Barrett, a singer-songwriter from Michigan, was inspired to write the song in 1986 while watching Larry Bird[REF] play on TV at a bar called the Varsity Inn in East Lansing, Michigan, after having played a gig there [REF].
Since 2016, TBS, in the even-numbered years, and CBS, the odd-numbered years, broadcasts the championship game biennially; there were concerns that the song would not be used in these years due to its association with CBS.