SI

Bengals Tight End C.J. Uzomah Listens to the Same Disney Song Before Every Game

In Thursday’s Hot Clicks: an NFL player’s unusual way of getting his adrenaline pumping before hitting the field, Lance Stephenson’s big night and more.

Dan Gartland

Bengals Tight End C.J. Uzomah Listens to the Same Disney Song Before Every Game
Bengals Tight End C.J. Uzomah Listens to the Same Disney Song Before Every Game /

There are worse ways to get amped up

Every athlete has their own unique way of getting ready for a game. For athletes preparing to play the intensely physical game of professional football, that usually means finding some way to get your adrenaline pumping. Former Jaguars defensive lineman John Henderson used to have a trainer slap him in the face in the locker room before heading out to the field. While running through the tunnel before a game against Jacksonville in 2009, Seahawks fullback Owen Schmitt hit himself in the head with his own helmet so hard that he started gushing blood. Colts running back Nyheim Hines revealed earlier this season that he tells himself before every punt return, “I don’t care about my life.”

Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah also has a routine for getting his blood pumping, but it isn’t nearly as violent.

“I listen to Mulan, ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You,’” Uzomah told reporters Wednesday. “Why? Because I’ve done it since college. I don’t know. You listen to so much rap and so much up-tempo things that I’m like, all right, I need to take it down to my roots for a second. It used to be ‘Eye to Eye’ from A Goofy Movie but it’s pretty much ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You’ from Mulan at this point.”

So that’s not one but two songs from animated Disney movies that Uzomah has used to get himself ready to hit the field. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is a classic song about preparing for battle, which makes it undeniably a great choice. “Eye to Eye,” on the other hand, is just a generic pop song, so I’d say that Uzomah made the right call in switching to Mulan.

This is Uzomah’s seventh year in the NFL, which is a long time to be listening to the same pump-up song. He’s played in 79 games in his career, not counting the preseason. Sunday’s game in Cleveland will be the 80th time he’s listened to “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” as a pro and it’s hard not to envision him sitting in at his locker singing, “Let’s get down to business, to defeat… the Browns.”

The best of SI

Is the SEC’s Playoff dominance bad for college football? ... The Eagles’ rushing attack makes them the most interesting offense in the NFL. ... College football’s powers seem to agree that the Playoff should expand, they just can’t decide how to do it. ... Two players have risen above the rest in the race to become the top pick in this year’s NBA draft. 

Around the sports world

The NFL is reportedly ditching the much-maligned Wonderlic test at the scouting combine. ... Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen did a very spicy interview with a Finnish reporter in which he said he was being “thrown under bus” by his coach and fans. ... ESPN is reportedly thinking of moving Alex Rodriguez out of the Sunday Night Baseball booth to some kind of secondary broadcast like the Manningcast. ... Somebody filed a $6 billion lawsuit against the NFL over the Jets’ and Giants’ use of “New York” in their names. ... Novak Djokovic will remain in detention in Australia while he appeals his immigration ruling.

Lance Stephenson turned the clock back and exploded off the bench

Kyle Lowry got ejected for trying to pass the ball to the ref

There were some real fireworks later in the game, though

I am begging everyone to stop giving Aaron Rodgers ammunition for him to be smug

This would look so much better with just one ball

This might be the only person on Earth who owns this jersey

How is this guy still getting jobs?

This is the second time this season that he has denied being told he’ll be fired. I don’t think he’ll get to deny it a third time. 

For anyone who saw that somebody in Virginia trademarked “Washington Groundhogs” and thought that would be the new name, here’s why that doesn’t matter

Trying to yank a ref’s pants down is a novel way to express displeasure

Not sports

A guy who got stuck in an Uber on I-95 in Virginia during this week’s snowstorm got charged $600. ... A convicted murderer in Poland who had been a fugitive for 20 years was arrested for not wearing a mask.

Brazil’s president is Mr. Bean

A good song

Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

Published
Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

Home/Extra Mustard