69-'71
The polka that AWA "All-Star Wrestling" used in '71-'73

bmasters1981 said:
Worst:

FOX's NFL theme (which is now used for everything on that network, IIRC)
Click to expand...
...and Murdoch must be paying a ton of money to the Maxwell Anderson estate for ripping off "Sleigh Ride" that badly...

...also worst: that hideous Faith Hill rewrite of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You" on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Whatever they paid Joanie for that, it wasn't nearly enough to justify inflicting the results on the American public...
 
One of my favorites is the NBA on CBS theme from 1973-80..

Give it all you got,
Take your your very best shot
And may the best team win.
The time is now, the name of the game is action.
They're on the floor,
And they're ready to score,
So let the game begin,
And let's see how the ball's going to bounce today
Welcome to N-B-A
Come on, and join the roar of the crowd"
Here's another classic about,
To come your way...
You'll see the best in basketball
When you watch the N-B-A,
When you watch the N-B-A on C-B-S.
(N-B-A on C-B-S, N-B-A on C-B-S, ... etc. fading out)

I know its 70's cheesy..but I loved it..

perfect graphics as well..Check it out on YouTube..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7iijHjJxFI
 
Ultimajock said:
...also worst: that hideous Faith Hill rewrite of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You" on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Whatever they paid Joanie for that, it wasn't nearly enough to justify inflicting the results on the American public...
Click to expand...

I agree--why couldn't they have had Mr. Faith Hill (Tim McGraw) perform an opening rather than being subjected to that lame-o theme every autumn Sunday evening around 8:20PM/7:20 Central. And to boot IMO "I Hate Myself for Loving You" was probably the most lame-o Joan Jett song to begin with. Almost makes me hope for an NFL strike/lockout to wipe out the 2011 season just so I wouldn't have to hear that song for at least a year. (But knowing NBC, I wouldn't be shocked if they come up with an even worse alternative--Faith Hill performing the Notre Dame Fight Song during the network's ND football broadcasts).
 
Best sports themes:
1. NBC Major League Baseball postseason theme from 1986-89(honorable mention to the arrangement of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' which NBC used for just the 1989 regular season, their last year covering baseball.
2. Classic 'ABC Wide World of Sports' theme
3. 'Roundball Rock'
Worst:
1. CBS's current NFL theme
2. OLN/Versus NHL theme, at least til recently(that generic '90s grunge guitar' sound that TV execs think is synonymous with 'hockey'.)
3. NBC's NFL theme in the last few years of its AFC contract (1995-97)
 
ABC's college football themes in the 1970s.

CBS had a piece of music for the PGA Championship
that sounded a bit like the Masters theme. They
quit using it a couple of years ago, but I thought it
as good as the Masters music.

NBC's Saturday baseball theme circa 1980-81 that
incorporated a bit of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame".

Those are my favorites. I also liked the mid-'70s "CBS
Sports Spectacular" theme.
 
Favs: ESPN's National Hockey Night theme I mostly miss ESPN's stellar coverage of the NHL overall especially at playoff time when ESPN2 would be wall to wall hockey with the big main event matchups on the Mothership.

CBC's Hockey Night In Canada (Canadian Gold) Ever since TSN snatched the music rights of the original HNIC theme and bastardized it this new version has grown on me and amps me up for playoff hockey. Hell, CBC's hockey package especially the cold opens with current rock music is always put together very well.

I love CBS's current NFL theme by E.S. Posthumous.

Dislikes: Fox's NFL err Fox Theme for Everything. It's no longer iconic it's overused and it's time to be updated/changed
 
I like the Olympics theme music as well, but it is typically burned to death during the Olympics, used as bumper music going into and out of every segment! :eek:

Of course, the flipside to that is that it is seldom ever heard whenever the Olympics are not going on.
 
Best: NBC's 1973-early '80s tune used for most of its coverage and CBS's late '70s-early-mid '80s golf theme as well as ABC's early-mid '70s NCAA Football tune. Can't think of any bad ones since I don't watch a lot of sports anymore.
 
I have three:

- ABC's Wide World of Sports (specifically from the late 1960s and 1970s);
- ABC Monday Night Football (almost all are good, but my fave is the version that ran from '76-'79);
- CBS' Football theme music from the 1970s.

All bring back a lot of great memories. The Hank Williams' MNF theme deserves a mention here as well - that theme really set a great tone for the game!
 
Some of my favorites include:

NBC's Ryder Cup Theme
ESPN's National Hockey Night/NHL 2 Night Opens
ESPN's Baseball Tonight Theme
ABC's final Monday Night Football Open (after Hank Williams Jr.'s lead-in)
CBS's current NFL Theme
The NHL on Fox Open(currently used on FSN)
Last year's CBS "Road to the Final Four" Open
The NHL on NBC Open
The Masters Theme (CBS/ESPN)
The Original NASCAR on Fox Open (not "NASCAR Love")

and there's about 20 others...

The ones I hate:

The aformentioned "NASCAR Love" from FOX
ABC/ESPN's current NBA Open
ESPN's current SportsCenter Open
FSN's NBA/NCAA Open
ESPN's First Take Open
The SEC on CBS Open
and finally...
NBC's Notre Dame Open (Wake Up The Echoes doesn't need a remix)
 
I pine for

CBS's 1982-1986 CFB theme (the theme starting in 1987 needs a less shrill, less echoey brass section)
CBS's 1990-1991 NFL theme (used on both NFL Today and the games themselves; called to my mind the image of knights galloping into battle [or a jousting tournament])

ixnay
 
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