Even These NFL Teams Have Famous Fans

Football is by far the most popular sport in the U.S., well ahead of basketball, baseball and hockey.

From Alaska to Miami, fans flock to their nearest NFL team or watch their local college side in action. The Super Bowl is one of the most anticipated viewing events of the year, with Sportingnews.com revealing it hit 91m viewers. Doubtless, Dick Vitale was delighted to see his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers triumph, whilst Paul Rudd might have felt a bit Knocked Up at the fate of the Chiefs.

Therein lies one of the beauties of sport – it is a great leveler. Chiefs’ fans lamented their luck in February, whether they were returning to work at Farmland Foods the day after, or whether they were returning to shooting a Hollywood blockbuster, like Paul Rudd. Stars of screen and of sound are football fans, just like you and I. They feel the pain of a missed pass, a dodged tackle and a defeat in the same way.

Some feel a little pain more than others, because even some of the, shall we say, less successful NFL teams have a celebrity fan behind them. So with that in mind, here are four celebrities and their less-than-successful teams.

Eminem – Detroit Lions

Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers III, is a well-known Detroit resident who has done as much to raise the profile of his home city around the world as anyone in recent years. From the epic film 8 Mile to his constant references to his hometown, he is a Detroit boy through and through, and as such a keen follower of the Lions. Hip Hop 24×7 reports how he even started their March game against the Jets. Sadly, as they finished bottom of the NFC North third bottom of the Conference, he did not have much to cheer.

Will Smith – Philadelphia Eagles

According to Poker.org, Will Smith enjoys fencing with David Beckham, and after the Eagles horrible season in 2020, he might be tempted to fly over to watch the soccer team Inter Miami instead of his beloved side. He grew up in Philly and has followed the side for many years, but he will not have enjoyed finishing bottom of the NFC East last season, although he can console himself with that 2017 Super Bowl win, which might be a more familiar and vibrant memory for the I Legend star.

Gene Hackman – Jacksonville Jaguars

Gene Hackman is a keen fan of puzzles when he is not in front of the camera, and he might have been puzzled by how bad the Jaguars have been of late. Their 27-20 win against the Colts on the opening day of the 2020 season certainly gave The French Connection actor hope of a good season, but it proved to be their only win. As a relatively new franchise, their struggles are not entirely unexpected, but it still takes commitment to follow them going into 2021.

Denzel Washington – New York Jets

At one stage, the New York Jets were 0-13 and looking likely to rival the Jaguars for the worst record of 2020, but late wins against the Rams and Browns gave them hope that they might be on the rise. One famous fan, Denzel Washington, will certainly be hoping so. He featured in Remember the Titans, regarded by many as the best football movie ever made, as well as Training Day. This season, the Jets might need plenty of training if they are to be regarded as one of the best football teams, as they last were at Super Bowl III in 1968.