# Athletes name-dropped in songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168 "2011-08-26T12:30:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/41 "2011-08-27T14:06:38Z")
Red Hot Chili Peppers have a song called “Magic Johnson”. It’s pretty obvious who that one’s about. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/42 "2011-08-27T14:25:19Z")
There’s Roy Harper’s [When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2PmnTvPfn4) which references Geoff Boycott and John Snow. A truly beautiful song. And don’t forget Cheech and Chong’s [Basketball Jones](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIbp5C-5WXM). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/43 "2011-08-27T19:32:55Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Are you thinking of Amy Grant’s “Good For Me”? > > _You like to drive > Like Mario Andretti > I like it takin’ my time_ Yes, that’s the one. Explains why I couldn’t find it on Google. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/44 "2011-08-27T20:04:34Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > If anyone wants to take the question up as a challenge, I’ll bet Jackie Robinson against anyone. I’ll take that bet. I think Jordan’s name has been dropped far more times. You underestimate how much people (rappers) love Michael Jordan. Puff Daddy- Victory Ice Cube- When Will They Shoot Ice Cube- Today Was A Good Day Joe Budden- NBA Michael Jackson- You Rock My World Remix Nas- Can’t Forget About You Nas- Street Dreams Five For Fighting- Michael Jordan Jay-Z- Encore Jay-Z- Hova Song (Intro) Group Home- Living Proof KRS One & Das Efx - Represent The Real Hip Hop LL Cool J - Rasta Imposter Big L- Da Graveyard Fabolous - Why Wouldn’t I Fabolous- Throwback Jadakiss - Why Skillz- Off The Wall Rhymefest- Brand New Cormega- Fallen Soldiers Cormega- Stay Up Juelz Santana- Down Juelz Santana- Daddy’s Home 2Pac- Better Dayz 2Pac - Tha Lunatic DTP- Growing Pains Remix 50 Cent - Gotta Make It to Heaven Bow Wow- Basketball QB’s Finest- Our Way Beanie Sigel- Raw and Uncut Big Pun- The Dream Shatterer Clipse - Comedy Central Drayz- Represent the Real Hip Hop Twista- Still Feels So Good Black Sheep- Me & My Brother The Game- 240 Bars Big K.R.I.T.- Hometown Hero Blu- In Remembrance of Me Chuck Inglish- Pennies (The Cool Kids) Ghostface- Buck 50 and I stopped bothering to find [more](http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/nba-lyrics/) (I stopped at G on that list). It’s not even close. Now what do I win? ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/45 "2011-08-27T20:21:57Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > and I stopped bothering to find [more](http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/nba-lyrics/) (I stopped at G on that list). It’s not even close. Now what do I win? I also feel that MJ will be #1; he was the predominant athlete for a long interval, and was almost synonymous with both his sport and being the absolute best in a given field… important shit to invoke for any performer in that era who wants to do any kind of boast. Between his two names, I have a feeling Muhammad Ali/Cassius Clay will be at least second (no disrespect meant toward his preferred name, as Cassius Clay _does_ show up in lyrics). Both Jordan and Ali were name-dropped in a _ton_ of rap lyrics, especially in the '80s/90s, and many regional releases are probably not easily found online. If you dredge the oeuvre of NoI-friendly rappers, you’re guaranteed to find an Ali reference in a song, though a lot of these were cassette releases or mixtapes/mix CDs sold out of car trunks and such. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/46 "2011-08-27T21:49:41Z")
Well Bob Dylan did that song about Hurricane Carter called “Hurricane.” And there’s “Sugar Shack” by the ARchies, I"m pretty sure that would have been about Shaquille O Neal if he’d been born then. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/47 "2011-08-27T23:35:54Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > I’ll take that bet. I think Jordan’s name has been dropped far more times. You underestimate how much people (rappers) love Michael Jordan. > … > and I stopped bothering to find [more](http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/nba-lyrics/) (I stopped at G on that list). It’s not even close. Now what do I win? Well, I did say Jordan would be the winner in the hip-hop and basketball categories. And I’ll concede that it looks like he probably wins in overall name-drops. You are hereby awarded TEN (10) Bragging Rights, good now through the end of the month. I still say Robinson could be the leader in thematic references–songs that are actually _about_ him at some level, rather than just using the name as a rhyme, boast, analogy or time-stamp. ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/48 "2011-08-28T00:26:29Z")
Hyper Crush, “That’s How We Roll” > [@](#): > > Kareem Abdul Jabbar on my feet > Kobe Bryant on my jersey > I ain’t got no Aston Martin, girl > But I got that Magic Johnson ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/49 "2011-08-28T00:38:41Z")
Eminem flows like Troy Polamalu’s hair on Track 17 off of Recovery ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/50 "2011-08-28T00:51:32Z")
Jonathan Coulton’s song _A Talk With George_ mentions Archie Moore and Sugar Ray as well as the “Rumble in the Jungle”. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/51 "2011-08-28T02:57:55Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > The flip side is poor, unnoticed hockey players; I can think of only one mainstream, non-hockey centric song dropping a name - Kid Rock’s _Wasting Time_. And that hockey player is so poor and unnoticed he doesn’t even get mentioned by name _here_. Steve Yzerman, btw. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/52 "2011-08-28T03:02:16Z")
Cos I’m the one with the fat mad skills and I won’t choke like the Buffalo Bills Sittin at the pad just chillin cos Larry Parker just got two million, oh what a feelin So shake that n_gga and pass me the pill and I’ll slam dunk ya like Shaquille O’Neal Like it, dig it, maybe and watch that sh_t Kick it ‘cause I get wicked Don’t say nothin’, just listen Got me a plan to break Tyson outta prison… Ice Cube, “Wicked” ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/53 "2011-08-29T16:37:38Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > And there’s “Sugar Shack” by the ARchies Actually, Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. The Archies did “Sugar Sugar”. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/54 "2011-08-29T18:05:45Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > G Love has a song about schoolyard basketball. Dominique, Magic, Bird and Dr J are all mentioned. He’s also got a song about (taking I-76 downtown to) watch the Sixers. Mo Cheeks, Moses Malone, Julius Erving, and Charles Barkley disses Larry Bird. But finding songs where rappers (white or black) namecheck basketball players is only marginally harder than finding salsa songs with “corazon” in them. Almost easier to list the ones that don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/55 "2011-08-29T19:20:24Z")
[Hold On by Lou Reed](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gzjD_uryPk) mentions Mike Tyson. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/56 "2011-08-30T00:10:54Z")
Boom Boom Mancini by Warren Zevon mentions several boxers. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/57 "2011-08-30T00:19:43Z")
“You can have them bimbos I like my women like Flo-Jo” Sir Mix-a-Lot, _Baby Got Back_ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168/58 "2011-08-30T00:45:04Z")
> [@](#): > > I like my women like Flo-Jo" Dead? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-name-dropped-in-songs/594168.md?page=2)