There are only a few things in life that run deeper than sports loyalties. Even the biggest Hollywood stars, who themselves have been on the receiving end of intense emotions from fans, find it hard to not be mesmerized by their sporting idols and teams, so much so that it sometimes influences their work.
For a long time, fans thought Ben Affleck clashing with David Fincher over wearing a rival team’s cap for a scene in Gone Girl was wild, but now Bradley Cooper has made a claim that makes Affleck’s loyalty toward his team seem not very special, to say the least.
Bradley Cooper’s Oscar Sacrifice Tops Ben Affleck’s Red Sox Love
Ben Affleck, who grew up in Massachusetts, is a huge Boston Red Sox fan and has been seen following the Baseball outfit at Fenway Park on several occasions. As all Baseball fans know, the BoSox and New York Yankees are fierce rivals.
Accordingly, when director David Fincher asked Affleck to don the Yankees cap for a scene where his character Nicholas Dunne tried to avoid being recognized, the actor refused. The Oscar winner told The New York Times:
“I said, ‘David, I love you, I would do anything for you. But I will not wear a Yankees hat. I just can’t. I can’t wear it because it’s going to become a thing, David. I will never hear the end of it. I can’t do it.'”
Now, Bradley Cooper has seemingly overtaken Affleck as Hollywood’s most loyal sports fan. The nine-time Oscar-nominated actor, who supports the Philadelphia Eagles, was asked if he’d rather the Eagles win the Super Bowl this year or win multiple Oscars during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. He replied without hesitation:
“The Eagles Super Bowl victory. I gotta go Eagles. I know. I’m sick.”
The internet took little time in praising him for his loyalty.
Has his priorities straight 😤
— MovieGainz (@MovieGainz) November 29, 2023
He has his priorities
— Samriddhi Singh♥️ (@Samridd90774225) November 29, 2023
Any genuine football fan would choose their team winning a superbowl over almost anything.
— Ankush sharma (@Aku_700) November 29, 2023
Now that is dedication to your team🤣
— CinemaBums (@Cinema_Bums) November 29, 2023
Only right answer
— MALAN BADY (@BashirDatti1) November 29, 2023
Oscar is just for him but Super Bowl
Is for so many fans— See the Good Shri (@shrispy24) November 29, 2023
The 48-year-old grew up in Pennsylvania and has been supporting the football team, who have won only one Super Bowl in their long history, all his life.
He’s such an avid Eagles supporter that he showed his love for the team in his 2012 movie Silver Linings Playbook, wherein his character Pat Solitano cheered for the team with his father, Pat Solitano Sr. (Robert De Niro). Incidentally, one of his nine Oscar nominations came for his performance in the movie.
Read more: Bradley Cooper Almost Lost Out on His Breakout Role in Todd Phillips Film Due To One Blunder
Ben Affleck Once Agreed to Be an Extra Due to His Love for the Red Sox
Like Cooper, Affleck’s love for his team isn’t new. In the late 80s, when he and his friend Matt Damon were trying to make it in Hollywood, they accepted to play extras in the 1989 classic, Field of Dreams despite knowing they wouldn’t be able to attract any attention with that stint.
The reason behind their decision was their immense desire to go to Fenway Park, the home ground of their beloved team.
“Ben and I were extras in that, actually, just to go to Fenway,” Damon revealed in an interview with Dan Patrick. “We were extras in Field of Dreams, I bet there were probably 3,000 extras in a big crowd scene when Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones are at the baseball game.”
Damon and Affleck went on to cement their place in the industry, and in 2003, the Gone Girl actor even got the opportunity to throw the first pitch at Fenway Park before a Red Sox-Seattle Mariners game.
