History AwesomeMusic / Sports

* NBC's ''Sunday Night Football'' theme is pretty damn epic. Not surprising considering it was composed by Music/JohnWilliams.

** NBC got a part of ''Thursday Night Football'' in 2016 too, bringing out a capella group Music/{{Pentatonix}} and a football-themed reworking of their song "Sing", and theme music that is a SuspiciouslySimilarSong to [[Music/{{Europe}} "The Final Countdown"]] featuring the ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' string section.

** In the intros for UFC pay-per-views, "Face the Pain" is typically preceded by "[[https://youtu.be/6Ne5UOV1T04 Optimus Bellum Domitor]]", a short, yet imposing orchestral symphony that evokes the image of gladiators entering the colosseum. It was also previously used as the Tale of the Tape theme before every fight.

** In the intros for UFC pay-per-views, "Face the Pain" is typically preceded by "[[https://youtu.be/6Ne5UOV1T04 Optimus Bellum Domitor]]", an imposing orchestral symphony that perfectly evokes the feeling of gladiators entering the battlefield.

* Say what you will about NuMetal, but no one can deny that the UsefulNotes/{{UFC}}'s long-standing theme song, [[https://youtu.be/IwdpbIW_ckY "Face the Pain"]] by Stemm perfectly epitomizes the brutal and high-impact action of mixed martial arts. [[LongRunner There's a reason why the song still remains as the UFC's de facto theme song despite being used for over 15 years]].

** Or [[https://youtu.be/C1CW5O7bms8 the tertiary theme]] of MNF and ESPN's mid 90's coverage.

* And [[https://youtu.be/7f4n7jV7i7o ABC's]] [[https://youtu.be/uJVeLhdk2mY three college football]] [[https://youtu.be/bMbM3URjnNk themes from the 90's]]; the third was revived for ABC's revived ''Saturday Night Football'', and later became the main theme for all of ESPN's college football games until 2015.

* The Chicago Bulls begin every home game by blaring [[https://youtu.be/OkC_oi0ksuw "Sirius"]] by Music/TheAlanParsonsProject through the United Center speakers. It leaves an impression, especially when combined with the PA announcement: [[LargeHam "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND NOW, THE STARTING LINEUP FOR YOUR CHICAGO BULLS!"]] So much so, in fact, that their official Website/YouTube channel also includes the mention of it being the Chicago Bulls' theme song for the song itself, like even they know how impactful it really is. A few other NBA franchises used it also for their starting line-up introductions, including the Phoenix Suns throughout the 1990's and early 2000's, but there's a reason why most people know it for the Jordan Bulls.

** From the same documentary, [[https://youtu.be/8VgoJOtiB9A "Vengeance"]] by Zack Hemsey embodies the last moments of that championship season for the Bulls, including the final shot by Michael Jordan and the last play not long afterward, that really capped off the awesome documentary of those Bulls teams from the 1990's up until Jordan's second retirement in 1998.

* Like other teams in other professional leagues, even the NBA has had some teams have their own music theme songs to represent their awesomeness at hand. Case in point, the Phoenix Suns [[https://youtu.be/Rb_zV5_EAF8 have their own theme song]] created back in the 1990's and early 2000's that can be best described as progressive jazz rock that makes one glad to see their games in general on local Arizona TV. In 2023, with the return of the Suns to broadcast TV, the team [[https://twitter.com/ridiculouscage/status/1711095035478118461 remastered version]] of the theme.
* The New York Knicks [[https://youtu.be/13r6ofuoxdk had this song as their intro]] back in their 1993-94 season that combined the "Go New York, Go New York, Go!" chant from their [[https://youtu.be/PSCdq1s5ekI Go New York, Go]] rap song with jazz and synth rock to make their own brand of awesomeness at live games.

%%* The network that was at the time the Outdoor Life Network was an otherwise-niche channel dedicated mostly to hunting and fishing shows, but also happened to have the rights to the Tour de France when Lance Armstrong came along, which was the primary factor in them later becoming a sports-centric network called Versus, and then later a branch of NBC in NBCSN. By the mid-2000's, they'd tapped the Finnish band Apocalyptica to do their [[https://youtu.be/9ODFlS7mst4?t=1091 Tour theme]], called "Tour de Crash".

* The [[https://youtu.be/qgiBkydMW8k FIA's F1 jingle]] that plays 5 mins before the race was pretty awesome back in the 90's. Brian Tyler's [[https://youtu.be/52khlKOl1do theme made for the 2018 season]] is no slouch, either, with an epic orchestra reminiscent of ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', and it's only made even more awesome when accompanied by [[https://youtu.be/k4Pegt-HcI8 the official intro]].

* Like other teams in other professional leagues, even the NBA has had some teams have their own music theme songs to represent their awesomeness at hand. Case in point, the Phoenix Suns [[https://youtu.be/Rb_zV5_EAF8 have their own theme song]] created back in the 1990's and early 2000's that can be best described as progressive jazz rock that makes one glad to see their games in general on local Arizona TV, while the New York Knicks [[https://youtu.be/13r6ofuoxdk had this song as their intro]] back in their 1993-94 season that combined the "Go New York, Go New York, Go!" chant from their [[https://youtu.be/PSCdq1s5ekI Go New York, Go]] rap song with jazz and synth rock to make their own brand of awesomeness at live games.

* Creator/TheBBC's opening sequence for the 2008 Summer Olympics was [[https://youtu.be/Yr5ZWYRaAyw pretty epic.]] It's also by the creative duo behind the {{Music/Gorillaz}}.

* When Fox won the rights to broadcast USGA events from 2015 to 2026, the network commissioned Music/BrianTyler to compose [[https://youtu.be/Sy5l95y7S_I their theme music]], which appropriately has a strident, cinematic sound. After it surrendered the rights to the events to NBC in 2020, Fox began reusing the music for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show instead.

** The Fox Footy theme from 2017 onwards [[https://youtu.be/Jo8GX0ycnWs goes pretty hard]]. The Jim Moynihan remix [[https://youtu.be/q09cLsFm2MY is on the same level]].

