I've always been somewhat skeptical of songs written about football. There are plenty of great songs written about sports out there, but if you look at them as a whole, most of them are written about boxing* or baseball. Oh, and the vast majority of good songs about sports were written back in the '70s (or earlier). Despite being such a huge pop culture success, football just hasn't inspired musicians the same way that other sports have.
↵So when I heard that the Bucs had a rap song written in their honor -- entitled "Football's Back" -- I didn't have high expectations. I like a wide range of rap, but this song was written as a season-anthem for the Bucs, and those sort of songs rarely (if ever) pan out. I mean, really, do I even need to remind you of this atrocity?
↵After listening to the song, I'm slightly torn. For the most part, it's exactly what I mentioned above: a glib season-anthem piece that while fun, will probably get way too much play and grate on my nerves by the end of the week. It does have a fun intro featuring a preseason quote from head coach Raheem Morris, though, and it's put to the tune of "Tupac Back" by Meek Mill and Rick Ross. You could certainly do worse.
↵But I can't help wondering when football is finally going to get a serious song written about it. It seems wildly ironic that football could be so successful, yet "Are You Ready for Some Football?" is probably its most iconic song.
↵If you're interested, here's a link to the song. What do you think?
↵*Seriously, if you flip through that list, there are lots of songs written about boxing. I've been reading W.C. Heinz recently, and boxers used to get so much more attention than they do these days. It's almost sad how much that sport has declined, and that it's now been replaced by the WWF and MMA.