How 'Higher' by Creed became a new anthem for US sports teams

The internet is impossible to predict – after all, who could have seen a track by 90s rockers Creed becoming one of the most popular songs of 2023?

If you’re an avid TikTok user, the chances are you’ll have heard ‘Higher’ on your feed in some form or another this year.

The 1999 track from the Florida band’s album Human Clay has found a brand new audience as more and more people discover it online.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by its new popularity, given how good the track is.

Creed - Higher (Official Video)www.youtube.com

It’s right out of the 90s mold of epic rock tracks, and more American in its makeup than Uncle Sam chowing down on a corn dog at a demolition derby.

It still slaps in 2023, and it’s become the soundtrack to countless posts this year – but how?

Mostly, it’s due to a special connection with sports fans which goes back all the way to the late 90s and early 00s.

In their pomp, Creed performed an NFL halftime show, helping to mark Thanksgiving at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in 2001.

Thanxgiving Medley (Higher/My Sacrifice/Don't Stop Dancingwww.youtube.com

Footage of the performance has been recirculating this year, and it's perhaps no surprise given the bombastic of the track and the high-octane staging – which saw a number of aerialists fly into the stadium twirling in huge strips of material.

Since then, the band seems to have had a connection with American sports fans – and now ‘Higher’ seems to have become an unofficial anthem, much like ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond has done for the England football team in recent times.

It was clear just how much the song has been embraced by crowds when Texas Rangers fans sang the track with the help of a huge karaoke screen during a baseball game this year.

Texas Rangers fans singing some CREED - 2023 ALDSwww.youtube.com

It’s not just fans who have made the song popular again, either.

After the Texas Rangers made the tune their theme song this year, the players belted it out in the dressing room after claiming the World Series too.

However, the first person to really get the song circulating again was TikTok user @maceahwindu, who brought us a brilliant version of the tune.

As another sign of the song making an impact in the world of sport, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs replied to a clip of @maceahwindu mixed with highlights of the Vikings’s overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons, writing: “I wish I could hit that note.”

It's here to stay, so expect to hear 'Higher' more and more in the sporting world and beyond.

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