* The opening theme of the [[https://youtu.be/MbU4fPYRvcY NFL on Fox]]; Fox's producer wanted something that sounded like "[[Film/Batman1989 Batman]] playing football", and it shows. The theme was particularly effective for the very first Fox NFL broadcast, as it indicated how Fox would change the TV sports industry forever. [[https://youtu.be/KAJWOA2Agg0?t=91 "This... is it. Today, the curtain opens on a new era!"]]
** Some of Fox Sports' other properties, including Major League Baseball and UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}, have included elements of the NFL theme; for a time Fox used it as its theme for ''any'' sporting event, but quickly backtracked.

** NBC got a part of ''Thursday Night Football'' in 2016 too, bringing out a capella group Music/Pentatonix and a football-themed reworking of their song "Sing", and theme music that is somewhat of a [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong Jimmy Hart Version]] of [[Music/{{Europe}} The Final Countdown]] featuring the ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' string section.

* The UsefulNotes/SuperBowl halftime show used to be a great place for this having one every year between 1993 and 2004 but the one that has to top all others was the 2001 performance of "Walk This Way" by Music/{{Aerosmith}}, they were joined by Music/{{NSYNC}}, Music/BritneySpears, Music/MaryJBlige, and Nelly. After the infamous WardrobeMalfunction in 2004, the NFL went in a more conservative direction, usually inviting veteran rock acts to perform the halftime show instead. This still led to a few particularly notable shows, with Music/{{Prince}} at Super Bowl XLI often being ranked by critics as being among the best, if not the best, Super Bowl halftime shows of all time. At Super Bowl XLV, the NFL went back to having pop-centric halftime shows, many of which having achieved critical acclaim.

** NBC got a part of ''Thursday Night Football'' in 2016 too, bringing out an opening (not unlike Carrie Underwood's ''SNF'' intros) by the a capella group Pentatonix (a football-themed reworking of their own song "Sing"), and {{Retraux}}-sounding theme music that is somewhat of a [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong Jimmy Hart Version]] of [[Music/{{Europe}} The Final Countdown]] featuring the ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' string section.

* The UsefulNotes/SuperBowl halftime show used to be a great place for this having one every year between 1993 and 2004 but the one that has to top all others was the 2001 performance of "Walk This Way" by Music/{{Aerosmith}}, they were joined by Music/{{NSYNC}}, Music/BritneySpears, Music/MaryJBlige, and Nelly. However, after the infamous WardrobeMalfunction in 2004, they cut back on younger female performers to prevent a repeat occurrence.

** It doesn't even have to be at half time. The UsefulNotes/SuperBowl XXXIX pre-game show had Black Eyed Peas, Charlie Daniels Band, Earth Wind and Fire, John Fogerty and Gretchen Wilson perform, culminating in them all joining in on "Where Is The Love". It was much better than the actual half time show which just saw Music/PaulMcCartney sitting at a piano and singing.

* For some reason, intros of NFL broadcasts in Austria are ''always'' over-the-top and cinematic. [=Puls4=]'s Super Bowl 50 broadcast opened with a ''Franchise/StarWars'' tribute followed by [[http://screengrabber.deadspin.com/austrian-tvs-super-bowl-intro-kicks-way-more-ass-than-c-1757675685 a live rock performance inside their viewing party studio]]. The same channel [[http://deadspin.com/austrian-tvs-super-bowl-highlight-reel-is-much-better-t-1792112946 wrapped up]] Super Bowl LI with a montage fittingly set to "[[Music/BeastieBoys Sabotage]]", and did a ''Series/GameOfThrones'' parody before the 2014 conference title games.

* The opening theme of the [[https://youtu.be/MbU4fPYRvcY NFL on Fox]]. Inverted when [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks it's being used for sports that it was not intended for at all]] (e.g. baseball, the "other" football, and ''golf'' of all things).
** Honorary mention goes to a marching band remix that Fox has used for college football and basketball.
** All of the other Fox themes have incorporated musical tropes from the NFL theme; such as the MLB theme (still used for FSN and [=FS1=] games), and the UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} variant (revived in 2016).
** The theme was particularly effective for the very first Fox NFL broadcast, as it indicated how Fox would change the TV sports industry forever. [[https://youtu.be/KAJWOA2Agg0?t=91 "This... is it. Today, the curtain opens on a new era!"]]

* Some of the most stirring and epic music comes from the soundtracks of NFL Films -- especially those composed by Tom Hedden, David Robidoux, and Sam Spence. Perhaps the crowning example is Spence's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY1b2CzlELs "The Equalizer"]]; listen also to the even more awesome [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxUxeaE5LW0 Da Riffs Remix]].
* The opening theme of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbU4fPYRvcY NFL on Fox]]. Inverted when [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks it's being used for sports that it was not intended for at all]] (e.g. baseball, the "other" football, and ''golf'' of all things).

* Music/HankWilliamsJr adapted his single "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" to create one of the most iconic sports intros ''ever'', one that has been used for more than 20 years on ESPN's ''Series/MondayNightFootball'' (barring a period from 2011 and 2017 after he got into some controversy): [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXyzuVk7SoI "ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL???"]]
** Johnny Pearson's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIxeOvClzR4 Heavy Action]]"; although it is actually stock music for the BBC music library (and is well-known in Britain as the theme of the Creator/{{BBC}}'s ''Superstars''), it is better-known across the pond as the long-time main theme of ''Monday Night Football''. ABC and ESPN have since used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9APljSTvj0 updated]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuOwq1o1v-o versions]] with a heavier sound, including two by Edd Kalehoff of ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'' fame. The first was in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4bKzeng_Ho 1989 (but first used in 1990)]], followed by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2coEpv4rmzs a reboot for the last few years on ABC]].
** Then there's the original ''MNF'' theme music from the '70s, a funky organ-based instrumental called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV-pYT4wldc Score!]]"
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXuXBLlfxRo "International Statement"]], the most well-known highlights theme from ''Series/NFLPrimetime''.
** Or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1CW5O7bms8 the tertiary theme]] of MNF and ESPN's mid 90's coverage.
* The NFL on CBS used Music/ESPosthumus to create [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooR8f6j2RZc "Posthumus Zone"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0WqN7RUl14 "Granicus"]] for their weekly theme, but the really SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic was the use of the same group's "Unstoppable" for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StDNxdmnCz4 epic opening]] to the 2008 AFC Championship Game.
** Which was only topped when CBS provided [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS77mSwHAkU a mashup between the E.S. Posthumus track and Jay-Z and Rihanna's "Run This Town"]] for Super Bowl XLIV. ([[http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LRMK6MR5 download link]])
** Think the Music/JayZ and Rihanna mashup was great? Super Bowl XLVII takes it up to eleven when E.S. Posthumus [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgAt6aTGgyw gets mashed]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n8a0JNtBDg up with]] '''Music/{{Queen|Band}}'''.
** Super Bowl 50 didn't give us as much as last time, but the surviving member of E.S. Posthumus, Helmut Vonlichten,[[note]]The group was made up of two brothers; the other one, Franz, died in 2010.[[/note]] did it again with mashing up with Music/{{Aerosmith}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUtsS41rC6g&t=2m41s "Dream On"]].
** When CBS took over Thursday Night Football, Vonlichten composed a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx1BMvx9uZI new theme song]] that is musically similar to the main NFL theme, but goes in its own direction.
* CBS Sports has had several other examples, among them [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BxwadDZYEY their 1981-85 NFL theme]], their 1976 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBKFbc7sRis NFL Today theme]], the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8kA4AvgbD4 1983 updated version]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKFUs1ZvGtg the "Pots and Pans" theme used between 1986-88]], the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOFfkNwfaYc theme used from the 1992 Super Bowl until CBS lost NFL coverage, then revived for the first five years after regaining NFL coverage]], their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOEwkea1JGA 1983-88 NBA theme]], their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95kTST5KtLw 1990-93 MLB theme]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LjU0VTNTb0 "One Shining Moment", used to close every NCAA basketball championship game since 1987]], and last but not least, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MG5paemBYA their Super Bowl XXI theme which has been used as their college football theme since 1987]]. Helmut Vonlichten has done other particularly epic CBS Sports themes, including its U.S. Open and PGA Championship themes.

** The opening theme, as sung by Faith Hill (and, earlier, P!nk), was done ToTheTuneOf "I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Music/JoanJett. The current Music/CarrieUnderwood theme is a reworking of her song "Somethin' Bad". The lyrics are changed every week to fit the players. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2ac5W20NiQ An example]]. Not to mention the gratuitous ProductPlacement.

** Carrie Underwood did a song with Ludacris for NBC's Super Bowl LII opening, "The Champion". Their live performance of it at the Radio Disney Music Awards brought it up a few more notches by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn-PW1Cd0Rk culminating with a live children's choir]].
* NBC Sports was the king of this trope during the 1990s. Consider [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq1rP0BJdwE "Gridiron Dreams" by John Tesh]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3DXfptTsno John Colby's 1993 NFL Live! Theme]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBGi9lEQXUw the actual game intro theme]], and finally [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ6nIUCEI_g Randy Edelman's classic used the last three years NBC had AFC coverage]].
* Edd Kalehoff composed two great themes for TNT's coverage. Here's the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh_P1RQsq78 first from 1990]] and another from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS8iWXROr90 1995]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArEUt5RBHa0 The theme]] for when [[AwesomeMomentOfCrowning the champions lift the Lombardi trophy.]] Bonus points if it's your team that does the lifting!

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kowrkrYMMa4 CBS' former college football theme]], which debuted for Super Bowl XVIII in 1984 between the L.A. Raiders and Washington Redskins, and ran from the 1984 through 1986 seasons.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iXhs9x-7yk CBS' college football theme]], which debuted for Super Bowl XXI and was repurposed the following year for college coverage. It received [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRtLHiSV8Bs an update]] for 2020.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXFIWcpLPr8 ESPN's previous college football theme]]. And then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSqhicmUINQ the new theme]] which debuted in 2015 for the College Football Playoff games (and taking over as the main theme the subsequent season).
* And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f4n7jV7i7o ABC's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJVeLhdk2mY three college football]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMbM3URjnNk themes from the 90's]]; the third was revived for ABC's revived ''Saturday Night Football'', and later became the main theme for all of ESPN's college football games until 2015.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=881YSZFhVJA original Fox college football theme]] (associated primarily with FSN's games) carries some of the stylistic trademarks of Fox's other sports themes, but still manages to go in its own direction with a distinctly collegiate sound. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlstDUhgZMM later]] ''Fox College Football'' theme is a remix of the ''NFL on Fox'' theme with a [[RearrangeTheSong marching band arrangement]].
* Raycom's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rjBLsKTMZs ACC Network]], a group of local TV stations in the mid-Atlantic and South which syndicated [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootballConferences Atlantic Coast Conference]] football and basketball for most of the 2010s.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6__Xr3ouAI Main Theme]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6__Xr3ouAI&t=1m28s Rock Version]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6__Xr3ouAI&t=3m30s Lineup Theme]].
** And the now-departed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYWMdw_muiM All-Star Game/World Series theme]], whose abrupt 2010 exit coincided with Fox's decision to use the NFL music for all its sports programming.
** And now it's back with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzMHUtsPn9U a jazzy new remix]]!!
* ESPN's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GdeU5u-Ngo Baseball Tonight]]'' theme, also used for game broadcasts on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday night games, as well as their playoff games. Which means, as of 2020, it's also the ABC baseball theme, as the expanded opening wild card series that year meant ABC broadcast baseball for the first time in 35 years.
* The MLB Network ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrGCRRZCmUE MLB Tonight]]'' theme, brought to you by Music/ESPosthumus.

