The San Jose Sharks are changing their goal song after a yearlong wave of fan criticism over “Power Bite,” which many suspected was made with AI. The team will debut a new song at Thursday’s season-opener at SAP Center against the Florida Panthers, if the home team scores. Sharks chief marketing officer Doug Bentz said the team surveyed fans, held focus groups, and monitored social media because the song was hurting the fan experience. He said the organization did not think saying “This isn’t AI” would change minds, and the issue came at a time when feelings about AI were already very negative. Bentz said the Sharks gathered fan suggestions from Reddit and X, then narrowed them down to 15 well-known songs with Bay Area connections. Those choices were shown to players and a focus group of more than 20 people across the organization before the team settled on a replacement. Will Smith said he had heard the new song and was excited, but he would not say much more when asked if it was an actual song by an actual artist. Bentz also would not reveal the song, saying the surprise would be saved for Thursday’s season opener. The Sharks created “Power Bite” to avoid licensing issues tied to social media highlights, but Bentz said the team’s costs will go up with a better-known replacement. He called the goal song a significant part of the fan experience, and said the team had to hear what fans were saying.
