“Seokjin’s music is for everyone”- Fans proud as BTS' Jin's ‘Running Wild’ plays at the recent NFL game as per Jim Rikhoff's recommendation

BTS’ Jin's solo song Running Wild was reportedly played during the recent NFL Game surprising many fans online. On Sunday, December 15, 2024, during the Detroit Lions vs Buffalo Bills National Football League game, Running Wild was heard playing as a background score.

Jin dropped his solo track Running Wild on November 15, 2024, which garnered considerable acclaim, debuting on Billboard Hot 100 at no. 53, among other achievements. With the recent feature on the CBS broadcast of the NFL game, common fans of football and K-pop expressed their excitement online.

Furthermore, fans believed that the song was reportedly picked by Jim Rikhoff as he and his team oversee the selection of songs for the broadcast, as per NY Times' The Athletic's October 2024 report.

BTS fans expressed pride in Jin's diverse musical style, stating it transcends beyond one single genre and can be enjoyed by non-fans as well.

“When we say Jin makes music that can’t be boxed into just “k-pop” this is what we mean — seokjin’s music is for everyone globally to enjoy. Running wild definitely goes with sports, we hope to hear more of it being used!” one fan said.

“so basically good real music which are organic hits gets chosen ??? yupp yuppp !! Running Wild is THAT song,” another fan said.

“I yelled that’s my Jin!! And my house full of ppl looked at me like I was crazy. I just shrugged and my husband smiled,” another user stated.

BTS fans were excited to hear Jin's Running Wild at the football game.

“STFU RUNNING WILD BY JIN JUST PLAYED DURING THE BILLS LIONS GAME,” another fan said.

“NFL on CBS just played Running Wild to go into commercial break. I never jumped up so fast! Jin!!!!!” another X user said.

“omg! they just used Jin's Running Wild as an outro to the NFL game my husband is watching! I was yelling, omg it's JIN!!!” one fan wrote.

Fans also shared their personal reactions to the song's broadcast.

“I was in the kitchen, listening to the Lions/Bills game in the background, and do you hear what I hear? I ran out of the kitchen so fast!!!!” another X user said.

“I never thought I would hear @BTS_twt on an @NFL game. But someone at @CBSSports has great taste in music and here is #Jin #RunningWild,” another user added.

“THEY PLAYED RUNNING WILD DURING A BILLS GAME YALL OMG I LOOKED UP SO FAST,” another fan said.

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Who picks the song for the CBS background score? BTS’ Jin’s Running Wild joins the list of NFL-featured music

On December 15, Running Wild by BTS’ Jin was featured during CBS's NFL game, which was reportedly picked by a group of professionals alongside Emmy Award winner Jim Rikhoff. According to The Athletic NY TIMES interview from October 2024, Sportswriter Richard Deitsch revealed the process of song selection for the NFL broadcast. He said:

"Music has always been an integral part of NFL broadcasts and a huge source of enjoyment for the people who work in sports television. Jim Rikhoff, the lead producer for CBS’ No. 1 NFL team, is a huge old-school music fan."

He further added:

"He holds a music meeting every Tuesday where he and CBS Sports broadcast associates Kidje Theano and Brian Maher discuss potential music options for their Sunday broadcast."

As the excerpts from the NY TIMES interview were resurfaced, netizens speculated that the song could have been picked by Jim Rikhoff and his team.

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On November 15, BTS’ Jin unveiled the highly anticipated solo album titled Happy with the main track Running Wild. The song is co-written and co-produced by the 90s British pop band Take That's Gary Barlow. It is available across all major music platforms for streaming.