* CBS' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5goS2ktN4o MLB theme]] used from 1990-93, which was brought back in 2015 (after an absence of ''22 years'') for the network's college baseball coverage (probably most associated with the Toronto Blue Jays' back-to-back 1992 and 1993 World Series Championship seasons for Canadian baseball fans, and the 1991 World Series title for Minnesota for fans of the Twins).

* TSN shared a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--IrHHR8Rx8 theme]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLxHiQV6u0g song]] with CBC and CTV for the Jays and Expos, which isn't too bad itself. It was the master baseball theme when Labatt Breweries Ltd. in Canada heavily sponsored the telecasts of those teams, until all three networks got their own theme songs in 1991.
* NBC's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvEBYkbDFWw MLB theme]] used from 1986-89.
* TBS had a rockin'-yet-majestic theme composed by Edd Kalehoff for their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY3h6QJhraM coverage of Atlanta Braves baseball]] in 1996.
* ABC's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBhp638rcDQ Monday Night Baseball]]'' theme from the '80s.
* The syndicated ''This Week in Baseball'' had a great opening theme ("[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqi8Qh6jmk4 Jet Set]]", composed by former Music/ManfredMann guitarist Mike Vickers and previously used as the theme for the NBC game show ''Series/{{Jackpot}}'') and closing theme (John Scott's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBeD74f5_6w Gathering Crowds]]").
* Sportsnet up in Canada introduced an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEukFeEoCT4 unexpectedly epic orchestral theme]] for its Toronto Blue Jays games in 2012.
* Steve Goodman's Cubs victory song "Go Cubs ''Go!''" is a national anthem for Cubbie nation and ever since 2007 every home victory is topped with Wrigley Field singing the song. It will never sound better than [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huGrzs6Ze_g this]].

* The intro for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pnl1ulaG5k NBA on NBC.]] The song is called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW9o6BSCLw4 Roundball Rock]]", written by John Tesh. After they lost the NBA to ESPN, the fans nostalgically rejoiced when NBC revived it for their coverage of basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics. "Roundball Rock" has since had a resurgence thanks to WebVideo/UrinatingTree using it as the theme for his "Tank Bowl" segments of his "This Week in Sportsball" videos. He himself even calls the song an EarWorm in the comments of said video! The theme also made its way to Fox for their college basketball telecasts in the late 2010s.[[note]]When ABC/ESPN picked up NBA coverage from NBC in 2002, Tesh offered to let the Disney-owned networks use "Roundball Rock" as their theme. They declined.[[/note]]
* Between 1992 and 1996, the closing song during the last game of the NBA Finals featured "Winning It All" for the British rock band Music/TheOutfield ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEMvcVMw7qk this example from 1996]]).
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOEwkea1JGA NBA on CBS]] theme from the 1980s.
* Edd Kalehoff, as part of his comprehensive package for Turner Sports, also composed this piece for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM9RaG5Uf9I the NBA on TNT]] in 1995. Can't you just feel the excitement?
* There's a good reason [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg4zFxyeLMQ the current TNT theme]] by Trevor Rabin (who also was in the band Yes) has been used by NBA on TNT since 2003. The epic sounds made in the introduction when TNT begins their showcase, followed by the nice orchestral style tones to show how inviting the TNT cast of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and (as of 2011) Shaquille O'Neal, always are from one season to the next.
* The Chicago Bulls begin every home game by blaring [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkC_oi0ksuw "Sirius"]] by Music/TheAlanParsonsProject through the United Center speakers. It leaves an impression, especially when combined with the PA announcement: [[LargeHam "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND NOW, THE STARTING LINEUP FOR YOUR CHICAGO BULLS!"]] So much so, in fact, that their official Website/YouTube channel also includes the mention of it being the Chicago Bulls' theme song for the song itself, like even they know how impactful it really is. A few other NBA franchises used it also for their starting line-up introductions, including the Phoenix Suns throughout the 1990's and early 2000's, but there's a reason why most people know it for the Jordan Bulls.
** There's also [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bOL92_H480 a remixed version]] done for "The Last Dance" documentary of the impact those Bulls teams had, especially during the 1997-98 season, and it's just as awesome to listen to as the original!
** From the same documentary, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VgoJOtiB9A "Vengeance"]] by Zack Hemsey embodies the last moments of that championship season for the Bulls, including the final shot by Michael Jordan and the last play not long afterward, that really capped off the awesome documentary of those Bulls teams from the 1990's up until Jordan's second retirement in 1998.

* Like other teams in other professional leagues, even the NBA has had some teams have their own music theme songs to represent their awesomeness at hand. Case in point, the Phoenix Suns [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb_zV5_EAF8 have their own theme song]] created back in the 1990's and early 2000's that can be best described as progressive jazz rock that makes one glad to see their games in general on local Arizona TV, while the New York Knicks [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13r6ofuoxdk had this song as their intro]] back in their 1993-94 season that combined the "Go New York, Go New York, Go!" chant from their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSCdq1s5ekI Go New York, Go]] rap song with jazz and synth rock to make their own brand of awesomeness at live games.

* CBS's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3cGtZ3N4FU college basketball theme]] by Bob Christianson, used since 1992, is ''the'' soundtrack of March Madness. Another song closely associated with CBS's coverage is "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw-8MFg9WIg One Shining Moment]]", which is traditionally played over a highlights montage at the end of the NCAA tournament. It may be an AwardBaitSong, but has equally become an essential part of the tournament for many viewers.
* ESPN's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irz9dk4Jhj8 previous college basketball theme]] (used until 2017, but still used for NCAA tournament coverage by Canadian counterpart TSN) may not be in the same league as the CBS theme, but it still conveys the tenseness and energy of the game.

