Jacob Batalon, of Spider-Man fame, might be a Hawaii man through and through but when it comes to football, his heart lies in New England. His love for the Patriots started where all casual football fans’ and Patriots converts’ starts- with Tom Brady. After all, everyone wants to be rooting for the winningest team.
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For the ‘Reginald the Vampire’ star, an interest in football initially started with video games, a hobby through which he could connect with his friends and cousins. As his interest in the actual game of football grew, he was introduced to Tom Brady, who hasn’t been enthralled by Brady and his winning runs.
Speaking to Rich Eisen on his show, Batalon detailed exactly what endeared him to the Patriots, despite having no connection to the city as he revealed,
“I got into football actually through Madden. My cousins were really into sports games, so I kind of got into it through that and at that time it was Tom Brady’s like first three-peat, so it was like him on the cover, the best stats on Madden, and I just automatically wanted to like the best team.”
Brady was first featured on the cover of Madden in 2018 and became one of only two players to make a repeat appearance in the 2021 version, alongside Patrick Mahomes. His face on the cover saw the game generating not only unprecedented hype but also sales.
While Brady’s influence on the game cannot be denied, Batalon seems to be mistaken as Brady never actually made a three-peat. He came close though with his Super Bowl runs in 2002, 2004, and 2005 or for a younger audience, in 2015, ’17, and ’19.
The actor further explained how despite most Hawaiians leaning toward West Coast teams for their fandoms, he found himself drawn to the Patriots due to their winning runs. He jumped on the New England “bandwagon,” as he put it. While Batalon found himself cheering for the Patriots due to their star QB, many notable actors are loyals of the team due to their allegiance to their city.
The Patriots’ Many Star Fans
Best friends with each other, and also with Tom Brady, Cambridge natives Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are die-hard Patriots fans. Affleck notably embraces everything New England and takes his love for the Patriots to the next level with his antics, the latest example being his Dunkin Super Bowl ad.
Other notable stars with a love for the Pats, more so because of their affiliation to the city and not to Brady, are Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak, John Krasinski, and superstars Elton John and Bon Jovi. Jovi, while being from New Jersey, is fast friends with former coach Bill Belichick, and his band’s song, “This is Our House” is the unofficial anthem of the team.
