Celebrities, they’re just like us. But seriously, sports and pop culture have always been intertwined, so it’s no surprise to see a lot of celebrities at a sporting event, especially in a big city. It’s an opportunity for them to be more or less “normal people.”
Some of them, however, genuinely love sports. Whether it’s golf, hockey, football, basketball, baseball or anything else, these sports allegiances run deep. They run so deep that not even the epitome of fame and fortune can erode that fandom, which is what makes these celebrity sports fans stand out among the rest.
25. Rob Riggle
Rob Riggle loves Kansas City teams. The Kansas City Chiefs / Facebook
Day job: Actor
Teams: Kansas City teams (most notably the Chiefs)
Did you know: Riggle is a retired former officer for the United States Marine Corps Reserves.
Bottom line: The longtime comedian broke onto the scene in “Step Brothers” in 2008 and established himself as a boisterous funny man, which translated well to sports coverage.
He joined the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show in 2012, replacing Frank Caliendo with a regular comedy segment that also involves making picks.
He’s a total homer for the Chiefs, but he makes the segment entertaining because he has a vast knowledge of NFL football.
24. Ice Cube
Ice Cube flashes his Raiders T-shirt at a 2009 Monday night game in Oakland against the San Diego Chargers. Paul Sakuma / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, rapper
Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers, Oakland Raiders
Did you know: The favorite song he’s written is “It Was a Good Day,” which features a famous line about the Lakers beating the Seattle Supersonics.
Bottom line: Ice Cube helped the make the Raiders cool. He and N.W.A. burst onto the rap scene with supreme attitude and swagger, donning the silver and black from Day 1. It became such a part of the group, that it’s basically their official merchandise.
Cube rapped often about the Lakers and the Raiders even as he was branching out into his solo career.
Fatherhood and a steady acting career have slowed down his in-game displays, but he’s still a staple at meaningful Lakers and Dodgers games, and also started Big3, a three-on-three basketball league.
23. Macklemore
Seattle native Macklemore responds to the crowd at CenturyLink Field before a Seahawks game against the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. Elaine Thompson / AP Photo
Day job: Rapper
Teams: Seattle teams (most notably Seahawks)
Did you know: Macklemore dedicated his song “My Oh My” to Seattle-area sportscaster Dave Niehaus, who did play-by-play for the Mariners from 1977 to his death in 2010.
Bottom line: Grammy-award winning rapper Macklemore is a proud member of the “12th man” in Seattle, frequently shouting out the team and some of its more notable players in his rhymes. He’s also closely plugged into the organization and was seen celebrating with the team in the locker room after their Super Bowl victory.
The team has reciprocated Macklemore’s affection, inviting him to play at halftime of their 2014 NFC championship game, during which they played his song “Can’t Hold Us” after each touchdown.
Macklemore also loves the Mariners, touts Seattle’s MLS team the Sounders and has been a frequent proponent of the Sonics’ return to the city.
22. Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal likes what he sees at a Clippers playoff game against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, comedian
Teams: Los Angeles Clippers
Did you know: Crystal took an at-bat as the designated hitter for the Yankees at a 2008 spring training game in Tampa and fouled off a fastball before striking out.
Bottom line: Billy Crystal gets big points here for being the original Clippers celebrity — when the team was terrible.
When the team moved from San Diego to Los Angeles in the 1980s, Crystal flipped from being a Lakers fan and fully embraced the Clippers franchise, along with his role as the most notable supporter. He served as a satirical version of Jack Nicholson for those first two decades in LaLa Land, until the team surpassed the Lakers as a competent franchise in recent years.
Good on him for sticking with the squad, as they often needed as much help as they could get. Now that times have changed and Clippers are legitimate NBA title contenders, will get Crystal get an honorary ring if they win everything?
21. Jon Hamm
St. Louis native Jon Hamm throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a Cardinals game in 2014. Scott Kane / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, comedian, game show host
Teams: St. Louis teams
Did you know: Hamm homered in his appearance in the 2012 MLB All-Star celebrity softball game.