* Dolores Claman's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMJWunuF1vU Hockey Theme]]", considered by many to be Canada's ''real'' national anthem. Used for 40 years on ''Series/HockeyNightInCanada'' and currently on TSN's NHL coverage. Several arrangements exist; even Music/{{Rush|Band}} drummer Neil Peart [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha9ccf4YfzU arranged and recorded a version in 2009]]. It was also released as a downloadable song for ''VideoGame/RockBand''.
* The original version of the current ''Hockey Night'' theme (pre-Rogers takeover), "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3rjwKYTK0k Canadian Gold]]", might not have the same legacy, but it's still got a lot of raw energy. When Sportsnet took over ''HNIC'', the theme was heavily [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eIjPBjKVrQ rearranged]] into a slower, orchestral style.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_29EWgsvSE theme music for Comcast SportsNet/NBS Sports's regional broadcasts]] gives a great sense of "welcome to the arena!" as the game starts and goes underway.
* Who says Americans can't come up with their own hockey theme? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TBam6gzgLM This theme]] has accompanied NBC's coverage since their first season in 2006.
* The old [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PReim0Axt4 theme]] when ESPN had coverage of the NHL. Game version [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfOB3jzfpoU here]]. With the move of the NCAA Frozen Four final to ESPN proper in 2014, they brought it back for its coverage, and then debuted a remastered version in 2021 when the network regained the league's broadcast rights.
* [[https://youtu.be/XqxITzDU8QE?t=83 This '90s intro]] for the New York Rangers on MSG, heavily associated with their 94 Stanley Cup win. They even brought it back for nostalgia [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbG5TNaoUFA in 2019]]. Edd Kalehoff at his finest.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WITMbNF16a4 The New York Rangers]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjLaKNxjRlg The Dallas Stars]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJtiepwpKFw The Hartford Whalers]].[[note]]Now the Carolina Hurricanes.[[/note]]

* It doesn't get much better than the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgomX3qD-iA Official UEFA Champions League Theme]], adapted by Tony Britten from Music/GeorgeFredericHandel's coronation anthem "Zadok the Priest". And "Zadok the Priest" has itself been used for every British coronation since George II in 1727. The Bible verses that make up the lyrics have been recited at every English, then British coronation since Edgar in 973, so Tony Britten was following a truly awesome lead. To borrow the words of [[Creator/TheBBC BBC Radio 5]] commentator Alan Green as it played before the 2011 final:

* The theme tune for LongRunner summary show [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_OKd0Uo3yw Match of the Day]] was voted the most recognisable theme tune in British television history in 2010, and with such an immediately catchy, upbeat brass fanfare, it's not hard to see why it's so memorable.
* In terms of fan anthems, the one adopted first and most famously by Liverpool FC, then by Celtic FC and most recently, Borussia Dortmund, is probably the most famous; [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0 'You'll Never Walk Alone']], originally by Rodgers and Hammerstein, before coming to popular notice in Liverpool when recorded by local band Gerry and the Pacemakers. It has, since then, been sung at every Liverpool match without fail and the title of the song has been sewn into the club's crest and added to the top of the famous Shankly Gates. It's also sung by about half the teams in the German Bundesliga (most famously Borussia Dortmund and FC St. Pauli), Dutch teams Feyenoord and FC Twente, Scotland giant Celtic, Japanese team FC Tokyo, Italy's Genoa CFC, Belgium's Club Brugge and Spain's CD Lugo. This is not an exhaustive list, and the head of the Spanish Olympic Committee remarked in 2007 after witnessing a rendition of the song at Anfield, Liverpool's home stadium, that he felt inspired to seek lyrics for Spain's currently lyric-less national anthem, the Marcha Real. It's a catchy song.
* Creator/{{ESPN}}'s majestic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5jwlObexms World Cup 2010 theme]] by Lisle Moore. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx0_VYaqAkg EURO]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC574ujzHiw 2012]]/[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XDJkc2zBoo 2014 World Cup intro]] remix didn't diminish its power and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oE5nc8k6Hc the proper 2014 version]] adds a spirited Latin beat. Then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjLa1M8MXGE EURO]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTLgTCWWeWw 2016]] took it even further.
* The 2010 World Cup Anthem seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTJSt4wP2ME here]]. Pure, unbridled joy and triumph.
** Compare and contrast the music on the official [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWzKy973FXU South Korean 2010 World Cup]] hype video.
** Beware the epicness of Vangelis' 2002 anthem, both [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5T9LLtpJHg original]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDCuNezfjIM remix]]!
* It's easy to get in the mood for some World Cup with a great TV opening. Just see what was done in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP67IM1LX-M 2014]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B_Lu-Im408 2018]].

* Music/NewOrder's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re4aDJL3heA "World In Motion"]], written for the English campaign at UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup in 1990, is quite inspiring, even if you're not English. It was their only #1 hit in their native UK ("Blue Monday" peaked at #5).
* Thankfully, Fox did not use its ''other'' piece of football music for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, electing to instead go with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr8awRUS6XQ a majestic theme]] that wouldn't sound out of place during the Olympics (and has since become Fox's default theme music for international soccer). Fox then tapped the Russian composer Kirill Richter for its 2018 FIFA World Cup theme, [[https://youtu.be/cMNIU1Pgdfk "Where Angels Fear to Tread"]].
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3565EQ-pAuY English Premier League Anthem]] in the mid-2000s - for many fans rarely matched by the quality of the football.
* The official theme song for UEFA Euro 2000, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lETNZ-eIaFM "Campione 2000" by E-Type,]] gained huge popularity during the tournament and has since been heard in national and international football games all around Europe.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2AZH4FeGsc opening theme music]] for ABC's ''Series/WideWorldOfSports'', combined with Jim [=McKay=]'s narration, is the perfect representation of "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!" (Cue poor ol' Vinko Bogataj going off the ski jump...) Kalehoff-ified in [[https://kalehoff.sourceaudio.com/#!details?id=12335386 1989]].
* The now-retired ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLHMxFGqhIs BBC Grandstand]]''.
* NBC Sports had a great instrumental theme in the '70s, used for its [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-USPucw3PUE NFL coverage]] as well as college football, baseball, hockey, etc. It was so popular that a group called Midnite Flite turned the piece into a big disco hit called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlpdCulA_Gs Don't Turn Away]]".
* Edd Kalehoff composed an entire music package for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFWpHRSqAJQ Turner Sports]] (both TBS and TNT) in the mid-1990s, dubbed ''Victory Road''. Here's the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2VjbuJMr-8 full version]]. Also try the horn-flavored [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_k8Vv4mF_w hip version]].
* Kalehoff strikes again ([[OverlyLongGag noticing a pattern here?]]) with his 1993 ABC Sports theme -- utterly epic when used to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cukF7gsG1aM open]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seIdbTL2weI and]] [[https://youtu.be/by552cnJdAM?t=69 close]] any kind of sporting event. Especially with the closing announcement:

