The NBA is back on NBC, and “Roundball Rock” is back with it. Along with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, John Tesh’s iconic theme was a critical part of NBC Sports’ basketball coverage in the 1990s.
When NBC reacquired NBA rights for this season, the first question everyone asked was, “Will you also bring back ‘Roundball Rock?” Things got a little dicey there for a moment, but the theme returned to its rightful home, much to the delight of longtime NBA fans.
Turns out, Fox had the opportunity to put the kibosh on that return.
Puck’s John Ourand shared in Monday night’s edition of The Varsity newsletter that he had been told Fox, which has a license on the song, also allowed NBC to do so, with the implication that they could have easily said no.
“I checked in with NBC’s Greg Hughes, who cleared up this mystery,” wrote Ourand. “Fox actually has a license on the song and has used ‘Roundball Rock’ for Big East, Big Ten, and Big 12 college basketball games since 2018. The network has one year left on its deal. ‘Fox has an exclusive deal for ‘Roundball Rock’ and had to allow NBC to use the song,’ Hughes confirmed. ‘They graciously agreed to do so.'”
Eagle-eared viewers of FS1 college basketball games have indeed noticed “Roundball Rock” being used as part of those broadcasts in recent years. And the fact that they’re still doing so, despite NBC now using it once more, led to some confusion.
The real question here is, did Fox ask for something in return? Surely they understood what a big deal it was for NBC to bring back the iconic theme as part of their basketball coverage and use it across not just NBC but also Peacock. It stands to reason there was quid pro quo for something like that. Perhaps we’ll find out soon…
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.