"The Sport of Kings" is the eighth studio album by the Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1986. It was recorded at the band's home studio, Metalworks Studios, from May to August of that year. One of the key tracks from the album, "Somebody's Out There," became the band's biggest hit, reaching number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 15 weeks. It also peaked at number 84 on the Canadian pop charts.
The album is notable for being the second-to-last studio release to feature guitarist and co-lead vocalist Rik Emmett, and it reflects some of the challenges the band was facing during this period. Mike Levine, the band's bassist, did not play any keyboards on the album. Instead, three external keyboard players were hired to provide the necessary keyboard parts. However, Emmett did experiment with two high-end sampler systems—the Synclavier 9600 Workstation and the Fairlight CMI Series III—according to an article in Keyboard magazine from July 1986. Emmett took the lead vocals on six of the album's ten tracks, while drummer Gil Moore handled lead vocals on four tracks. One song featured a duet between Emmett and Moore.
The recording process for The Sport of Kings was marked by tension between the band and their label, MCA. Emmett has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with much of the album's final product. Adding to the stress was his desire to record in Majorca, Spain, at Estudio L2K, which was not the band's preferred location. As a result, only three tracks from the album were performed live by Triumph, and one song was performed by Emmett during his solo tours.
