Why will Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium look more like a Hollywood movie theater than a sports arena ahead of ESPN’s College Football Playoff national championship game between Texas Christian University and Georgia on Monday night? Because legendary film composer John Williams wrote an original big game theme.
Titled “Of Grit and Glory” and lasting 3.5 minutes, the music will play alongside images of football players – past and present – and aims to evoke the anticipation and excitement of one of the biggest intercollegiate sports games of the year. These visuals will be interspersed with video of Williams’ three-hour recording session for the play, which took place on the Sony stage in December and featured the talents of a 96-piece orchestra.
The anthem will be played in its entirety before the match and will also be used in specially edited clips throughout the evening’s main event.
Williams, a five-time Academy Award winner (who has been nominated 52 times), celebrated his 90th birthday last year and is currently among the frontrunners for an Oscar for his work on The critically acclaimed film “The Fabelmans” by Steven Spielberg. He is currently working on music for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” scheduled for release in June.
When it comes to composing for sporting events, Williams is no slouch either. His credits include four Olympic marching bands and walking on the field for NBC’s football coverage.
