British Rock band The Rolling Stones, from left, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards. Associated Press file
announced that, starting tonight, the network will pay tribute to legendary rock act
The Rolling Stones during its
Monday Night Football coverage through the fall.
The Stones celebrate the big five-oh this year, and the National Football League will show sport highlights co-mingled with 16 classic Stones hits.
The "Legend to Legend" series launches tonight with two games at a special time: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens (6 p.m.) and San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders (9:15 p.m.).
Countdown begins at 4 p.m.
The schedule continues throughout ESPN’s 16-week NFL schedule, which concludes on Dec. 22.
Showcased will be songs from
1972's "Exile on Main St." through
2005's "A Bigger Bang."
Awesome, right? Pretty much. BUT.
The downside here is that the featured tunes date back to the early 70s, which, in all honestly, is only 40 years of Rolling Stones greatness.
"Satisfaction"? Ya cain't get no. It was released in 1965.
So, "Let's Spend the Night Together" ('67) and watch some football? ... Forget about it.
Well, OK. So, "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Right? (1969) Wrong. Well, ain't that a "B*tch." (1971)
If the ESPN press release timeline is correct (unless they include something from a greatest hits album, perchance?), there will be no "Honky Tonk Women" ('69) or "Let it Bleed" ('69) or "Jumpin' Jack Flash" ('68) or or "Sympathy for the Devil" ('68) or "Brown Sugar" ('71) or "Time Is on My Side" ('64).
This decision is strange to me, especially since the Stones, featuring longtime members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, released at least an album a year between 1964 and 1971.
They lead the charge of the 1960s British Invasion, for cryin' out loud.
What's stranger still is that the band will celebrate with a greatest hits multi-disc release, "GRRR!," on Nov. 12 that goes all the way back to their first single, "Come On."
I know, I know, this isn't
really about rock history. It's a package to sell
sports. I get it. Forty years is still a really long time, especially for any rock band.
What ESPN said
will be included are hits and "deep cuts," said the sports broadcast station. You will hear “It’s Only Rock ’n Roll (but I Like it)," “Hot Stuff” and “One Hit (To the Body)."
Four songs per month will be used on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown pregame show, bumpers and teasers, post Monday Night Football segments on SportsCenter, ESPN "flagship" highlights, news and info show, a press statement from ESPN said.
“We're very proud that the Rolling Stones chose ESPN’s Monday Night Football to play a major role in their 50th Anniversary celebration," said Bob Toms, ESPN vice president of production enhancements, who oversees the ESPN Music department.
"Sports and music fans alike will enjoy the combination of these two pop culture legends – the most successful prime time sports series in the history of television and the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band to supply music for our season-long soundtrack.”
In six seasons on ESPN, MNF has registered seven of the top 10 all-time biggest household audiences in cable history.
Indeed, MNF is the longest-running sports series in U.S. television history. Its first season was in 1970 on the ABC network.