* UsefulNotes/AustralianRulesFootball's unofficial anthem, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxM8XB61ZvU Up There, Cazaly]]".
** And its follow up, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6KpyGtSYWg One Day in September]]", which incorporates "Up There Cazaly".
** Then there's the music Channel Ten used for its coverage from 2002-2006, Hunters & Collectors' epic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQI5fdVCvlU Holy Grail]]. Even after it was no longer used in coverage, indeed even after Ten lost the rights, it is still associated with football and has been played live in AFL Grand Final pre-match entertainment.
** The Fox Footy theme from 2017 onwards [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo8GX0ycnWs goes pretty hard]]. The Jim Moynihan remix [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q09cLsFm2MY is on the same level]].
** The traditionalists don't like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANekGmySvPM The Fremantle Dockers theme]], but give 'em all the old Freo heave-ho!
** Same goes for the West Coast Eagles song, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSweVjWOVf0 We're Flying High]]"
** For a more traditional, but still awesome, footy song, there's the Western Bulldogs' theme, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXOZlxiNaRQ Sons of the West]]".
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-78HOOmEIYo Good old Collingwood forever, they know how to play the game...]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqpwxO9y-uQ The Greater Western Sydney Giants' theme]]. Too bad they have to win a game for it to get played.
** Richmond's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLNLcm7J4AY Tigerland]]".

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3j7rvNfvTU "Evolve"]], the official song of the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity Evolution Championship Series]], the biggest fighting game tournament in the world. Its closing beat combined with vocalist Kanami's OneWomanWail serves as the theme for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoGZ0o9XvCg intro bumpers]] on Evo streams, and cuts of the song were used as a part of Creator/{{ESPN}}'s coverage of Evo 2016. In 2022, with Evo's return to offline play after the COVID-19 pandemic and reorganzing under new management, the theme was remixed into "[[https://youtu.be/95AM6ltHMvY Evolve Infinity]]", a new take signaling a fresh start for the venerable tournament.

* "Up There, Cazaly" was created by Channel 7 as an attempt to outdo Channel 9's UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}} theme, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qJLi5y2d2w C'mon, Aussie, C'mon]]".
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiihZCcYe5M 1983/84 version]] manages the impressive feat of subverting the BraggingThemeTune by building up Pakistan and the West Indies as major threats to Australia, while still managing to inspire PatrioticFervor.

* The instrumental [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUFF5A766K0 theme]] for Channel 9's cricket broadcasts is short, but awesome, as is the 2000s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch88TE4_exc rock version]].
* Channel 10 uses Music/{{ACDC}}'s "TNT" for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBzlTwvq8M0 Big Bash League]].
* As should be becoming evident by the now, the BBC has a reputation for sporting theme tunes that pass into the English sporting consciousness. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67xXbTaQlKI Here]] is "Soul Limbo" by Booker T & the MG's, the definitive intro to Test Match Cricket. While not as awesome, "Mambo no. 5" was still a catchy intro when Channel 4 acquired the rights.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL5EDb8Fyf4 Howzat]]" by 1970s Australian rock band Sherbet was, and is still, used as a popular choice of song for limited-overs cricket matches.

%%* In 2011, as Versus, they [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CN2c4qA7xs unveiled one]] by Cody Westheimer that, as of 2021, still stands.

* The Masters is a tournament that is steeped in tradition. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlpwHBn6ikg Dave Loggins' iconic theme music]] is just one of them. It stands out as a significant contrast to almost every other entry on this entire page, trading the bombastic orchestras and synthesizers for piano and acoustic guitar (although it's only used as the main theme; CBS, in practice, tends to break out some of the normal library music it uses during other PGA Tour events over highlights and features, which is usually a lot more bombastic).
* Yanni is a popular choice for TV networks' sports themes, and for good reason: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3jZeu58l-A "In Celebration of Man"]] (NBC's USGA championships theme) and his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMKsmKImZJU former PGA theme for CBS]] are both epic. NBC briefly lost the U.S. Open to Fox in 2015, but quickly brought back "In Celebration of Man" when it started airing The Open Championship the following year (using a slight [[RearrangeTheSong remix]] with bagpipes added).

* When Fox won the rights to broadcast USGA events from 2015 to 2026, the network commissioned Music/BrianTyler to compose [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy5l95y7S_I their theme music]], which appropriately has a strident, cinematic sound. After it surrendered the rights to the events to NBC in 2020, Fox began reusing the music for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show instead.

* Say what you will about NuMetal, but no one can deny that the UsefulNotes/{{UFC}}'s long-standing theme song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwdpbIW_ckY "Face the Pain"]] by Stemm perfectly epitomizes the brutal and high-impact action of mixed martial arts. [[LongRunner There's a reason why the song still remains as the UFC's de facto theme song despite being used for over 15 years]].
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQl1JbuYrLk PRIDE FC's Opening Theme]] is possibly the most well known MMA theme song ever. Its [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpF2JKtTISY Victory Theme Music]], which played after every fight, is equally awesome.

