The 35 Best Sports Commercials of the New Millennium

I have a love-hate relationship with commercials. Generally during sporting events, commercials are an excuse to use the bathroom, grab a beer from the fridge, or stuff my face in a cellphone or computer to ensure that nothing important happened since I last checked in five minutes beforehand.

But occasionally, commercials are worth sticking around for. And I'm not just talking about during the Super Bowl, here—I'm talking sports commercials in general. Other than perhaps beer commercials, commercials involving sports are often the most entertaining.

And thus, I've compiled The 35 Best Sports Commercials of the New Millennium. You may never buy the product or trust the brand, but you can at least enjoy the commercials.

Honorable Mention: Steve Irwin

I looked everywhere to find out when this video was made, but couldn't seem to track down the info (if anyone knows, drop a line in the comments).

But it is one of the funniest "This is SportsCenter" ads ever, and deserves at least a mention here.

35. Decisions, Decisions

At least he's a good sport, right?

But to test this "good sport" theory, I'd like to see Brett do a cell phone ad where he spends the entire time inquiring about how many megapixels the camera on the phone has.

Is there a—um, how should I put this?—is there a feature where I can enlarge the size of a picture I'm sending to some one? Is that feature available?

34. My 3 Championship Rings

No, these ads weren't as cool as the original 'Lil Penny ones.

However, these weren't terrible, and I still picture LeBron as a Muppet, so I had to include this commercial.

33. Scrabble with Shaq

R-E-T-I-R-E-D.

But methinks Shaq will be hanging around the spotlight in some capacity for years to come.

32. The Beautiful Celebration

I often find Coca-Cola commercials cheesy, but this one was cool.

31. Betty White

Insert obligatory Jay Cutler joke here.

30. The Many LeBron's

And now I present to you the advising team responsible for influencing LeBron toward "The Decision."

29. Phillie Phanatic

Am I being a bit of a homer here, including this because of the Phillie Phanatic's cameo?

Yes.

Is this still a pretty clever commercial?

Yes.

28. Retirement Home

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 20: Former NBA player Charles Barkley arrives to the T-Mobile Magenta Carpet at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game on February 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

You can see the commercial here.

It's not turrible.

27. Yao!

I would like to see them do a remake of this commercial, only Yao should be at a hospital, and the sign should read "Have your insurance card ready!"

But Yao seemed to misplace it, the same scenario plays out as in the commercial, and Yao hobbles out of the hospital.

Rockets fans would hate that commercial.

26. Move

Nike has this habit of making pretty cool commercials.

This one just makes me feel lazy.

25. We're Gonna Need the Snuggie

SportscCenter commercials are at their best when parodying the absurdities of sport. This commercial is a fantastic example of ESPN doing just that.

24. Those Guys Are Toast

One of the more memorable ad campaigns in recent memory.

23. Liftoff

This commercial is best summed up in one word: Epic.

Reggie Bush's career, however, is best summed up in three words: Less than epic.

22. You Will Take What We Give You

Dude, I have been the guy answering the phone and placing picks for another guy at a fantasy draft. It is cumbersome for all, to say the least.

Kudos to the NFL for nailing this one.

21. Rivalries

The first half of this video?

Funny.

The second half?

Awesome absurdity at its finest.

20. Evolve

This would be a pretty cool concept without the song they included.

With the song, it is an awesome and memorable commercial. Perfect choice of music here.

19. Nike "Freestyle"

I tried—and failed—to do any of these moves after seeing this commercial.

Well, except the occasional crossover. And I do mean occasional.

18. Fear

They did a few of these with various players, but the Kobe-Shaq combination resonated well beyond any others.

17. You Play to Win the Game!

"Do you ever play to lose the game?"

"Get out!"

"You get out."

16. Did You Learn Anything?

This commercial was released after the many trysts of Tiger. It's a bit odd, but the image of Tiger staring sorrowfully into the camera while his father speaks sticks with you.

They really should have remade this with Tiger staring sorrowfully into the camera while Elin Nordegren screamed obscenities at him.

Now that's good television!

15. Epic MLB Network Commercial

If this doesn't get you pumped up, you aren't a baseball fan.

14. EasyTone

So this is sort of a sports video. I mean, it's about toning muscles, right?

Okay, so it's not about sports. But honestly, who cares?

I mean, it's a wonderful commercial, am I right?

13. Best Fans Ever

Yes, and those "Best Fans Ever" are starting to get pissed, players and owners.

Handle your business, or starting planning your new ad strategy, "Please Come Back, Best Fans Ever."

12. History Will Be Made

There are quite a few of these, but this was by far my favorite. The song choice here sends this commercial into epic status.

11. We Gotta Win Back a Lot of Trust

Once again, Scott Van Pelt and ESPN shine a satirical light at the world of sports, and do so in a hilarious manner.

"Unhand me, rapscallion!"

10. Bold Predictions

If we were doing a version for the past season...

I think Brett Favre is going to ride into the sunset a champion.

Dude, they won't even get to a lockout after this season ends, they've got to much to lose. Trust me.

The question isn't whether or not the 49ers will win the NFC West—it's by how many games it will take to do it.

Peyton Hillis? Who the hell is Peyton Hillis?

Trust me, this Kevin Kolb guy is going to be a franchise quarterback for years to come in Philadelphia.

9. Going Up?

Short, sweet, and brilliant.

8. What Should I Do?

I still sort of think LeBron is a punk. That said, this was a well-made commercial, and it was a good message for LeBron to send.

Honestly, I'm not even sure if I despise the Heat now because of "The Decision," or because it is so much fun to have a legitimate villain in basketball again.

One way or another, I hope the Heat crash and burn hard against Dallas. After Game 1, however, I'm not sure that will happen.

7. Championship!

I eventually got tired of hearing people say T.J. Houshmandzadeh's name wrong, followed by "Championship!"

But this was an instant classic when it first aired, so it had to be included.

6. Playoffs?

My favorite's of the Coors Light Press Conference ads, if only because I will never tire of hearing Jim Mora squeal, "Playoffs?"

"PLAYOFFS? You kidding me? Don't talk about playoffs!"

5. Mike vs. Mike (vs. Mike)

Old versus young. Wise versus spry.

If only there had been an executive version of Jordan, telling him he really shouldn't have made the second comeback.

Oh well.

4. It's Not What You Think!

Take one part rivalry, two well-known characters, and one simple yet clever premise, and you get one of the best SportsCenter commercials they've ever made.

(Though none will compare to the gems they made in the '90s. Yahtzee!)

3. Write the Future

This is one of the coolest commercials ever, hands down. Beautifully shot and edited, excellent concept, inherent drama from beginning to end.

Well done, Nike.

2. Terry Tate, Office Linebacker

The man, the myth, the office linebacker.

How is this not the top commercial? Well, I went profound over comedy at the top...

1. We All Agree on One Thing...

...and no commercial has ever put sport into better context than this commercial did.

This isn't just a great commercial—this is the rare occasion where advertising blends into art, and product-pushing blends into poignancy.

Be sure to hit me up on Twitter (@TRappaRT) along with the entire B/R Swagger team (@BR_Swagger)