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8 times Full House got sporty
Football, hockey, karate, and... dogs playing basketball?
Image: The Everett Collection
Full House may be known for their domestic shenanigans, growing pains woes, and the ending music that signals an emotional wrap-up, but they could get athletic, too. Soft-spoken Danny Tanner and his family may not be what you picture when you think of athletes, but the sitcom staple found plenty of ways to get sporty over their eight-season run.
We aren't going to count all the times Joey wore hockey jerseys, or this list would be way longer!
1. Knock Yourself Out
Danny Tanner gets the opportunity to try out as a sportscaster - "Cable TV! Nationwide!" he says gleefully - as he interviews a heavyweight champion coming out of retirement (played by a very muscular Ernie Hudson, three years after Ghostbusters). However, when he accidentally tells the boxer that his wife has left him live on-air, things quickly go sideways and Danny becomes scorned nationwide. In true Full House fashion, baby Michelle gets a cold and Danny realizes that he doesn't need the whole country to love him, he just needs his family.
2. Joey Gets Tough
Okay, so we don't actually see any sports in this episode. However, the main conflict revolves around D.J. and the big karate tournament. After Danny leaves Joey in charge, D.J. realizes that the cartoon-quoting uncle is a pushover and doesn't come home from karate practice on time. Joey decides to get tough (hence the title) and grounds D.J. from going to her karate tournament that she's been practicing for. Naturally this leads to anger, a full-family court, and cries of "you aren't my father!"
3. Stephanie Plays The Field
Stephanie discovers that she has a killer arm and joins the Little League Baseball team that Danny coaches for. However, uh oh, her new boyfriend plays for the opposite team and asks her to throw the game when he comes up to bat. Will Stephanie choose her self-respect over keeping her boyfriend? Does D.J. give wise older sister advice? Does the fact the boyfriend plays for the Chicago Cubs Little League Team during the Billy Goat Curse era seal his fate?
4. Nice Guys Finish First
Finally the hockey jerseys pay off. And it only took until season six! Joey agrees to play in a charity hockey game. In true Nineties sports drama fashion, an old rival who cost him the game-winning goal back in the day shows back up to mock him on-air during his radio show. Joey has to settle an old score and redeem himself...with the help of a pep talk from Michelle.
5. Michelle a la Carte
It's a girl power episode! Michelle decides to enter a Soap Box Derby, but gets discouraged when one of her fellow racers mocks her for being a "girl racer" and tells her girls aren't good with cars. Of course, she finds the gumption to finish her car and enter the race. This episode notably contains one of the internet's favorite Michelle lines: "My dad said that if I can't say anything nice I shouldn't say anything at all. But my dad's not here, and you're a weenie!"
6. Super Bowl Fun Day
Danny and Becky are covering the Super Bowl, so Jesse and Joey are left in charge. However, they promised to take Michelle and her friends to a science museum. They end up trying to watch the big game at a sports bar, but due to a series of mishaps, the gang ends up disconnecting all the TVs in the bar and have to placate the angry patrons.
7. Air Jesse
D.J. and Kimmy organize a charity basketball game. As a local celebrity, Jesse is asked to play. The one problem - he has no clue how, since apparently there was never a movie where Elvis played basketball. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shows up playing himself to teach Jesse how to ball, but let's be honest... the real sports moment here is when the family dog, Comet, shoots a free throw. Comet in this episode was played by the Air Bud star himself, Buddy the Wonder Dog.
8. Michelle Rides Again
This two-part episode was the series finale of Full House, and it went out with a glorious Nineties sitcom trope: an amnesia episode. Michelle begins horseback riding and becomes friends with another girl, only for their parents to get so competitive that it ruins the fun. While playing hooky from the competition, Michelle gets thrown from her horse and hits her head, giving her amnesia. This leads to both Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen being onscreen at the same time as Michelle's past self tries to make her amnesiac self remember her life.
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RIP Bob! You are truly missed!