* Music/FleetwoodMac's "The Chain", used for BBC's Formula 1 coverage [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtms1IppbPg This fan intro shows why it's so good.]] [[http://youtu.be/DYTwmKOHcGY THIS]] is how it was reintroduced when the BBC got the rights back off ITV. Having not heard "The Chain" as the theme tune for 13 years, and not being sure if they were going to bring it back or not... [=CMoA=]?
* In Brazil, Globo used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3P4gLJ-Q7U an original fanfare]] for F1 that's also awesome (many comments note how the one bad thing about F1 leaving for another channel after years ScrewedByTheNetwork is losing this theme, even if [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjEHQVEWv2I theirs is also uplifting]]). And repurposed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1bkU3dh3YA a good song]] by one of Keith Mansfield's former bands for one of their sports shows. In Japan, Fuji TV uses the incredibly catchy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al_tAAyWDeY Truth]] by jazz fusion band T-Square to open the broadcasts. In Italy, Sky Sports uses [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFkDa-fAHCQ Tutto quello che ho]] by pop rock band Finley, instead.
* The BBC's outro to the 2010 Formula One season had some [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsyOgYjrV8I pretty epic music to go with the video.]] So epic that Sky Sports F1 have used it as their theme tune since taking over the main coverage.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgiBkydMW8k FIA's F1 jingle]] that plays 5 mins before the race was pretty awesome back in the 90's. Brian Tyler's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52khlKOl1do theme made for the 2018 season]] is no slouch, either, with an epic orchestra reminiscent of ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', and it's only made even more awesome when accompanied by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Pegt-HcI8 the official intro]].

** The theme of ''Film/TheDeltaForce'' was associated with ColdOpening montages for the 500 narrated by Paul Page, who was formerly ABC's lead commentator. They became so synonymous with Page that he apparently told ABC not to do ''Delta Force'' intros unless he was the one narrating. When Page returned to the booth to call the radio broadcast of the 2014 race, he even brought the song with him (for that year, anyway. The radio broadcast returned to its own signature theme, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeBr1WqaxMk The 500]]", the following year).
** On the television side, ABC's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY4nNKKjE0w IndyCar Series theme]] (heard on the 500 and several other events) is also quite epic.

* CBS also had some awesome themes for their NASCAR broadcasts. Both the 1995-1997 [[note]]They were also used in early 1998 up to the NAPA Auto Parts 300 Busch Series race at Daytona[[/note]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x4T2VgKs-0 opening]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_SsXMcUyKQ closing themes]] capture the essence of "badass", but the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUP7chwjH60 1998-2000 theme]] truly captures the essence of race day. It was also used in CBS' broadcasts of Indy Racing League races in 1998.

* Leo Arnaud's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IizWc4cJwbw "Bugler's Dream"]]. Though not made for the Olympics, it has played in every American Olympic broadcast since 1968, and is only one of two non-John Williams themes NBC plays during the Olympics (the latter being the theme of the short-lived ''Series/TheAdventuresOfBriscoCountyJr'', which NBC started to occasionally use on sports broadcasts after encountering it in a portfolio by its composer). As theme music, NBC traditionally uses it in a medley with Music/JohnWilliams' "Olympic Fanfare and Theme".
* The Creator/{{CBC}}'s coverage has typically used an original theme, which is remixed for each Games to suit the host country. For instance, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5evwroutTc Athens 2004]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiGsgNjUv64 Tokyo 2020]] versions.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1G5jjMtyEc theme music]] used in 2010 and 2012 by the CTV[=/=]Rogers coverage was also effective, but also had an AwardBaitSong version ("I Believe") that was used as an ImageSong in just about every promo for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt7dVadJRzs The 1998 Olympic Games' opening ceremony.]] [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven's]] Ode to Joy performed simultaneously on five ''continents.''
* Creator/TheBBC's opening sequence for the 2008 Summer Olympics was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr5ZWYRaAyw pretty epic.]] It's also by the creative duo behind the {{Music/Gorillaz}}.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3kNRyh_rj8 Both]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10SWNWzGq1U versions]] of "Summon The Heroes", a theme Music/JohnWilliams composed for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta (and is still occasionally used as part of NBC's coverage as an alternate theme)
* The instrumental version of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji7sW596-l8 Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Theme]] - by Music/HowardShore, no less - as well as their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTMINOnLQDI Medals Ceremony music]].

* Great Britain may never have been a skiing superpower[[note]]Its first snow-based Winter Olympic medal came in 2014 (one came in 2002, but was rescinded after using a nasal decongestant whose American formulation - unlike its European counterpart - contained a banned substance) and won its first Alpine skiing World Cup event in 2022.[[/note]], but that didn't stop the BBC - naturally, going by the number of its appearances on this page - choosing to use [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIfO_QQWD1g "Pop Looks Bach" by Sam Fonteyn]] for its ''Ski Sunday'' programme and coverage of the Winter Olympics (until 2006).

* Creator/TheBBC's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GkgoeKHsXI International Snooker]] theme is pretty awesome. Even Music/BillBailey [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m32IEP5iik agrees on that one.]]
* From the BBC, Elton John's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqT22wR-vTw "Sartorial Eloquence (Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More?}"]]

** Think the Music/JayZ and Rihanna mashup was great? Super Bowl XLVII takes it up to eleven when E.S. Posthumus [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgAt6aTGgyw gets mashed]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n8a0JNtBDg up with]] '''Music/{{Queen}}'''.

* Dolores Claman's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMJWunuF1vU Hockey Theme]]", considered by many to be Canada's ''real'' national anthem. Used for 40 years on ''Series/HockeyNightInCanada'' and currently on TSN's NHL coverage. Several arrangements exist; even Music/{{Rush}} drummer Neil Peart [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha9ccf4YfzU arranged and recorded a version in 2009]]. It was also released as a downloadable song for ''VideoGame/RockBand''.

* It's easy to get in the mood for some World Cup with a great TV opening. Just see what was done in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP67IM1LX-M 2014]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP67IM1LX-M 2018]].

* Thankfully, Fox did not use its ''other'' piece of football music for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, electing to instead go with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr8awRUS6XQ a majestic theme]] that wouldn't sound out of place during the Olympics. Bonus points go to their image song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh1RBDBxMZY "Beautiful Life"]], the debut single of penultimate ''Series/AmericanIdol'' champion Nick Fradiani.
* Fox tapped the Russian composer Kirill Richter for its 2018 FIFA World Cup theme, [[https://youtu.be/cMNIU1Pgdfk "Where Angels Fear to Tread"]].

