This is the World Series of stars. MVPs on the field, Oscars, Emmys and Grammys in the stands. If you like your baseball mixed with a healthy dose of pop culture, this is the Fall Classic for you. If you don’t, well, go ahead and bookmark IMDB because, from Broadway to the Sunset Strip, no two franchises bring out the celebrities quite like the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There will be talk show hosts behind home plate, platinum-selling pop stars in the luxury boxes, and sitcom icons in the beer line. On any given night, a foul ball might land in the lap of Michael Bluth or right in the eye of Mike Wazowski. It turns out, Machete bleeds Dodger Blue, and Mars Blackmon thinks it’s gotta be the pinstripes.
So, we’re doing it. It’s unavoidable, and we’re embracing it. We’ve come up with a starting nine of celebrity fans for both the Yankees and Dodgers, and we’re giving them the full Power Rankings treatment, grading each in terms of celebrity status, team loyalty and present-day vibes.
Better luck next year, Seinfeld.
18. LeBron James
Team: Yankees (?)
Total score: 14 points
Celebrity status: 10/10
James landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated as “The Chosen One” at 17 years old and lived up to the hype. Still considered a top player in the NBA at the start of his 22nd season, James, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, is one of the most recognizable names in sports. And he is a billionaire, according to Forbes.
Team loyalty: 1/10
Apparently a longtime Yankees fan, the Akron, Ohio, native has also sported gear in support of the Indians (now Guardians), the Cubs — and, yes, the Dodgers. He was already an established All-Star for the Cleveland Cavaliers when he stirred quite the controversy for flaunting a Yankees hat at an Indians game in 2007. Now he plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Perhaps history will repeat itself. Or maybe he’ll wait until the series is decided to figure out which jersey to wear to which parade.
Current vibes: 3/10
Depending on who you ask, the greatest basketball player of all time is either LeBron James or Michael Jordan. Which team James will be rooting on to win the World Series is much the same: It’s either the Yankees or the Dodgers.
The answer will probably breathe new life into the “LeCap” meme, a social media trend in which statements he’s made are scrutinized as potentially false or embellished for comedic effect. Ultimately, we don’t think he’ll care much about that — he’s got his own season to worry about.
17. Jennifer Lopez
Team: Yankees
Total score: 14.5 points
J.Lo has been known to associate with certain characters unbecoming of a die-hard Yankee fan. (Darren McCollester / Getty Images)
Celebrity status: 7/10
Everyone knows J.Lo. She’s a singer, an actress, a trailblazer. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role in “Selena,” and “Jenny from the Block” is one of several hit singles on her resume. She’s a massive global superstar… who’s going through a weird time in her career.
Team loyalty: 3/10
A Bronx native, Lopez’s baseball loyalties are clear, but her devotion to the cause is perhaps less so. She grew up a Yankees fan and has dated former Yankees star third baseman Alex Rodriguez, but she’s also been to Fenway Park quite a few times with noted Red Sox superfan Ben Affleck during their time together — and in the choicest of seats right next to the Boston dugout. She might not have been wearing a Red Sox hat, but she sure wasn’t pulling one off his head, either.
Current vibes: 4.5/10
Lopez is nothing if not unpredictable and though she’s got a lot going on at the moment, no one has ever doubted the multi-hyphenate’s ability to multitask. Maybe we’ll see her at Game 3? We’ll be on J. Lo Watch.
16. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 19 points
Celebrity status: 9/10
A power couple in pop culture. He’s a singer-songwriter who’s earned the rare EGOT with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards to his name (he also has a spinning seat as a judge on “The Voice”). She’s a supermodel and television host who was a regular in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and co-hosted “Lip Sync Battle.”
Team loyalty: 5/10
They brought two of their kids to the clinching Game 6 of the NLCS, which is something, but when Legend attended a Dodgers World Series game in 2017, his wife mocked him as something of a bandwagon fan. Hey, maybe that’s where it started. We can respect jumping on a bandwagon and staying there for eight years.
Current vibes: 5/10
What’s better than bringing little kids to a baseball game? Especially in the playoffs. And especially when you can afford those seats. At least they’ve been there before. There are surely bigger bandwagon jumpers than these two.
15. Jimmy Fallon
Team: Yankees
Total score: 19.5 points
Celebrity status: 9/10
Host of “The Tonight Show” and longtime cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” Fallon has also hosted the Emmy Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards, and he’s starred in multiple movies, written some children’s books, and won five People’s Choice Awards, four Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Bonus point for always laughing in Will Ferrell’s sketches.
Team loyalty: 4/10
Although he played a diehard Red Sox fan in the movie “Fever Pitch,” Fallon grew up in New York and is — mostly, it seems — a Yankees fan. His fandom seems to have fluctuated over the years, but he has been a semi-regular at Yankee Stadium.
Current vibes: 6.5/10
Say this for Fallon: the guy shows up. He’s on TV five nights a week, and even if he’s only going to ballgames for a good time with his boss, he seems to legitimately enjoy cheering for the Yankees (even if, we assume, he falls asleep just fine when they lose).
14. Adam Sandler
Team: Yankees
Total score: 20.5 points
Celebrity status: 9/10
He’s played a wedding singer, a waterboy, a Canteen Boy, and the son of the devil. He wrote “Happy Gilmore,” “Billy Madison,” and “The Chanukah Song.” He’s a standup comedian, a movie star, and an SNL alum. All of which could have been brought to his attention yesterday!
Team loyalty: 5/10
He seems better known for his love of basketball, but Sandler does have a history with the Yankees, including throwing a first pitch and making Yankee Stadium a key piece of his movie “Anger Management”.
