A good network sports theme puts you in the mood for the spectacle about to take place on the field. It sets the tone, conveys the emotion and intensity of the competition and can even give you chills in anticipation of something big.
A good theme also stays with you years after you leave the airwaves. But upon hearing it, you’re instantly taken back to that memorable moment or series that helped define your love of gaming.
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Here are the nine best network baseball theme songs of all time:
9. ABC Baseball Theme: 1983-1988
Baseball’s musical identity on ABC varied widely in the 1970s and 1980s, with “Monday Night Baseball” generally featuring the same music as the network’s All-Star and playoff coverage. “Monday Night Baseball” never had the popularity of “Monday Night Football” (or its iconic theme), but the show was still a big deal for baseball fans in the ’70s and ’80s who didn’t have no cable, and this theme is perhaps the show’s most recognizable.
8. ABC Baseball Theme: 1976-1980
This earlier version of ABC’s baseball theme gives off a “Lifestyles of the Rich and Celebrity” vibe, almost saying, “Sports is such entertaining – and sumptuous! But it’s more musically complex than a lot of modern network sports music, which deserves to be enjoyed in a cool, retro way.
7. NBC Baseball Theme: 1974
Kevin Gavin’s groovin’ theme for NBC’s 1974 baseball broadcasts sounds like the main title of a ’70s Hollywood crime drama, fitting the brutal and flamboyant nature of baseball of the decade. There’s no memorable melody to speak of, but the aggressive rhythm section and wailing saxophone set the appropriate tone for a night of hardball in front of your color TV, perhaps while you lounge on your shag rug .
6. “MLB on Fox”: 1996-2007
Composer Scott Schreer’s brass-heavy theme represented everything Fox was in 1996: energetic, loud, and in-your-face aggressive: “Look! We’re revolutionizing baseball coverage, whether you like it or not! Microphones in the basics, baby!” After the 2000 season, when Fox gained broadcast exclusivity, it became THE the sound of baseball on network television. The tune was the main theme of “MLB on Fox” from the network’s first year of broadcast baseball, 1996, until 2007, when Fox began using its NFL music, which Schreer also wrote, for coverage baseball. The music was also the unofficial theme of the Joe Torre-era Yankees, as it marked the team’s dominance during its march to four championships. An updated version of the theme can be heard these days on Fox Regional Baseball Networks and on Fox Sports 1.
5. ESPN Baseball Theme: 1990-Present
This theme by composer Clark Gault has undergone various updates over the past 25 years, but the melody has an undeniable longevity. The first six notes of the melody, instantly recognizable, have become synonymous with the national pastime. From the debut of “Baseball Tonight” in 1990 to Sunday’s game between the Cardinals and Dodgers, the theme has demonstrated longevity and helped two generations of fans increase their appreciation for the game.
4. NBC Baseball Theme: 1983-1988
From the opening notes of NBC’s famous tricolor motif, this energetic, brass-led theme introduced the network’s “Game of the Week” telecasts that were synonymous with summer Saturday afternoons for much of the The theme generally emphasized the warm welcome of Bob Costas, Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola and came to define network coverage of baseball for many. Whether it was a matchup between pennant contenders or a random matchup between the Braves and Astros, the theme told you it was time to watch baseball.
3. ABC Baseball Theme: 1988-1989
This theme is quite obscure, but nevertheless remarkable. After years of varying “Monday Night Baseball” themes, ABC launched this one at the end of the 1988 season and used it for playoff coverage until it stopped broadcasting baseball after the 1989 season. Despite a short life, the theme is forever linked to an important moment in sports and broadcasting history, as it was used during the opening of the ABC World Series telecast on 17 October 1989, just minutes before the Loma Prieta earthquake was witnessed. live by millions of viewers. The energetic arrangement is accessible yet dignified, and it captures the enthusiasm of baseball in the style of late ’80s symphonic pop.
2. NBC Baseball Alternate Theme: 1986-1989
Unlike the old “Game of the Week” theme, this secondary theme from composer Clark Gault features a serious, regal, and almost reflective tone that evokes the notion of baseball as nostalgia. It debuted during the 1986 World Series and was most often used during NBC’s subsequent playoff coverage. It did not become the network’s main baseball theme until 1989, with its final year regularly broadcasting baseball. The article closed NBC’s final baseball broadcast, Game 5 of the 1989 NLCS, after more than four decades of coverage. MLB broadcast rights then went to CBS for four seasons.
1. CBS Baseball Theme: 1990-1993, 2015
Despite general fan grumbling about the overall quality of CBS’s baseball coverage, the network was good at using music and visuals to portray the majesty of baseball, especially during the World Series. That’s why its baseball theme is at the top of our list. While other networks tended to feature quick baseball intros, CBS and composers Bob Christianson and Tony Smythe opted for drama. Christianson and Smythe have composed a mature, soaring theme — considered by many fans to be the best part of CBS’ baseball coverage — that stands out from the rest of the past four decades. If you were a Braves fan, you heard this theme a lot, and hearing the opening bars probably takes you back to the early ’90s in October.
CBS apparently still understands the value of the theme. The network recently announced on Facebook that it had resurrected the theme for its college baseball coverage – the first time the theme had aired in 22 years.
We’re bringing back CBS Sports’ old MLB theme music (for the first time since the 1993 World Series!) for tonight’s American Athletic Conference Championship on CBS Sports Network.
posted by CBS Sports Tuesday May 19, 2015
Of course, the major networks weren’t the only ones coming up with memorable themes for baseball coverage. Local stations also often broadcast catchy tunes for the games. So, because you know you want to keep wasting time on this, here’s a nearly hour-long homage someone made to TV baseball themes of the ’80s and ’90s. The cuts are sometimes harsh, but you will still be captivated. Appreciate.