* When Fox won the rights to broadcast USGA events from 2015 to 2026, the network commissioned Music/BrianTyler to compose [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy5l95y7S_I their theme music]], which appropriately has a strident, cinematic sound.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2AZH4FeGsc opening theme music]] for ABC's ''Series/WideWorldOfSports'': Combined with Jim [=McKay=]'s narration, you have the perfect representation of "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!" (Cue poor ol' Vinko Bogataj going off the ski jump...) Kalehoff-ified in [[https://kalehoff.sourceaudio.com/#!details?id=12335386 1989]].

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2AZH4FeGsc opening theme music]] for ABC's ''Series/WideWorldOfSports''. Combined with Jim [=McKay=]'s narration, and you have the perfect representation of "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!" (Cue poor ol' Vinko Bogataj going off the ski jump...) Kalehoff-ified in [[https://kalehoff.sourceaudio.com/#!details?id=12335386 1989]].

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=881YSZFhVJA original Fox college football theme]] (associated primarily with FSN's games) carries some of the stylistic trademarks of Fox's other sports themes, but still manages to go in its own direction with a distinctly collegiate sound. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlstDUhgZMM current]] ''Fox College Football'' theme is a remix of the aforementioned ''NFL on Fox'' theme with a [[RearrangeTheSong marching band arrangement]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXFIWcpLPr8 ESPN's previous college football theme]]. And then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSqhicmUINQ the new theme]] which debuted in 2015 for the College Football Playoff games (and taking over as the main theme the subsequent season). There is also a drum and bass remix sometimes used to go into breaks.

* CBS's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3cGtZ3N4FU college basketball theme]], used since 1992, is pretty much ''the'' soundtrack of March Madness. "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw-8MFg9WIg One Shining Moment]]", which is traditionally played over a highlights montage at the end of the NCAA tournament, may be an AwardBaitSong, but has equally become an essential part of the tournament for many viewers.
* ESPN's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irz9dk4Jhj8 previous college basketball theme]] (used until 2017, but still used for NCAA tournament coverage by Canadian counterpart TSN) may not be in the same league as the CBS theme, but it still conveys the energy of the game.

* The Masters is a tournament that is steeped in tradition. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlpwHBn6ikg Dave Loggins' iconic theme music]] is just one of them. It stands out as a significant contrast to almost every other entry on this entire page, trading the bombastic orchestras and synthesizers for piano and acoustic guitar.
* Yanni is a popular choice for TV networks' sports themes, and for good reason: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3jZeu58l-A "In Celebration of Man"]] (NBC's USGA championships theme) and his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMKsmKImZJU former PGA theme for CBS]] are both epic. NBC lost the U.S. Open to Fox in 2015, but quickly brought back "In Celebration of Man" when it started airing The Open Championship the following year (using a slight [[RearrangeTheTune remix]] with bagpipes added).
* For the PGA Tour's Players Championship (it's not a major, but it's a ''de facto'' major in such a way that the PGA Tour always singles it out, and it has a pretty large purse), NBC brings out the theme from ''Film/TheManFromSnowyRiver''.
* When Fox won the rights to broadcast United States Golf Association events from 2015 to 2026, people feared they would use the network's NFL theme for golf. While the Franklin Templeton Shootout ''did'', everyone's fears were put aside when Fox debuted ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy5l95y7S_I this]]'' for their first U.S. Open.

* CBS's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3cGtZ3N4FU college basketball theme]], used since 1992, is pretty much ''the'' soundtrack of March Madness.
** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw-8MFg9WIg One Shining Moment]]", which is traditionally played over a highlights montage at the end of the NCAA tournament, may be an AwardBaitSong, but has equally become an essential part of the tournament for many viewers.

* Music/NewOrder's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re4aDJL3heA "World In Motion"]], written for the English campaign at UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup in 1990, is quite inspiring, even if you're not English. It was their only #1 hit in their native UK (this coming from the band which made "Blue Monday"!).

* In Brazil, Globo uses [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3P4gLJ-Q7U an original fanfare]] for F1 that's also awesome. And repurposed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN8sLuF9nGg a good song]] by one of Keith Mansfield's former bands for one of their sports shows. In Japan, Fuji TV uses the incredibly catchy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al_tAAyWDeY Truth]] by jazz fusion band T-Square to open the broadcasts. In Italy, Sky Sports uses [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFkDa-fAHCQ Tutto quello che ho]] by pop rock band Finley, instead.

%%[[folder:College Basketball]]
%%This folder consists of nothing but zero-context examples. Do not uncomment it without expanding the examples to explain why they're awesome.
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbP1pAp49mA CBS, 1993-2003.]]
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhC5-uIJJWQ CBS, 2003-present.]]
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rgbZi1zSUo ESPN, 1992-1994]] (video contains speech).
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLrQmiYm7YA ESPN, 1995-2001.]]
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYK3g4zE2IU ESPN, 2001-2011.]]
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irz9dk4Jhj8 ESPN, 2011-present.]]
%%[[/folder]]

* The original version of the current ''Hockey Night'' theme (pre-Rogers takeover), "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3rjwKYTK0k Canadian Gold]]", might not have the same legacy, but it's a ''lot'' more raw in its energy. When Sportsnet took over ''HNIC'', the theme was heavily [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eIjPBjKVrQ rearranged]] with an orchestral sound, and additional cues to go along with it.

* The old [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PReim0Axt4 theme]] when ESPN had coverage of the NHL. Game version [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfOB3jzfpoU here]]. With the move of the NCAA Frozen Four final to ESPN proper in 2014, they brought it back for its coverage. When ESPN announced a new contract to broadcast NHL games beginning in the 2021-22 season, the network specifically promised that the theme would return too.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_29EWgsvSE theme music for Comcast SportsNet/NBS Sports's regional broadcasts]]. Gives a great sense of "welcome to the arena!" as the game starts and goes underway.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_29EWgsvSE theme music for CSN's regional broadcasts]]. Gives a great sense of "welcome to the arena!" as the game starts and goes underway.