Sports appeal to everyone, young and old, rich or poor, in some way.
Whether as a competitor or a fan, it is a unifying force with which all manner of people come together to cheer for a common cause. Whether that is 50,000 people crammed into a stadium watching an NFL game, or those court side as an NBA game unfolds in front of them. For a short while, who you are matters not, only that you support your team.
Sportsshow.net explains how football, basketball and baseball are the three most popular games in the United States, with ice hockey and soccer bringing the number of popular sports to five. Within those sports, there is a team for everyone, from Arkansas to Arizona and Wisconsin to Wyoming. With such a rich array of teams to follow, there is little wonder a few have attracted some famous fans.
So, we have compiled a list of five truly great actors, and the sports teams they so fervently follow.
Matt Damon – Boston Red Sox
Credit: Rick Berry, 131023-F-PR861-033 Hanscom participates in World Series pregame events, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts it stands to reason that Matt Damon follows one of his ‘local’ teams, namely the Boston Red Sox. The Boston boy admitted getting teary when the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, telling Boston.com: “I was myself on Boylston Street and 34 years old, and the boats went by, and I just started to cry, swear to god. Like, quietly cry, just tears streaming down my face.’’ With the Red Sox currently riding high in the AL East, we might see more Damon tears this year, too!
Robert De Niro – New York Giants
Credit: All-Pro Reels, New York Giants, CC BY-SA 2.0
Robert de Niro is a legend on the big screen, collecting eight Oscar nominations, with wins for his roles in The Godfather Part II and Raging Bull. Away from the camera, he is a staunch New Yorker who rarely gives interviews, so gaining insight into his life is not easy. He is known to be fond of cats, and even asked the director of Meet TheFockers to ensure the cat, Mr. Jinx, was in as many scenes with him as possible. He is also a big fan of the New York Giants and is reported to have bought the whole team dinner after their 2007 Super Bowl win.
Will Smith – Philadelphia 76ers
Credit: Kevin Burkett, Allen Iverson and the Sixers logo, CC BY-SA 2.0
One of the first lines we ever heard before we saw Will Smith on screen was ‘West Philadelphia, born and raised’. That brought the curtain up on the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which made a star of Smith. Like the character he played, he did grow up in West Philly, the Wynnefield neighborhood, and he has remained true to his roots. He’s known to be a huge Sixers fan, and even became a minority owner in 2011. Rather oddly, Poker.org explain he also enjoys fencing and poker, at odds with his urban image from his youth, and he’s been known to indulge in his hobby with soccer star turned club owner, David Beckham. Perhaps we can soon add Inter Miami to the list of sports clubs he follows.
Jack Nicholson – LA Lakers
Credit: Prayitno from Los Angeles, USA, Staples Center 2012, CC BY 2.0
Jack Nicholson is a three-time Oscar winner, with one in the seventies, eighties and nineties, proving his staying power and consistency. He is just the same with his sports, having been a Lakers’ season ticket holder since the seventies and, for 25 years, been a prominent face courtside at games. The 84-year-old has two seats courtside, at an estimated cost of $116,000 per seat, and is thought to have invested well over $5m as a fan over the course of his lifetime.
Ft. img Credit: ThoreSiebrands, RobertDeNiroMattDamonBerlinFeb07, CC BY 2.0