Bottom line: He may be known for playing the smooth-talking Don Draper on “Mad Men,” but in real life, Hamm is a rabid fan of the St. Louis Blues and Cardinals.
He’s appeared in a pair of television spots promoting the Blues, and narrated the Cardinals’ 2011 highlight film after the team won the World Series in dramatic fashion.
He is also a huge golfer, and did some more narration work for Fox, recapping Jordan Spieth’s U.S. Open victory at Chambers Bay.
20. Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba, left, cheers on the Golden State Warriors with her husband, Cash Warren, during a 2007 playoff game against the Utah Jazz in Oakland, California. Jeff Chiu / AP Photo
Day job: Actor
Teams: Golden State Warriors
Did you know: Alba’s company The Honest Company partnered with Major League Baseball in 2017 to launch a line of team-centric diapers.
Bottom line: Jessica Alba became a Warriors fan when the team acquired Baron Davis, with whom she and her husband, Cash Warren, are good friends.
The “We Believe” team is long gone, but Alba still sits courtside, watching the best era of basketball in Warriors history and perhaps one of the greatest teams of all time.
She flexed her sports knowledge in a 2017 appearance on ESPN’s debate show “First Take.”
19. Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake, left, gets props from playing partner Justin Rose after a nice shot at the 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Eric Risberg / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, singer
Teams: Memphis Grizzlies, golf
Did you know: Timberlake purchased his run-down hometown golf course and redeveloped it as the eco-friendly Mirimichi Golf Course.
Bottom line: An avid golfer, Justin Timberlake takes his game seriously and has struck up a real-life friendship with one of the best players in the world, Justin Rose.
The two have played together numerous times at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Timberlake also has stuck to his roots as a Memphis boy, and proudly supports the Memphis Grizzlies, of which he and wife Jessica Biel are minority owners.
18. Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg, left, talks to then-Lakers point guard Derek Fisher at a screening of “Baby Boy” in Los Angeles in 2001. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo
Day job: Rapper
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Pittsburgh Steelers, anyone who’s winning
Did you know: Snoop Dogg’s son Cordell committed to play football as a wide receiver for UCLA in 2015, then left the program in 2016 to focus on fashion.
Bottom line: Snoop can be considered a front-runner of sorts, but there’s no doubt he is a sports fanatic.
Back when he was an up-and-coming rapper, he often would be on the sidelines of USC football games to watch Reggie Bush tear it up and credits his Steelers fandom to watching the team in the 1970s with his grandfather. Snoop is one of the few rappers to tote around hockey jerseys, too.
He’s taken his passion for sports to coaching as the head coach of his son’s youth football teams and also helped start a football league called the Snoop Youth Football League.
17. Kate Upton
Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander celebrates with his then-girlfriend (now-wife) Kate Upton on the field at Dodger Stadium after the Astros won the 2017 World Series. Jae C. Hong / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, model
Teams: Houston Astros
Did you know: Upton became an internet sensation after appearing in 2012’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Bottom line: She loves sports, but her allegiances are obvious. Kate Upton began dating former Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander in 2014, when he was in the midst of a big swoon in his career.
Verlander credits Upton with helping him rebound for an even more impressive second act of his career. After losing significant fastball velocity and suffering from chronic shoulder pain, Upton helped guide him through the recovery process, and he helped the Astros win their first World Series in 2017.
Verlander makes no bones about giving her just due. “Who knows, if I’m even here if it wasn’t for her?” he told Bleacher Report in 2018.
16. Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington enjoys himself courtside at a 2015 Lakers game against the Knicks in Los Angeles. Danny Moloshok / AP Photo
Day job: Actor
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers and New York Yankees
Did you know: Washington’s got his start at performing in a staff talent show for the Camp Sloane YMCA, when he worked as a camp counselor.
