Iconic Theme Music

When it was announced that the NHL was returning to ESPN this season, I think people were more excited about the music than anything else.  And with good reason.  ESPN's hockey theme is great and instantly recognizable.  But is it the best sports TV theme music of all time?  Not even close!  It isn't even the best hockey theme music.  So, where does it fall then?  Let's find out.  (Like most of my top 10 lists, this ended up being a top 15.  Just go with it!)

15. Wide World of Sports: Jim McKay's intro is more iconic than the music itself, but for sports fans of a certain age, "Wide World of Sports" was an institution.  And its theme song was the soundtrack of their Saturday afternoons for more than 30 years.

14. MLB on NBC (1980s): NBC had a lot of different themes during the years it had the "Game of the Week," but the mid-80s version is the best.  Plus, that's when Vin Scully was their play-by-play guy, so you'd hear that theme and then that soothing voice!  A can't miss combo!

13. Breakfast at Wimbledon: ESPN has had exclusive rights to Wimbledon for a decade now, which means we no longer get to hear NBC's sensational "Breakfast at Wimbledon" theme.  Which is too bad.  Because it fits the tournament and its location so well.  So classy and elegant.

12. Seoul 1988: It pains me to put this one so low.  Mainly because I love it so much.  I think it's even better than NBC's current Olympic theme (which was also composed by John Williams).  But, since this one was only used for one Olympics, I can't justify ranking it any higher, either.

11. MLB on FOX: Is it great?  No.  Is it easily identifiable?  Yes.  FOX will broadcast its 22nd consecutive World Series next week, and this theme has been the soundtrack of many an October since then.

10. This Week In Baseball: Much like "Wide World of Sports," "This Week In Baseball" is more than just a classic sports program.  It was an institution.  Mel Allen signing off into that incredible music rolling over the closing credits.  Just hearing the music brings me back to my childhood.

9. CBS Olympic Theme: Some people actually prefer the theme music that CBS used for the three Winter Olympics in the 90s to any of the NBC themes.  It was written by a woman named Tamara Kline and may be appreciated more today than it was then.

8. NHL on NBC: As much as hockey fans missed ESPN's theme music, it's not like the intro they heard on NBC for the past 15 years was bad.  In fact, the NHL on NBC theme is just as catchy and just as capable of becoming an ear worm.  And, let's not forget, the NHL on NBC had Doc Emrick, so that's worth some bonus points!

7. Sunday Night Football: Remember when they tried to change the song?  It did NOT go over well!  And they changed it back after one season (was it even one season?).  From Pink to Faith Hill to Carrie Underwood, we've been "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" for 15 years now.  Of course, it was originally a Joan Jett song, but it'll forever be associated with Sunday Night Football from here on out.

6. Olympic Fanfare: "Olympic Fanfare" was originally written for the 1984 Games, and ABC used it as the broadcast theme that year.  Then NBC started using it in 1992 and it's been their Olympic theme ever since.  Whenever you hear it, you instantly know what time it is.  Then you hear it multiple times a day every day for two and a half weeks to the point you're sick of it.  Until two years later (or six months later in this case) when you do it all over again.

5. March Madness: "One Shining Moment" isn't technically a theme since they only play it once at the end of the tournament.  The March Madness theme is plenty iconic in its own right, though.  How do you not get hyped up when you first hear it during the Selection Show, knowing what the next three weeks will have in store?

4. NHL on ESPN: I'm sure there are those who would put ESPN's NHL theme at No. 1 and are wondering how I could have it ranked so low.  It's great.  I'm not denying that.  It's definitely the best part of ESPN's hockey coverage.  I just think there are three songs that are more iconic.

3. Monday Night Football: "Are you ready for some football?"  Hank Williams Jr. was as synonymous with Monday Night Football in the late 80s and 90s as Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf.  He and the song went over to ESPN after it switched networks, but it wasn't the same.

2. NBA on NBC: John Tesh's "Roundball Rock" lives on as FOX/FS1's theme for its college basketball coverage!  And I'm sure I'm not the only one who had flashbacks of all those memorable Knicks-Bulls games in the 90s during Georgetown's run in the Big East Tournament!  Even though NBC doesn't have the NBA anymore, you can still hear it on the network.  They've used it for Olympic basketball since 2012.  And it was sampled in that Nelly song, too.

1. Hockey Night In Canada: How do you know when a song moves from a sports theme to a national institution?  When said nation hosts the Olympics and they play that song at the Closing Ceremony!  "The Hockey Theme" is so iconic in Canada that it's considered to be the unofficial second national anthem.  When CBC lost the rights to it, they had a nationwide contest to find the new Hockey Night In Canada song.  The new one pales in comparison.  There's only one "Hockey Theme" and it will always be synonymous with Hockey Night In Canada, even if CBC isn't allowed to play it anymore!