One Shining Moment – Brief History Behind March Madness’ National Anthem

March Madness is not just about the matches. It is also about the sport, the athletes, and the entire history it has carried since its inception. However, a huge part of this much-awaited event is the final night when the winners take their crown. Also, when NCAA displays the greatest to saddest moments, and of course, when their National Anthem ‘One Shining Moment’ plays. The NBA legend Larry Bird may have inspired David Barrett for his ballad. But today it has become the very life, blood, and soul of the event.

Surprisingly, the montage was originally planned to be played after a football match, but got cancelled. So how did this soulful tune turn into the National Anthem of March Madness? Let us explore the entire journey.

The NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament commenced back in 1939, but it had no musical tradition as such. However, almost half a century later, the celebrated musician David Barrett wrote a song. He encapsulated the very essence of the entire event. So much so, that since its very first release in 1987, it became part of the tradition. To add to the magic of the song and the environment, a heartwarming montage also plays at the end of each tournament.

The video engulfs clips from the best to worst moments, fan reactions to upset wins, and memorable incidents like buzzer beaters in the event. But as beautiful as the song and the accompanying theatrics are, its connection to March Madness is rather luck by chance. Barrett first wrote this song in 1986 and sent it to his friend Armen Keteyian, a Sports Illustrated writer. He in turn sent the song to CBS Sports and they planned to play it after the Super Bowl XXI.

However, fate gave the chance a 180-degree turn. The broadcast ran longer than expected and CBS did not play the song that David very much anticipated. Nevertheless, the ballad touched so many hearts when it finally broke the silence in NCAA’s 1987 edition. And as Barrett told the NCAA, “It was like the song knew where it was to be and would not be denied.”

He also added, “That early morning in May 1986, when I paid profound attention, for a moment…yes a shining moment…everything changed. Weird. Wonderful. Like this magical tournament.” Barrett also added, “It is a basketball Mardi Gras” to completely paint the picture for his listeners.

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The song has truly become a significant part of each year’s NCAA tournament. In fact, each and every athlete who enters the March Madness knows the lines written in the poem. But have there been any transitions to the original lyrics?

The mystery behind the opening line

The entire poem recites the incidents that happen on the floor as the game is played. The first verse talks about the hard work and motivation that goes into the game, the adversities and injuries, to the final lines that show the excitement and beauty of the entire event.

However, it was not always like this. Some claims have been made in the past that the very first verse of the song that goes, “The ball is tipped” was initially “The ball is kicked.” But Barrett himself clarified that this was never the case. In fact, the first line he wrote read, “The gun goes off.” 

Explaining the change, the Emmy Award-winning composer said that he changed it to suit the basketball tournament. He also mentioned that it was weird that he wrote the song while watching Larry Bird on TV but still wrote a line that did not belong to the sport.

Over the years, many versions of the song have also come up. Nonetheless, the basketball fans only loved one after Barrett’s edition.

CBS Sports played Barrett’s version of ‘One Shining Moment’ for six years till 1993. A version from Teddy Pendergrass also played from 1994 to 1999. Following that it went through some instrumental reverbs for a couple of years from 2000-2002. Later came the Luther Vandross version which NCAA still plays during its montage. However, Vandross did see some on-and-off seasons.

During those gaps, versions from Jennifer Hudson (2010) and Ne-Yo (2016) also came to light. Nevertheless, the sporting world did not like any other version and Vandross’ version remained the standing National Anthem. Still, the very first TNT broadcast of the 2011 March Madness showed Charles Barkley renditioning a tongue-in-cheek cover for its promotion during commercials.

While history is only made to be changed, the names always remain etched in the stones forever. Similarly, while David Barrett’s edition of ‘One Shining Moment’ is no longer played in the NCAA tournaments, his gift to the basketball world continues to be an ode to celebration itself.

With countless basketball fans waiting for the March Madness to begin and hear this beautiful song that leaves them with tears in their eyes, goosebumps on their skin, and a light heart. In the end, it doesn’t really matter if they can win or not as the whole country celebrates the spirit of sportsmanship itself.

Did you like learning about the long history of ‘One Shining Moment’?

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