- Sports ChartsBaseball Walk-Up SongsWhen a star baseball player comes to bat, the only thing louder than the crowd is his chosen walk-up song. From Celtic rallying cries to Miami party anthems, here are the MLB's top 10 sluggers and their themes, ranked by batting average.*
*as of June 21, 2016presented by
- Sports ChartsBasketball Champions SongsChampionship NBA seasons are marked in our memories by the clutch shots, the brazen steals – and the songs that welcomed the eventual victor to the court. We compiled the intro songs from the last decade of hardwood champs into a playlist of total domination.presented by
Current Batting Average: .356
This Washington Nationals second baseman isn’t from Beantown, but he’s got the perfect last name for this boisterous Celtic-punk jam. And there’s nothing like bagpipes to put a little extra oomph in your swing.
Current Batting Average: .347
The fifth-ever Aruban ballplayer to make the majors, Bogaerts nods to the Caribbean with Major Lazer's bumping amalgam of dancehall and EDM. In addition to lighting it up in the batter's box, Xander is a standout fielder who was a Gold Glove finalist in 2015.
Current Batting Average: .343
Chino & Nacho, the duo behind this infectious reggaeton song, share much in common with Jose Altuve. Like the Astros second baseman, they’re Venezuelan-born superstars with a proven track record for making hits.
Current Batting Average: .339
That’s Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes singing with rapper Jay the Prince on this Spanish-language banger, which translates to “All the Way Up.” It’s an excellent selection for the beloved Red Sox designated hitter known as “Big Papi.” He likes to send balls all the way up into the stands.
Current Batting Average: .333
Phish-heads have been chanting “Wilson” at the group’s gigs for years, and in 2013, Seattle Seahawks fans began using it to cheer quarterback Russell Wilson. The ‘Hawks wound up winning a Super Bowl -- which bodes well for this Nationals catcher. Even if Ramos isn’t the world’s biggest jam-band fan, the music isn’t hurting his swing.
Current Batting Average: .333
The soundtrack is ice-cold Dominican hip-hop when this Pirates left fielder gets ready to do his thing. Marte hails from the DR, so he’s repping for his homeland while psyching himself up.
Current Batting Average: .326
The song is called “Pause,” but the beat keeps going on this EDM thumper from Mr. Worldwide, aka Pitbull. It’s a dance floor heater sure to get this Tigers first baseman and five-time All-Star swinging for the fences.
Current Batting Average: .322
The title means “tasty,” and that’s a great description of this sweet and spicy dembow delight from Dominican singer El Alfa. It’s no wonder his fellow DR native Ozuna chose the song to soundtrack his stroll to the plate at Marlins Park. If fans have been digging the beat, they’re really savoring the center fielder’s ability this season to knock ‘em outta the park.
Current Batting Average: .321
You’ve got to like the subtle tropical club jam that carries this Dominican utility player into action at Target Field. “Dame tu Whatsapp” is cool and seductive enough to lull pitchers into a fall sense of security. Just because Nunez doesn’t raise a ruckus, it doesn’t mean he won’t round the bases.
Current Batting Average: .321
This Venezuelan-born Miami Marlins utility player doesn’t just walk up—he rides a righteous reggae groove, compliments of Ivorian reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly.
"I came, I saw, I conquered, I balled": It was with those prophetic words that LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers took the court throughout the 2016 NBA Finals. Produced by British trio Yogi and featuring some hard bars from rapper Pusha T, this clanging mix of hip-hop and EDM was weapons-grade psych-up music as the Cavs did battle with the Golden State Warriors. After losing three of the first four games, the Cavs rocketed back and took the final three, giving Cleveland its first major sports title in 52 years.
This remix of 2Pac’s 1995 classic by U.K. producer Rusko was just the song for the Golden State Warriors as they roared toward their first NBA title in 40 years. Rusko’s version honors the past -- those glory days of Pac and Dre repping for the West Coast -- while infusing some glitchy, hyper-modern beats. It was, after all, a new era. Counting the playoffs, the Warriors went 80-23, and “Splash Brothers” Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 525 three-pointers -- the most by any pair of teammates in history.
