ESPN, Monday Night Football to collaborate with Drake in 2021

Drake broke through ESPN airwaves on the August 27th edition of Sportscenter, announcing the release date of his latest album in the middle of the show. Now, his impact will continue to be felt. He’s taking up a new role with the famed Monday Night Football.

Earlier this week, ESPN announced a Monday Night Football musical collaboration with Drake. Following the release of his album Certified Lover Boy, the star rapper will put his touch on the production side of things for the program.

“Partnering through the 2021-22 ESPN NFL season to choose tracks that reflect the energy, intensity and storylines of select MNF game matchups,” stated ESPN in a release.

Moreover, it won’t just be Drake tracks playing on the Monday Night Football playlist. While the Toronto-based rapper will have his fair share of songs, he’ll also choose other popular artists to be featured.

“The music will be a combination of Drake’s most recent releases, potentially some classics, as well as new music from other artists he identifies,” read the release. “All of which will run in Monday Night Football promotional spots, live telecasts and pre-game shows for ten games this season, starting this week.”

Following the release of Certified Lover Boy, Drake proved his popularity by breaking streaming records. The album broke Apple Music’s one-day streaming record, and did so in under 12 hours. 

Additionally, the star rapper holds the record for the most number one hits on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Chart. Evidently, ESPN is hitching their horse to a big-time wagon in partnering up with Drake.

Drake’s impact on sports

Aside from being the soundtrack for multiple athletes, Drake has made an impact in multiple facets of the sports world.

In his career, Drake has become synonymous with multiple athletes and teams. Famously, the rapper was great friends with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Johnny Manziel. Moreover, he even name-dropped him on his song, Draft Day.

Additionally, who could forget Drake’s appearance with the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team? The rapper showed up, dressed in the same warmups as the team, taking part in Big Blue Madness back in 2017.

Perhaps his biggest contribution to the sports world has been Drake’s unrivaled fandom for Canada’s lone professional basketball team, the Toronto Raptors. Throughout their championship run, the rapper was consistently around to pump up the crowd, and the team.

Furthermore, Drake even released two songs to commemorate the championship victory. On the same night Kawhi Leonard and his teammates won the NBA Finals, Drake released Omerta and Money In The Grave (feat. Rick Ross).

After putting his stamp on the sports world on multiple occasions, he has another chance to do so as the 2021 NFL season comes along. If his selections are as well received as Certified Lover Boy has been, ESPN made the right choice by bringing in Drake.