The fervor of Philadelphia’s sports fans is legendary, both in rabidly supporting and sometimes excoriating the town’s sports teams. And that deep loyalty to Philly’s sports heritage extends to some of the best-known personalities in entertainment, media, political and pop culture circles.
PennStakes.com continues its coverage of Pennsylvania sports betting by using AhRefs.com Keywords Explorer to determine some of the most popular celebrities who are Philadelphia sports fans over the past 12 months (October 2022 to October 2023). PennStakes defined “celebrity” as living actors/actresses, singer/songwriters, athletes, TV personalities, comedians, politicians, dancers and social media influencers. Any athletes who played or currently play for another Philadelphia sports team were eliminated.
Using the above parameters from PennStakes.com, where you’ll find the best PA sportsbook promo codes, the most famous Philly sports fan happens to be arguably the most famous person in entertainment, bar none, at the moment: Taylor Swift.
Swift’s standing at the top of the list may cause some pushback, especially from the highly judgmental Philadelphia sports zealots. After all, Swift has been ubiquitous in her enthusiastic support of current guy friend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. That’s probably particularly galling to Eagles fans since the Chiefs beat the Eagles in the last Super Bowl.
However, Swift — who hails from West Reading, northwest of Philadelphia, and attended school in nearby Wyomissing — has declared herself a passionate Eagles fan in the past. Considering she registered 5.3 million in search volume over the last 12 months, more than even President Joe Biden, it’s hard to argue that she’s not the most well-known Philly sports fan.
Swift will face her own loyalty test soon when the Eagles play the Chiefs in Kansas City on Nov. 20 on Monday Night Football. If Swift shows up, cameras will be sure to capture where her allegiance currently resides. And as if that Super Bowl rematch can’t get any juicier, BetMGM Pennsylvania Sportsbook has the Eagles and Chiefs listed as co-favorites, with +500 odds, to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy this season.
Following Swift on the list of most famous Philadelphia sports fans is the aforementioned President of the United States with a 4.7 million search volume. Biden was born in Scranton in northeast Pennsylvania and his family moved to Claymont, Delaware, when he was a child. Claymont, near Wilmington, is very much within the reach of Philadelphia’s sports influence.
The third celebrity on the list might come as a surprise to some. Actor Miles Teller gained a huge measure of celebrity for his role as “Rooster” Bradshaw in the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick. Teller spent his younger years in the Philadelphia area and Delaware before moving to Florida, where he went to high school. But Teller has steadfastly clung to his Philadelphia sports roots and often has been spotted wearing gear representing the Eagles (who are 3-point favorites over the Cowboys at Caesars PA Sportsbook for next Sunday’s game). Teller registered 2.4 million on search volume over the last year.
The fourth celebrity on the list is plenty familiar as a figure symbolizing the grit and resilience of the city: Sylvester Stallone of Rocky fame. Stallone is a native New Yorker but spent some time living in the Philadelphia area and, of course, helped create a civic identity for the city with his portrayal of the underdog prize fighter. His celebrity is hardly in dispute. There’s a statue of Stallone’s Rocky at the famous steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum. His search volume was 2 million.
Tied for No. 5 are actress Aubrey Plaza and actor Will Smith, each with search volumes of 1.7 million. Plaza was born in Wilmington and went to an all-girls Catholic school there, Ursuline Academy. The award-winning actress was a mainstay on the hit TV show Parks and Recreation as April Ludgate. Smith, the Fresh Prince, has a long and impressive resume of theatrical accomplishments and hails — as the song says from “West Philadelphia born and raised.”
Comedian Kevin Hart is No. 7 with a search volume of 1.4 million. A Philadelphian, Hart went to high school in the city and then Temple University. Hart even made his way into a post-Super Bowl TV interview with Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox following Philadelphia’s win over New England.
Actor Bradley Cooper comes in at No. 8 with a search volume of 1.2 million. Along with being a frequent presence at Eagles and Phillies games, Cooper starred in a critically acclaimed film, Silver Linings Playbook, in which his character’s family and friends were intense Eagles fans. Cooper is from Abington in Philadelphia’s northern suburbs.
Actor Kevn Bacon was No. 9 with a search volume of 700,000. The Philadelphia native, with a long list of film credits, went to high school at Masterman in the city, then Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Rapper Lil Uzi Vert was No. 10 with a search volume of 450,000. Lil Uzi Vert grew up in North Philadelphia and, in 2017, was the winner of an MTV Video Music Award and in 2022, was nominated for a Grammy.
The roster of famous Philly sports fans has such a deep bench, here are some of the honorable mentions: Pink!, Meek Mill, Mike Trout, Rob McElhenney, Tina Fey, M. Night Shyamalan, Lil Dicky, Ryan Phillippe. Stay with PennStaked.com for information on Pennsylvania sports betting apps as well as more lifestyle stories.
Author
A longtime reporter and editor who began writing on casinos and gaming shortly after Atlantic City’s first gambling halls opened, Bill covered the world Series of Poker and wrote a syndicated column on travel to casino destinations for a decade.
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