Biggest Celebrity Sports Fans

They're just like us. At least in terms of their love for the games.

Biggest Celebrity Sports Fans

Vince Vaughn grew up in Illinois and loves Chicago sports.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lance Armstrong and 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.

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

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

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

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

Jay-Z and Beyonce — Beyonce, left, and Jay-Z watch a 2015 NBA game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets in Los Angeles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?