Some of the Best Times Sports Infiltrated ‘The Office’

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As part of The Office month, we’ve gathered some of the best moments sports infiltrated Dunder Mifflin. It wasn’t every episode, but it happened often and they’re some of the best memories from the show’s nine-season run.

Michael Name-Drops Two MLB Teams in Season One

The Pirates never got much love during The Office’s run — Scranton to Pittsburgh is a 4.5-hour drive — but the love they did receive came early on. In “Hot Girl” (S01:E06), Michael implies he’s a Pirates fan during a phone call with Jan while telling Allen (the CEO) the Mets suck. Corporate is in New York City, after all, so the Mets mention fits.

Top Quote:

“Tell Allen that the Mets suck! OK, from me. Go Pirates!” – Michael

Dwight’s Infamous Mike Lieberthal Bobblehead

Dwight made it clear he’s not a jock and doesn’t follow sports, so the fact he has sports bobbleheads doesn’t really track…but whatever. One of his most famous dolls, besides his own, is the Mike Lieberthal jammie that pops up in several episodes. No appearance is funnier than when Jim puts the stuff from Dwight’s desk in the vending machine in “Booze Cruise” (S02:E11).

Top Quote:

“A dollar for a stapler, that’s pretty good.” – Jim

Jerome Bettis Pops Up in Season Three

In “The Convention” (S03:E02), legendary Steelers running back Jerome Bettis makes an appearance in a scene with Michael and Dwight. Bettis was working with NBC on Football Night in America and got the call (same network, makes sense). “I was a huge fan of The Office,” he told UPROXX in 2016. The third season is The Office at its peak and this ep is one of the standouts.

Top Quote:

“Why do they call him The Bus?” – Dwight
“Because he’s afraid to fly…” – Michael

Photo via IMDb

Uncle Al Loves Him Some Hoops

This scene makes me die laughing every time I watch it, and this is one of the most underrated episodes of the show’s run. In “Phyllis’ Wedding” (S03:E16), Dwight bounces elderly Uncle Al from the wedding because he thinks he’s crashed the wedding (spoiler alert: he has dementia). Al ends up chatting with Michael (also bounced) and dives into some random NBA talk. I’m here for it…everytime.

Top Quote:

“Phyllis and you will be great together.” – Uncle Al
“We are great together, we are a great team.” – Michael Scott
“The Celtics were a great team…” – Uncle Al
“Yes, yes…they were. Robert Parish.” – Michael Scott

The Basketball Episode

“Basketball” (S01:E05) is one of the Holy Grail episodes. Office vs. Warehouse in a showdown on a couple $80 hoops from Wal-Mart. Usually hit those!

Top Quote:

“Let’s put together a starting lineup. Stanley, of course. What do you play? Center?” – Michael
“Why of course?” – Stanley

A Little Minor League Hockey 

If you’ve ever spent any time in Scranton, they have some cool pro sports options — minor league baseball  & minor league hockey. Their baseball team is the Yankees Triple-A club (Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees) and their hockey team is the Pittsburgh Penguins feeder system (Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins). In “Heavy Competition” (S05:E24), Michael is running his own paper company and stealing clients from Dunder Mifflin. When going after one of Dwight’s clients, he offers box seats for that weekend’s Penguins game. Also, in “Michael’s Birthday” (S02:E19), Dwight gifts Michael a custom Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins jersey (FROM DWIGHT).

Top Quote:

“I will see you this weekend for the Penguins. Box seats as usual.” – Michael

Golf Betting with Kevin or Blisties with Andy

Kevin is the degenerate gambler of the bunch…and one of the best characters because of it. In real life, Brian Baumgartner plays a ton of golf and a YouTube deep-dive on the matter will keep you busy for a while. Moving on. In “Job Fair” (S04:E17), the B story features Kevin, Jim, and Andy out golfing with a potential client (and Dartmouth grad). There are so many solid quotes and scenes, the best being Kevin’s betting scene and pretty much anything Andy says (Blisties, anyone?). Another Holy Grail episode, just sayin’.

Top Quote:

“OHHH NO!! No no no no. My grandfather would be spinning in his urn, if he knew that I was out with a Dartmouth boy. Take that shirt off right now or I will take it off for you, sir!” – Andy

Philly Sports Legends Galore

The name Ryan Howard and The Office are synonymous, but here, we’re talking about the other Ryan Howard…or the real Ryan Howard, the 2006 NL MVP. In the post-Michael Scott era, The Office relied on a ton of stunt casting and guest stars, leading to Ryan Howard’s appearance in “Promos” (S09:E18). Surprisingly, Howard was pretty funny and didn’t mind being the butt of the joke. This was all part of the Athlead storyline, a riff that also brought an appearance from Dr. J in “Lice” (S09:E10). I didn’t really like it at first but it’s gotten better with time. Dr. J was also name-dropped in the sixth and seventh season.

Top Quote:

“Together we will win this baseball game against the Evil Space Yankees. Eat Fresh!” – Jim
“That will pay for the exploding helicopter.” – Ryan Howard

Jim Halpert, First Time Caller, Long Time Listener

I love sports radio, so this is one of my favorite sports nods from The Office, and the episode as a whole is a total masterpiece. In “The Seminar” (S07:E14), Jim is spotted in his car calling into the local sports radio station. Most sports radio fans have taken the plunge and called in at some point and Jim made it happen while hiding from his childhood friend. It’s a right of passage. Jim, an Eagles fan as we know from earlier episodes, disagrees with the caller ahead of him and doesn’t think their problem is the running game. LOL.

Top Quote:

“I just want to make a point to that last caller. The truth is I disagree, I don’t think it is the running game at all. I think we do have to make a few moves in the offseason.” – Jim

Not Two, Not Three, Not Four

Forgot about this until rewatching every episode. Kevin, Darryl, and Jim (reluctantly) dressed up as LeBron/Wade/Bosh for Halloween in “Spooked” (S08:E05). A rare national sports moment from a show that mostly dabbles in Pennsylvania or Scranton/Wilkes Barre nods.

Honorable mentions: