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10 Great (Or Very Ungreat) Music Videos Featuring Athletes

Athletics and energetic music go hand in hand. They're both things that just take over your body. The former makes you acutely aware of your physicality, and the latter (when it truly hits you in the zone) makes you forget all about your surroundings as you flail away in total abandon. And so it's no surprise that the music video art form emerged in tandem with the full fruition of professional sports. And it's even less surprising that there would be cross-pollination between the two fields.

Not too many musicians ended up catching a second act as athletes (if anything, they moved into acting), but based on the evidence, a ton of athletes yearned for the chance to make it big in music. Here are 10 great videos featuring athletes at the top of their game (sports) or the bottom of their game (music), or some that are somewhere in between.

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The Pointer Sisters, "Jump (For My Love)" (1983)

We're definitely in the nascent stage of the music video form here. There's little more mise-en-scène here beyond Ruth, Anita and June Pointer dancing around on a dark-tiled soundstage in glamorous proto-'80s duds. But peppered throughout are clips of Olympians doing exactly what the Sisters command: "Jump." It's simple but direct, a formula that would serve many a sporting events montage in the future.

by on Vimeo

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John Fogerty, "Centerfield" (1985)

A classic baseball ditty -- for many, it's the classic -- gets a clip that revels in pure, unabashed nostalgia for if not the oldest, certainly the most well-established American team sport. The grainy, black-and-white footage worked beautifully hand-in-hand with the nation's 1980s retro revivalism. "I'm ready to play." Remember that Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns sponsors the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team and stocks it with ringers? That song that plays over the credits? That's "Centerfield" in the Simpsons' universe.

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The Chicago Bears, "Super Bowl Shuffle" (1985)

Oh boy. Instantly derided, nonetheless, the "Super Bowl Shuffle" is this list's most wrongly treasured time capsule. The song: terrible. The video: excruciating. The sentiment: prescient but premature. They actually recorded it well in advance of their eventual 46-10 win over the Patriots at Super Bowl XX. But darned if people didn't take this novelty hit seriously. It charted on Billboard and was even nominated for a Best R&B Group Performance Grammy Award. (It lost to Prince and the Revolution's "Kiss," proving that even with that intimidating 46 defense line, it's game blouses in the world of music.)

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The 1986 Los Angeles Rams, "Ram It" (1986)

There were a ... TON of imitations of the Bears' template in the wake of "Super Bowl Shuffle." Some were merely bad. Others were unforgettably horrible. None achieve the uniquely nuclear levels of "Oh god, just make it stop!" as the '86 L.A. Rams' ode to, well, ramming. The tune's actually by some measure catchier than "Shuffle," like a B+ Kool and the Gang B-side. But the lyrics barely function as single entendres, much less double. Especially when they're coming full speed out the mouths of football players in full gridiron gear. "I like to ram it, as you can see. Nobody likes rammin' any more than me." "I learned long ago if you ram it just right you can ram it all day and ram it all night." Left swipe.

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Carl Lewis, "Break It Up" (1987)

Where does one start with Carl Lewis? Yes, one can speculate on the reasons he never landed the sort of endorsements that, say, Mary Lou Retton enjoyed, and whether or not public perception of him was technically fair. But whether or not he was, as his agent said, the Michael Jackson of track and field, one thing's for certain. He was not the Michael Jackson of music. His voice certainly had a nice velvety Al Jarreau tone, but his performance in the public access-level "Break It Up" video, which was clearly aiming for camp, was a whole 'nother story.

Carl Lewis - Break It Up (Official Music Video) by Mega Records on YouTube

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Michael Jackson, "Jam" (1991)

Redford and Newman. Lennon and McCartney. Lucy and Vivian. Macaroni and cheese. There are some double bills that are simply forces of nature. Such was the case when the biggest name in pop music united with the biggest name in sports for an epic celebration of basketball and new jack vitality. Of all the videos that came from Michael Jackson's Dangerous LP, "Jam" is by far the least fussy. Of all Michael Jordan's crossover appearances, "Jam" is by many lengths among his most energetic. "Jam" is the Citizen Kane of sports-related music videos.

Michael Jackson - Jam (Official Video) by michaeljacksonVEVO on YouTube

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Hammer, "2 Legit 2 Quit" (1991)

I maintain the song's kinda wack, and Hammer was grasping at cred. But, well, you can't argue with the cast list. Kirby Puckett, Deion Sanders, José Canseco, Isiah Thomas, Jerry Rice, Rickey Henderson, Andre Rison, Chris Mullin, Jerry Glanville, Roger Clemens, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, Lynette Woodard, David Robinson. Oh, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. "2 Legit 2 Quit" is the Ten Commandments of sports-related music videos.

Hammer - 2 Legit 2 Quit (Full Version) (HQ) by Anthony Carter on YouTube

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Hootie and the Blowfish, "Only Wanna Be With You" (1995)

And this is sort of the blockbuster that time forgot. (So ... Avatar? OK, enough with the movie comparisons.) Hootie and the Blowfish were, next to Alanis, the epitome of mid-90s pop music on a mass scale. Were they any good? I'll leave that up to the ear of the beholder. But their ode to Darius Rucker's favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, came fully loaded with cameos by the SportsCenter team as well as Dan Marino, Muggsy Bogues, Walt Williams, and so on. Yeah, it still isn't enough to make me want to listen to the song again, but certainly good enough to make this list.

Hootie & The Blowfish - Only Wanna Be with You (Official Music Video) by RHINO on YouTube

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Crystal Waters, "Say ... If You Feel Alright" (1996)

There are a bunch of jock jams out there with videos that frankly do not qualify for this list. Crystal Waters' minor hit "Say ... If You Feel Alright" was written expressly for use as a jock jam, and you better believe she made the most of it, stocking her house anthem (which if you listen closely samples Earth, Wind & Fire's legendary disco hit "September," itself a glorious song to hear at baseball games in the titular month) with more NBA pride than you can shake your rump to. Hands in the air, wave 'em!

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Diddy, "Bad Boy for Life" (2001)

One of the oddest radio hits of its era, with backwards-sounding beats and, as I vividly remember hearing someone describe, a wonky loop that always threatens to not reach the end before starting up again. Not all the cameos in the video are sports-related. In fact, most of them aren't. But the one-two punch of Shaquille O'Neal and Mike Tyson won't be denied. "Bad Boy for Life" is the Kazaam of sports-related music videos.

P. Diddy - Bad Boys For Life [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO - BEST QUALITY ON YT] by IKadaiI on YouTube

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And as a bonus, here are five runners up:

Bel Biv Devoe, "Above the Rim" (1994)

Bell Biv Devoe Above the Rim by Futurebigstars Entertainment LLC on YouTube

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Deion Sanders, "Must Be The Money" (1994)

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Quad City DJs, "Space Jam" (1996)

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Bat For Lashes, "What's A Girl To Do" (2007)

Bat For Lashes - What's A Girl To Do by Blink on Vimeo

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Justice, "New Lands" (2012)

Justice - New Lands | OFFICIAL VIDEO by Red Bull Music on YouTube

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Oh, and here are two more runners up: music videos from the two World Series-winning Minnesota Twins teams. Set aside a few minutes to take in their glory. Trust me.

1987: Twins' Juan Berenguer Boogie Music Video

The Juan Berenguer Boogie Music Video - 1987 Minnesota Twins by Rooster House Ideas on YouTube

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1991: Twins Dance Video

Minnesota Twins Dancng In Video! Kent Hrbek Jack Morris by CourtsideTweets on YouTube

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