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Remember When New York Giants Put Out a Super Bowl Rap Video?

The 1986 New York Giants hastily threw together a Super Bowl-themed musical video that, while not as catchy as the Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle, further endeared Big Blue to its fan base.
Patricia Traina|
Remember When New York Giants Put Out a Super Bowl Rap Video?
Remember When New York Giants Put Out a Super Bowl Rap Video?

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New York GiantsChicago Bears

One of the catchiest and original theme songs to hit the airwaves as performed by an NFL team was the "Super Bowl Shuffle," as performed by the 1985 Chicago Bears (proceeds of which went to charity), the team that would go on to win Super Bowl XX.

But the New York Giants, who lost to that Bears team mostly thanks to Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan's suffocating 46 defense that went on to help Chicago become the first team in NFL postseason history to record back-to-back shutouts (including a 21-0 thrashing of the Giants) would not only use that playoff loss to Chicago as motivation for the following season, they also tried to follow in the Bears footsteps musically.

The 1986 Giants' attempt was a song and dance called "We Are the New York Giants," a tune that never quite caught on like the "Super Bowl Shuffle" did. 

But the ditty, whose chorus rang out, "We are the New York Giants. Don't you know we're great? Football is our business, Pasadena, we can't wait!" and which sold more than 40,000 copies (the music video was packaged with interviews featuring members of the team) as a precursor to the Giants Among Men season highlight tape, didn't quite get the same national reception as the Bears' anthem.

No matter. The Giants, who taped the video an hour or so before boarding a bus to the airport where they'd be Pasadena bound for their date with Destiny against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI, seemed to have fun performing in the crudely and hastily produced video that did receive its fair share of air time in the New York market.

As far as what really matters, the Giants' 1986 championship team, which ranked as the 29th most influential team in Super Bowl history (the Bears ranked fifth out of 50), showed the world what playing defense was all about, thanks to a heroic goal line stand that helped limit the Broncos offense led by future Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway to just 10 points in the second half.

The Giants overcame a 10-9 halftime deficit in that game to win 39-20, delivering the first-ever Super Bowl championship to a loyal fan base that had been thrust into a decade-plus misery of lousy football before the turnaround.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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