Bottom line: One of the most accomplished actors in American film history, Denzel Washington likes to take in big stakes Lakers and Yankees games and is famous for always donning his all-black Yankees cap.
Aside from being a fan, Washington has an impressive athletic resume of his own. While attending Fordham University, he played point guard under future NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo.
Maybe he has a few tips for his beloved Lakers, who are thin at the position at the moment.
15. Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey, left, celebrates with Lance Armstrong after Texas beat USC in the national championship game at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 4, 2006. Chris Carlson / AP Photo
Day job: Actor
Teams: University of Texas teams (especially football)
Did you know: Despite growing up in Texas rooting for the Longhorns, McConaughey also is a lifelong Washington Redskins fan.
Bottom line: Matthew McConaughey takes his acting about as seriously as he takes Texas football. He’s at nearly every home game and bowl game, typically on the field cheering on the Longhorns. He was even on the sidelines for the team’s BCS national championship victory over USC in 2006.
McConaughey’s first speaking role is credited to a commercial for the Austin American-Statesman newspaper, where he uttered the line, “How else am I gonna keep up with my ‘Horns?”
14. Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn, right, hams it up with Chicago Bulls mascot Benny the Bull at an NBA game. Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo
Day job: Actor
Teams: Chicago teams (most notably Cubs, Bears and Blackhawks)
Did you know: Vaughn’s first film role was a brief appearance in the 1993 film “Rudy,” a sports drama about Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, an underdog who dreamed of playing football at the University of Notre Dame.
Bottom line: Vince Vaughn plays the loudmouth jokester in most of his movies, but he takes his sports fandom very, very seriously.
He’s often seen in the front row of Chicago Blackhawks games, banging the glass with a jersey on. Any big Cubs game, he’s bound to be found somewhere in the stands at Wrigley Field.
Some of his movies even have played on this fact, most notably “The Break-Up” with Jennifer Aniston.
13. Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart after being named MVP of the 2015 NBA All-Star celebrity basketball game in New York. Frank Franklin II / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, comedian
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers and various other teams
Did you know: Before launching his stand-up career, Hart worked as a shoe salesman.
Bottom line: Kevin Hart’s deepest connection to the sports world is his frequent participation in the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, sitting courtside for most of the festivities, dapping up players and often playing in the weekend’s celebrity game.
He’s got some game, taking home the MVP of the celebrity game on three of those occasions.
His participation has blossomed into several relationships around the league, most notably with Joel Embiid, as Hart is a diehard 76ers fan.
12. Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld gestures to fans before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before a 2019 Mets game in New York. Frank Franklin II / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, comedian
Teams: New York teams (most notably Mets)
Did you know: Seinfeld called four innings of a Mets game on SportsNet New York on June 23, 2010.
Bottom line: Jerry Seinfeld, of course, gained mainstream fame for his mega-hit television show of the same name.
Throughout the run of the show, the characters had frequent conversations surrounding the Mets, often with Jerry and Kramer bemoaning their play. Former Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez even might be just a blip in big league history, if not for his recurring appearances on “Seinfeld.”
Seinfeld is a true baseball fan and also is a semi-regular caller on the “Steve Somers Show” on New York’s sports radio station WFAN.
11. Jay-Z
Beyonce, left, and Jay-Z watch a 2015 NBA game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets in Los Angeles. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo
Day job: Rapper, actor
Teams: New York teams (most notably Brooklyn Nets)
Did you know: Jay-Z founded one of New York’s hottest clubs, called 40/40, which is marketed as a luxury sports bar.
Bottom line: Former part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets, Jay-Z has his fingerprints all over the sports world, and that was before he launched the sports agency Roc Nation.
He’s been slipping sports names into his rhymes for his entire career, and foreshadowed the famous free agency class of 2010, when rapping about LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in “Empire State of Mind.”
He’s at nearly every big sporting event with Beyonce, his wife, right at his side.
10. Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg, center, and his then-girlfriend (now-wife) Rhea Durham talk with Kobe Bryant during Game 5 of the 2008 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Boston Celtics in Los Angeles. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, rapper
Teams: Boston teams
Did you know: In 2012, Wahlberg began serving as a brand ambassador for a line of sports nutrition supplements by GNC called Marked.
Bottom line: Mark Wahlberg is an old-school Boston boy who made it big, and as such, he lays on the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics swagger thicker than even his accent suggests.
From a professional standpoint, the film “Invincible” endeared him to Philadelphia sports fans. This mix brings Boston and Philly sports fans together in a way that nobody else has since the Phillies traded Jonathan Papelbon.
Wahlberg also had a more noteworthy performance playing Micky Ward in “The Fighter.”
9. Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell talks to some Los Angeles Dodgers players before Game 5 of the 2013 National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Day job: Actor
Teams: USC Trojan football, Los Angeles Dodgers
Did you know: Ferrell played in five Cactus League games in one day during spring training in 2015 to promote a Funny or Die baseball special.
Bottom line: Funnyman Will Ferrell first earned notice from sports fans for his portrayal of Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray on “Saturday Night Live,” where he performed a belligerent rendition of one of baseball’s most famous announcers.
The USC alumnus also has earned his stripes on the sidelines of USC football games, and the Southern California native roots for the Dodgers.
He’s also dipped his toe into the sports movie waters on several occasions with “Talladega Nights” (NASCAR), “Blades of Glory” (figure skating), “Kicking and Screaming” (soccer) and “Semi-Pro” (basketball).
8. Bill Murray
Bill Murray sings “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch in Game 3 of the 2017 National League Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field. Nam Y. Huh / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, comedian
Teams: Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, golf
Did you know: In 2006, Murray received the Baseball Reliquary’s annual Hilda Award, established in 2001 “to recognize distinguished service to the game by a fan.”
Bottom line: Bill Murray loves sports.
His love for golf was evident in the legendary comedy “Caddyshack,” and the reputation has stuck with him ever since. He fully embraces it and brings all kinds of hijinks to his annual pro round at Pebble Beach, where he has been participating in the Pro-Am for years.
Murray’s love for the Cubs is undying, and he’s been going to Wrigley for the last 50-plus years to cheer on the squad. He was one of several notable Cubs fans in attendance when the team squashed its World Series drought in 2016.
He also is part-owner of two minor league baseball teams, the St. Paul Saints and Charlotte RiverDogs, and starred in an unscripted Facebook series about baseball called “Extra Innings.”
7. Barack Obama
President Barack Obama takes his courtside seat for a Chicago Bulls game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center in 2015. Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo
Day job: Former president of the United States
Teams: Chicago teams (Bulls, White Sox)
Did you know: In 2011, Obama invited the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears team to the White House.
Bottom line: Barack Obama takes the mantle for engaged, all-around sports fan while in office. While the man who preceded him in office was a former owner of an actual MLB team, Obama loves sports.
He played basketball in high school, and his passion for the game was first brought to light in a cell phone video of him playing basketball and draining jumpers while on the campaign trail.
He annually invited ESPN inside the White House to shoot a segment with him filling out the NCAA March Madness brackets for both men and women, sat courtside at NBA games and, prior to becoming president, threw out the first pitch at a White Sox ALCS game in 2005.
6. Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd motions to the Kentucky bench before the 2015 Southeastern Conference championship game between Kentucky and Arkansas in Nashville, Tennessee. Steve Helber / AP Photo
Day job: Actor, signer
Teams: Kentucky basketball
Did you know: Judd has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in French.
Bottom line: Ashley Judd has been a mainstay at University of Kentucky basketball games for some time now, and she typically sits in the student section to cheer on the Wildcats.
Judd has been described as the “team mom” for her overarching presence and support of one of college basketball’s most prestigious programs.
