By John Rolfe, SI.com Be it rock, rap, country, hip-hop, pop, music is the soundtrack to sports every bit as much as boos, cheers, the crack of the bat, or the toot of the ref's whistle. It's standard on game broadcasts.
It blares from stadium speakers. A batter or closer who appears unaccompanied (Metallica's Enter Sandman , anyone?) by music is an odd duck indeed.
The natural connection runs deep. Sports-nut musicians have been naming bands after things germane to sports , referencing athletes in song -- Johnny Damon ( Ben Harper ), Magic Johnson (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Allen Iverson (Wu Tang Clan), Michael Jordan (Five For Fighting), Joe DiMaggio ( Les Brown , Simon Garfunkel, John Fogerty ) are among the too many to name -- and buying stakes in teams -- Gene The Singing Cowboy' Autry (Angels), rapper Jay-Z (Nets) -- for years. Eddie Vedder , Ozzy Osbourne and the immortal William Hung are but three of the musical luminaries who have warbled Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Wrigley Field or belted out national anthems ( Alanis Morrissette , Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Whitney Houston , Billy Joel ) before the first pitch, kickoff, tip-off, drop of the puck or start of the engines.
Music culture infuses and popularizes sports. As rapper Ice Cube explained in a Q A with , SI.com's Arash Markazi , The NBA without hip-hop is just a game.
Hip-hop made Michael [Jordan] cool. Musicians know that sports make them cool, and the connection is tighter than ever. The Super Bowl, Daytona 500, Hall of Fame ceremonies and other major events routinely feature major names such as Kanye West , Faith Hill , Prince and the Rolling Stones.
Stars deliver the theme songs for Monday Night Football ( Hank Williams, Jr. and the All-Star Band) and Saturday Night College Football ( 50 Cent ). ESPN's Ultmate Highlight Reel is a good place to catch new songs.
Such exposure, especially a gig like the annual NFL Kickoff Concert, guarantees a musician millions of eyes and ears. Bands position {themselves] for sporting events, as they do get you in front of people, explains John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting, a member of this year's Monday Night Football All-Star Band who has also played the NHL All-Star Game, among others. And it's a good time.
To say that musicians and athletes have a mutual admiration society is putting it mildly. Fandom aside, they share a common bottom line performing on two of life's biggest stages while relying on their talent, energy, passion, and concentration under pressure. After all, stadiums and arenas are home to both games and concerts.
As SI.com explored last year , many athletes dabble in music, and some, such as former Yankees centerfielder Bernie Williams and ex-NBA forward Wayman Tisdale have launched bona fide careers. For musicians who once played a sport or wish they could, their star status enables them to befriend their heroes, take the field with them , or play in their own celebrity events and leagues.
Rapper Nelly has said that he'd rather have a championship ring than a Grammy Award. Either way, you've got to play well to win one. That's the name of both games.
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