Cory Matthews be danged, the Philadelphia Phillies are World Series champions. If my years of television viewing have shown me anything, it is that sports play a big part in not only the story lines, but the makeup of the show on the whole. Here are a few more examples of great TV shows and the sports teams they support.
Show: According to Jim
Team: Chicago Cubs
Greatest moment: Bumbling Jim decides to take his kid out to the ballgame instead of his first day of kindergarten. Although the term “greatest” is used loosely in this case.
Show: Seinfeld
Team: New York Yankees and Mets
Greatest moment: Pick one. Keith Hernandez was a riot, but George Costanza as the incompetent, affable assistant to the traveling secretary for the Yanks takes the cake.
Show: Full House
Team: Golden State Warriors
Greatest moment: Danny, in full-on blue and gold sweats, must choose between staying home for a chicken pox-ridden Stephanie, or seeing the team from his courtside seats.
Show: The Brady Bunch
Team: Los Angeles Rams
Greatest moment: Fearing his manhood has been compromised, Peter Brady finds reassurance in the form of burly defensive lineman Deacon Jones.
Show: Family Guy
Team: New England Patriots
Greatest moment: Tom Brady, guest-ing as himself, offers Peter a spot on the team after a thorough demonstration of his blocking abilities. Eventually, Peter and Tom square off in a game of their own.
Show: That ’70s Show
Team: Green Bay Packers
Greatest moment: After Donna receives tickets to a Packers game, the gang must decide who takes the trip to the Tundra, and who is left out in the cold.
Show: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Greatest moment: Dennis and Mac follow in the footsteps of Mark Wahlberg and try out for the team, meeting a farce Donovan McNabb along the way. “Sprints!”
Show: Home Improvement
Team: Detroit Lions
Greatest moment: Tim takes the family to the Silver Dome for a Thanksgiving Day game and ends up blacking out the entire stadium. Looks like it’s back to jail for him!
Show: Gilligan’s Island
Team: Harlem Globetrotters
Greatest moment: All of it! The TV-movie “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” proved two things: These basketball hooligans are everywhere, and creator Sherwood Schwartz can’t be stopped.
Giles Bruce and Ben Gross contributed to this article.