And the Brits have the unassailable right to claim dominance in this category, but Britain is a sport/music anomaly. Sporting anthems are supposed to be atrocious. They are designed to be 'sung' from Her stands, Her pubs and Her living rooms. They rarely mirror current music trends. They are real songs for real football fans (!).
Compare this with Britain's trans-Atlantic cousins, whose culture is grounded in the alma mater 'college fight song' and uniformed marching bands. Even at a professional level, the NFL doesn't lend itself easily to anthems or indeed, any particular music genre. MTV hosting the half-time show at the recent Super Bowl was a classic case of square peg in round hole. Aside from the bonus of seeing pop stars perform outside of their natural habitat, Janet Jackson's wardrobe accident (courtesy of Justin Timberlake) may determine that this initiative is unlikely to be repeated. No, to truly appreciate the synergistic relationship between sport and music in the US, you have to look at basketball and hip hop.
Basketball is an inexpensive sport. Like hip hop, basketball (though not created in the 'hood), developed there and thrived, acting as a seed bed for dreams as it catapulted its gifted ones to riches. In the same way singing is part of English football culture, so the development of professional basketball is inextricably linked to the emotive music that accompanied its growth.
The ultimate symbiosis between sport and music today comes from the 'new' breed of action sports. Take www.extremesportsmusic.com, a site dedicated to independent musicians who are also extreme sports enthusiasts. On the site, you can listen to and download music created by people who like the same sports and everything that goes with it: gear, fashion, books, stories, travel.
In an inspired co-branding exercise, Nike and Philips have launched psa play, a range of digital audio players (psa = portable sport audio). Download music, organise tracks and create personal playlists to match your training, workout or mood. The product has the sporting credibility of Nike, the tech know-how of Philips and the choice of music is up to the consumer.
But was there a missed trick here on the part of the record labels?
Another example: Burton has been designing gear in tandem with boarders' music-listening habits: jackets with arm stash/communication pockets to keep your technology handy and the new AMP Pack, a backpack that not only houses your iPod, but allows you to switch songs just by pressing a button on the shoulder strap.
The music and sport nexus has gone freestyle. By all means, keep humming the Ski Sunday theme tune at the first hint of a frosty day, and it is socially acceptable to pronounce it 'Ingerr-laand' come June, but the marching band has brought us to today. Record labels may get a stay of execution after all as sport, like all good entertainment, comes with a soundtrack.
