Daniel Radcliffe Reveals How He Became Obsessed With American Football

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, Guns Akimbo) was born and raised in London, ultimately becoming a household name around the world as an actor. While he is British by birth, Radcliffe is a huge fan of an American sport. He is actually obsessed with the NFL and American football.

Radcliffe provided information about his obsession during an appearance on Hot Ones. He faced questions about being a New York Giants fan and running multiple fantasy football leagues. Radcliffe revealed that he didn’t start out as an NFL fan. He actually did not care at all about the sport but fell into this obsession while helping out an acquaintance.

“It was when I was doing the musical. It was when I was doing How to Succeed [in Business Without Really Trying,]‘” Radcliffe said. “Somebody gave me… somebody was like, ‘I’m doing a fantasy league. … Can you come up with a team?’ I was like, ‘Ok, fine.’ I had no interest in it, but three weeks in, I was informed that my team was 0-3 because I hadn’t opened my profile or done anything to it.”

Radcliffe said that he didn’t want to be 0-3, so he decided to take some interest in it and examine the players starting for his team. That decision led to him becoming a massive fan of both fantasy football and the NFL. He ultimately became a New York Giants fan and then also began watching the NHL due to his girlfriend being a Detroit Red Wings fan. Now the actor watches both sports while continuing to play fantasy.

This conversation with Hot Ones host Sean Evans is not the first time that Radcliffe has discussed his love of American football. He previously appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss acting in a play but actually first discussed the NFL and his fantasy teams. The actor talked about the heartache of being a fan of a 1-5 Giants team during the 2018 season, as well as losing one of his top picks in Devonta Freeman to Injured Reserve.

Radcliffe continued his 2018 football conversation with an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. He revealed the punny names of his fantasy football teams, which included “Goff With Their Heads.” He also said that having more than two squads only brings about diminishing returns.

Since first revealing that he loves football and fantasy sports, Radcliffe has made the rounds to continue the discussion. He has appeared on ESPN and several other networks. He also revealed that he rooted for the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII due to Tom Brady having a MAGA hat in his locker.