Tonight, NBC presents the Saturday Night Live Sports Extra (7 pm, EST), a clip collection. I’m guessing it’ll include fairly recent smart sketches such as Peyton Manning nailing some kids with footballs all in the name of mentoring — a fine example of a celebrity unafraid to spoof himself. And I’d guarantee that you’ll see Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri as Spartan cheerleaders. But the one clip SNL had better show is perhaps my favorite sports-related bit, Harry Shearer, Martin Short, and Christopher Guest’s brilliant 1984 parody of synchronized swimming.
So, sports fans (and are there many of you out there reading this? EW doesn’t cover sports TV very much — should we?): What Saturday Night Live sports-related sketches will you be looking for tonight?
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I don’t remember any specific sketches, but I do recall Chris Evert as being remarkably game and surprisingly funny when she hosted.
The pairs skating sketch, where they constantly crashed. Scott Hamilton was the commentator, and he was hilarious.
I’m a fan of sports TV, and would love to see more of a marriage between EW and the Wide World, so to speak. The personalities in sports (and often in sports journalism) are enough to warrant the kind commentary served up by EW on a regular basis.
any sketch with OJ Simpson
Does the “Oops I Crapped My Pants” commercial count? After all, they were playing tennis at the beginning of it…
DA BEARS!!!
I remember a Buddweiser commercial where Joe Piscipco cheap shotted Robin Williams on a Hockey faceoff that I couldn’t stop laughing over. The two of them starting a brawl on the ice and then drinking the fake beer while in the Penalty box was hilarious. An SNL staple, I wish they would play them like the fake commercials they were.
Nothing beats the Peyton manning mentor sketch.
The synchronized swimming is the Best! Martin Short saying that he is not a strong swimmer kills me. Peyton Manning’s United Way is hilarous and Michael Jordon on “Daily Affirmation” with Stuart Smalley is classic. Best Cameo? Mike Ditka telling Chris Farley’s Super Bear Fan that he is not the Chicago Coach, he is the Saints coach and “We suck”!
The one where Chris Kattan (playing a little kid) got harassed by a slew of baseball stars streaming out of his closet.
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/97/97ibaseball.phtml
DAAAAA BEARS DA BEARS DA BEARS DA BEARS DA BEARS DA BEARS
and Chris Farley figure skating. So, absolutely graceful.
(3) John Belushi smoking and pitching Donuts in the Wheaties parody. I know it’s one-note, but it’s vintage SNL.
(2) Your pick: “Hey, you! I know you!” Absolutely brilliant and the funniest sports-related sketch I can think of next to…
(1) “Oh! Another skier accidentally shot by Claudine Longet!” I didn’t get the cultural reference when I first saw it (I was watching SNL way young), but I knew there was one, and wipeouts set to gunshots are funny even as a non sequitur — as long as everyone’s okay.
Nothing beats all the Spartan Cheerleader sketches! One of the few things I actually like Will Ferrell in.
The synchronized swimming sketch was killer “I like to swim.” Now, being from Chicago the DA Bears sketches were awesome, especially when Chris Farley, if I remember correctly, had his baker’s dozen in heart attacks after eating some sausage.
I love just about all the SNL sketches mentioned on here so far, but the synchronized swimming spoof is probably my favorite. I never liked Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri as cheerleaders though. I would love it if EW covered more sports!
here is an obscure one. it was martin lawrence as the 15th man on new jersey nets basketball team. he was on the bench with his own tv, popcorn, and hot dog. tim meadows was the new rookie. martin told him that he will never play and get use to it. then the coach called martin into the game for the firt time in his life. he was making a mess trying to get on the court while putting away his blanket, food etc.
The Peyton Manning United Way Sketch is the best!
Charles Barkley playing one on one against Barney the purple dinosaur.
I vaguely remember a sketch featuring Jason Priestly as a figure skater during his 90210 days, and he fell on all the jumps and ended up sprawled out just floating across the ice. I remember thinking it was really funny, but I may have matured since then.
tom brady in his underwear…that was hilarious
I have 2 favourites—Jason Priestly figure skating in the Olympics and the one where Kate Hudson brought home Nomar Garciaparra to meet her bro and super Red Sox fan Jimmy Fallon:)
Phil Hartman at the All-Drug Olympics. The weights were so heavy, he ripped his arms out of their sockets. Fortunately, he had so many drugs in his system he didn’t feel any pain.
Synchronized swimmers and Claudine Longet are my faves!!
I never laughed until I cried…..until I saw the Peyton Manning “United Way” commercial. That was clutch.
DAAAAA BEARS!
Ray Romano and Tim Meadows doing Sportcenter. Sweet Sassy Molassie! Great parody of the lengths some of these sportcenter guys go through.
But what if the hurricane’s name was Ditka? Then who would win?
…Da BEARS!
The Peyton Manning United Way commercial is hilarious! He sounds so serious when he chastizes the kids. I also like the Spartan Cheerleaders and the Jason Priestly skit.
The sketch with Will Ferrell as Mr. Tarkanium was amazingly funny.
“Scott Jergenson, I love it! I am going to murder you!!”
The Spartan Cheerleaders with foreign exchange student/cheerleader Jim Carrey…CLASSIC!