The banger is part of a hybrid that carried the San Antonio Spurs to the court during their triumphant 2014-15 campaign. It began with some grinding dubstep, compliments of Canadian producer Excision, and then segued into the more rousing “Animals” by Dutch EDM great Martin Garrix. The global vibe was appropriate, given that the Spurs began the season with record 10 international players.
Thanks to the “Big Three” of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, it would’ve taken more than a “Seven Nation Army” to stop the Miami Heat from claiming their second straight NBA title. Jack White’s menacing seven-note riff sure spurred the team into action against the Spurs, who proved worthy adversaries in finals but ultimately went down in seven games.
“Ball so hard” is right, alright. A year after losing it all to the Mavs in the previous year, the Miami Heat came out blazing -- especially during the Finals, when they caught fire following a Game 1 loss to the Thunder, and proceeded to win four straight. Jay and ‘Ye provided the perfect hype music, even if the lyrics mention a couple of Chicago Bulls (Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose).
As German seven-footer Dirk Nowitzki and company gave the Dallas Mavericks their first NBA title in franchise history, they got a nightly boost from this, the funky high-water mark on The Who’s otherwise forgettable 1982 album It’s Hard. The song has a certain sparkling beauty and sense of gravity -- even if no one knows what the heck the title means.
There are few rock anthems more powerful than “Baba,” and for two years straight, there was no NBA squad tougher than the L.A. Lakers. In 2009, they capped their season by thumping the Magic 4-1, and in 2010, they bested the Boston Celtics in a thrilling seven-game series that saw Kobe Bryant win his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP.
The frenzied beat in Fiddy’s 2007 smash was perfect for the Boston Celtics, who worked wicked hard to win their first title since 1986. Led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, the team rebounded from a lousy 2006-07 season and improved their record by 42 wins -- an NBA record. By the time they faced the Lakers in The Finals, they were ready to rule the court like 50 rules the clubs.
The San Antonio Spurs didn’t need a gimmicky theme song to become an ‘00s dynasty. Fueled by this classic jock jam -- a song that’ll blast in stadiums as long as there are professional sports -- the Spurs captured titles in 2007, 2005, 2003, and 1999. Ordinarily, this song gets old pretty fast, but not when you’re hoisting championship trophies.
There are a lot of urban legends surrounding Phil Collins’ chilling 1981 smash, many having to do with drowning. The 2005-06 Miami Heat were kept afloat by a well-rounded squad known as “15 Strong.” Front and center were Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal, who proved even more awesome than Phil’s famous drum fill in the song that brought them to the court.
En route to steamrolling the heavily favored Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals, the Detroit Pistons took the floor each night to the curious combo of hometown hero Kid Rock and Swedish cheese-rockers Europe's "The Final Countdown." In the music-centric city of Detroit, it’s no stretch to say the soundtrack played a key role in the team’s success.
Van Halen were great under David Lee Roth, but it takes a Sammy Hagar to deliver something like “Right Now.” This super-earnest piano-powered ode to seizing the moment led the Los Angeles Lakers to the court throughout their triumphant three-peat run from 2000 to 2002. These were the golden years of Kobe and Shaq, so if the Lakers had wanted another Van Halen jam from 1991, they might have picked “Top of the World.”
Leave it to one of the greatest sports teams of all time, the ‘90s Chicago Bulls, to create one of the most spine-tingling intros ever conceived by man. The Alan Parsons Project’s prog-rock instrumental has a mysterious power that was intensified tenfold by announcer Ray Clay’s voice. That’s not the reason the Bulls pulled off two three-peats (’91-’93 and ’96-’98), but as Jordan, Pippen, and the gang made mincemeat of the competition, their intro music added to the mystique.
How could Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and the rest of the Houston Rockets not get insanely psyched up after hearing “U Got 2 Know,” a tune that ought to be classified as ADM (or Aerobic Dance Music)? Enlivened by this Eurodance anthem, Houston swept the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals to grab their second straight title.
