The popularity of the sports music genre has not gone unnoticed by the sports industry. The Yankee Stadium ground crew dances to that tune during the infield sweeps. The music, usually played during timeouts, between innings, periods and television breaks, can rouse even the most prim and proper fan.ĭuring last year's baseball playoffs, none other than Mayor Giuliani was spotted doing the arm movements to ''Y.M.C.A.'' (''Jock Jams, Volume 1''), the Village People's 70's hit. Lynch said that jock rock appealed to girls and young women who wanted to be cheerleaders, and was also big at fraternity parties.Īnyone who has attended a live sports event in recent years has probably noticed that the atmosphere is often like a rock concert, complete with laser shows and video entertainment. Nationwide, the major buying groups tend to be young people between the ages of 12 and 17, and females. ''We also do incredibly well in towns where there are big universities with big athletic programs, like Madison, Wis., and Lincoln, Neb.'' ''Overall, New York is the biggest market,'' Ms. Lynch said that ''the overwhelming success of Jock Rock has enabled Tommy Boy to cross over into a new arena - the sports world.'' ''Frankly, we were surprised at how well it took off.'' Though the label specializes in hip-hop and rap, Ms. ''We weren't sure ourselves if there would be a market for this,'' Ms. Both albums are the best-selling compilations of previously released material, according to music industry officials.Īnd for those who want still more, Tommy Boy and ESPN have also released ''Slam Jams, Volume 1, The Greatest Punk Rock and New Wave Dance Classics of All Time!'' ''X Games, Volume 1, Music from the Edge'' and ''X Games, the Soundtrack Album.'' (''X Games'' refers to extreme-sports competitions that are sponsored by ESPN.)
Then came ''Volume 2,'' which sold nearly two million and has been on Billboard's Top 200 for 52 weeks.
It remained on Billboard's Top 200 album chart for a record 105 weeks. ''Jock Jams, Volume 1, The Hottest Crowd-Pumpin' Grooves of All Time!'' hit record stores in late 1994 and sold more than two million copies. 184 on Billboard's national chart and eventually made it to 88, sold more than 500,000 copies, according to Soundscan, an on-line information system that tracks music sales throughout the United States. ''Jock Rock,'' which made its debut at No.