It's probably a tad obvious that we're big Star Wars fans here at GalacticBinder. Well, we're also big sports fans. And while both sports and Star Wars are ingrained in the fabric of American culture, most people don't readily associate them in their mind. But upon further investigation, we've found that the two mesh together in all manner of ways - from the bizarre to the sublime.
Honorable Mention
Clone Trooper Rocks the National Anthem
Hit List: Check out this Clone Trooper as he absolutely rocks the national anthem on electric guitar before a Muskegon Fury (now the Muskegon Lumberjacks) IHL ice hocky game.
Hit List: Being a USC alum, it's no secret that George Lucas regularly enjoys attending USC football games. Considering the Trojans are a perennial national powerhouse, it's very clear that the Force is with Pete Carroll!
#8
Star Wars Fans Who Geek Sports Teams
and Sports Teams Who Geek Star Wars
Hit List: Some Star Wars fans love combining their two passions. This member of the 501st Legion just couldn't resist displaying his Colts pride.
Hit List: Back in July of 2007 the Detroit Tigers Class A affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps, wore Lucasfilm-approved Star Wars baseball jerseys at a home game against the Beloit Snappers. The event was covered by the Official Star Wars blog in a post titled Swing Trooper Swing!
Hit List: Star Wars podracing and race car driving here on earth both require insane reflexes. As well as Jeff Gordon's famous "Star Wars Episode I" Monte Carlo, Star Wars also paired with Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz for a week of promotion back in May of 2005 surrounding the premiere of "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith". This included the Red Bull cars all decked out in Star Wars livery and the pit crews dressed as Star Wars characters.
Hit List: With George Lucas as the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade, Star Wars invaded New Year's Day 2007. The 501st Legion marched with pride and Star Wars was represented with an amazing float.
Later that day, accompanied by Darth Vader, George Lucas flipped the coin at midfield before the Rose Bowl game and then watched his alma mater USC crush Michigan 32-18.
Hit List: On September 28th, 2005, none other than Chewbacca threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park in Boston.
Hit List: No franchise in professional sports has cultivated a bad boy image more than the Oakland Raiders. From team owner Al Davis down to the fans themselves, the "Silver and Black" love to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. A scan of the crowd at any Raiders game will reveal plenty of fans wearing a Raiders jersey over shoulder pads topped with a Darth Vader helmet.
Hit List: As fun as it is sitting home watching a football game on your plasma television, nothing compares to being at the "big game". One of the things you often miss at home is all the pageantry of the pre-game (yes, the tailgating!) and the halftime show.
It has become quite common for both high school and college bands to use Star Wars themes in their repetoire. Back in the 1980's, the University of Miami, known as "The U", popularized playing the Imperial March whenever their feared defense sacked the quarterback. And who doesn't love a Star Wars themed halftime performance!
If you enjoyed The Top 10 Star Wars Sports Crossovers please see Galacticbinder's additional Star Wars Top 10 Lists.