She also was married to Scottish IndyCar and NASCAR driver Dario Franchitti, and got in an infamous run-in with female driver Milka Duno during the 2007 Indycar season.
5. George W. Bush
Former President George W. Bush, left, and his wife, Laura, applaud after the national anthem before a 2016 Texas Rangers against the Seattle Mariners in Arlington, Texas. LM Otero / AP Photo
Day job: Former president of the United States
Teams: Texas Rangers
Did you know: Bush was a rugby union player at Yale University.
Bottom line: Despite once being a part-owner of the Texas Rangers, the sports tie-in to America’s 43rd president is best exemplified in perhaps his most triumphant moment while in office after the devastating 9/11 attacks in 2001.
After declining a bulletproof vest supplied by the Secret Service, Bush took the mound at Yankee Stadium to throw out the first pitch with the whole world watching and fired a strike down the middle.
It’s a moment that still brings chills.
4. Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson, left, and Adam Sandler watch the Los Angeles Lakers play the Houston Rockets at the Staples Center in 2014. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo
Day job: Actor
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, New York Yankees
Did you know: Nicholson has been a Lakers season-ticket holder since 1970.
Bottom line: Jack Nicholson has been a staple at courtside for the Lakers for decades, and is often seen as a barometer for the state of the team.
In his (and the Lakers’) heyday, he may have been more animated than Drake is today, frequently berating officials for bad calls and trying to get into the heads of opposing coaches.
Nowadays, Nicholson is a little more somber, which makes sense given the state of the franchise. It will be interesting to see if the revamped roster has him a bit more energized.
3. Drake
Drake is a fixture at Toronto Raptors games. CBC News / YouTube
Day job: Actor, singer, rapper
Teams: Almost everybody (most recently Toronto Raptors)
Did you know: On Sept. 30, 2013, Drake announced at a formal news conference with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke that he was an official ambassador for the Raptors.
Bottom line: Drake’s first foray into the sports world came when the Miami Heat denied him access to the locker room following their championship victory in 2013. Since then, though, Drake deserves credit for being a Toronto Raptors diehard.
He got criticized during Toronto’s 2019 championship run for some of his more overzealous behavior. But he cheered the Lowry-Derozan version of the Raptors just as fervently.
We’ll see how Drake’s fandom progresses now that he’s developed a bit of a reputation with other teams he claims to follow.
2. Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne, left, talks with Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell after a game in 2016. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo
Day job: Rapper
Teams: Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Lakers
Did you know: Lil Wayne raps the intro song “No Mercy” for the Fox Sports 1 sports debate show “Undisputed.”
Bottom line: Lil Wayne gets big props from the sports world for his appearances on ESPN television over the past decade.
Through various appearances on “First Take” and “Around the Horn,” he’s demonstrated he knows his stuff and can talk about it in a compelling way.
Wayne reps several teams, including the Lakers. He even had an incident at a Miami Heat game a few years ago, where he was seen courtside cheering for the purple and gold.
1. Spike Lee
Spike Lee is a fixture at Madison Square Garden for Knicks games. Bill Kostroun / AP Photo
Day job: Director, actor
Teams: New York teams (most notably Knicks)
Did you know: In addition to starring in a series of Nike ads with Michael Jordan, Lee has directed commercials for Converse, Jaguar, Taco Bell and Ben & Jerry’s.
Bottom line: Perhaps the most prolific celebrity sports fan ever, Spike Lee has been the pulse of the New York Knicks for decades.
Although folks at Madison Square Garden had seen Lee in the building cheering on his Knicks for years, he gained mainstream notoriety when he resurrected his character of Mars Blackmon (Knicks superfan) in a Nike ad with Michael Jordan in 1991. “It’s gotta be the shoes” was born, and Lee cemented himself as a vital component in sports and pop culture history.
Since then, he’s more or less been the voice of the disgruntled Knicks fan. Is there any other kind?