Current vibes: 6.5/10
Sandler was born in Brooklyn (grew up in New Hampshire) and seems to be a genuine Yankees fan, but his link to the team is not necessarily a crucial line on his celebrity resume. Sandler seems like a good time, but he’s got other things to do. Like fighting Bob Barker.
13. Mary Hart
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 21 points
Celebrity status: 5/10
A semi-finalist for Miss America in 1971 — representing the cultural hotbed of South Dakota — Hart broke into the mainstream in 1982 as the host of “Entertainment Tonight,” a post she held for 30 years. One bonus point for appearing at the 1987 WrestleMania. Kind of a “you had to be there” celebrity.
Team loyalty: 10/10 [Editor’s note: We’d give an 11/10 if we could.]
A fixture at Dodger Stadium, Hart has sung the National Anthem, thrown out a ceremonial first pitch, and can be often found sitting directly behind the plate (where she once mocked Craig Kimbrel’s delivery).
Current vibes: 6/10
Hart rose to prominence before the internet, when a television show was a go-to source of celebrity gossip and interviews. Perhaps completely unknown to a younger generation, but we must respect her genuine fandom.
12. Rob Lowe
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 21.5 points
Celebrity status: 7/10
As a young actor in the 1980s, he was among the Brat Pack. Then he disappeared for a while only to return as a witty speech writer on “The West Wing,” which started a second career act as a television star. To paraphrase his “Parks and Recreation” character Chris Traeger: “There is literally nothing in this world he cannot do.”
Team fandom: 7.5/10
Just what you expected to see this postseason: Sam Seaborn celebrating with Shohei Ohtani. Lowe has been pretty prominent within this Dodgers run to the World Series, and he’s been a Dodger Stadium regular for years, but he grew up a Cincinnati Reds fan.
Current vibes: 7/10
Lowe moved to California in high school, so we’ll mostly forgive the shifting allegiance. The guy certainly pulls some strings to get access beyond the normal fan, but hey, he did once work in the (fake) White House.
11. Danny Trejo
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 22 points
Actor Danny Trejo is apparently equally skilled at throwing knives and first pitches. (Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)
Celebrity status: 6/10
If you don’t know him, you’ll know him when you see him. As an iconic character actor, Trejo has played a series of scene-stealing parts, often as over-the-top criminals or relatable bad guys, and his voice has been used in the “Grand Theft Auto” video game series.
Team fandom: 9/10
When Fernando Valenzuela died earlier this week, Trejo posted a picture of himself with the Dodgers legend on social media and did several interviews to talk about his passing. He’s been a regular at Dodger Stadium, throwing out first pitches and celebrating his birthday at the ballpark. He’s also a big Los Angeles Rams fan, having grown up in L.A.
Current vibes: 7/10
Can you believe this dude is 80? He was born in 1944, more than a decade before the Dodgers moved to L.A. and even before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. This guy’s seen a lot, and he might be on the verge of seeing his team win another championship.
GO DEEPER
A tribute to Fernando Valenzuela, the mystical lefty with the miracle screwball
10. Jason Bateman
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 23 points
Celebrity status: 7.5/10
A child actor who became more of a C-list actor before a career resurgence with the comedy “Arrested Development” and the gritty drama “Ozark”. Bateman has become a kind of everyman celebrity, often deadpan in his delivery, which has helped make his “SmartLess” podcast extremely popular.
Team fandom: 7.5/10
Lots of people are showing up at Dodger Stadium these days, but Bateman was there 10 years ago when he somewhat infamously announced “another Brandon” was coming up to bat for the San Francisco Giants. The point is, Bateman’s been a Dodgers fan for a while. It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ’em.
Current vibes: 8/10
Bateman’s fun, right? You could sit at a ballgame with that guy, listen to him tell stories and crack one-liners, trusting that he’ll stand up and pay attention when there are two outs and a runner at second. He just seems like a baseball-type of celebrity.
9. Lady Gaga
Team: Yankees
Total score: 24 points
Gaga attending a Yankee game in 2010. After this game, she talked her way into the Yankee clubhouse, resulting in a brief ban. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Celebrity status: 10/10
Her first album was called The Fame, and that’s exactly what she’s created over the past decade and a half. First as a massive pop star (“Poker Face,” “Bad Romance,” “Just Dance”), then as a jazz crooner (with Tony Bennett), and most recently as a full-fledged movie star (“A Star is Born” and “Joker: Folie à Deux”). A legitimate global superstar.
Team loyalty: 7/10
Before she was Gaga, she was Stefani, and she was growing up in Manhattan. There’s online evidence of her legitimate, long-held Yankees fandom, but she was apparently banned from Yankee Stadium in 2010 — and then, apparently, not banned — for talking her way into the Yankees clubhouse after a loss. What Yankees fan wouldn’t want to do that?
Current vibes: 7/10
Look, we don’t always know what to make of Gaga. She’s a great singer. She can act. She’s a whole thing. Of all the things you can picture her wearing, though, a Yankees cap isn’t terribly high on the list.
8. Jay-Z
Team: Yankees
Total score: 24.5 points
Alicia Keys and Jay-Z famously performed at Yankee Stadium before Game 2 of the 2009 World Series. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
Celebrity status: 9/10
Without a Reasonable Doubt, few rappers have more fully set The Blueprint for hip-hop stardom. Jay-Z has won 24 Grammys, served as president of Def Jam Recordings, founded Roc Nation, and been called the greatest rapper of all time. He’s also married to Beyonce, forming one of the biggest power couples in pop culture.
Team loyalty: 8/10
Jay-Z is wearing a Yankees cap on the cover of the “Kingdom Come” album, and his “Empire State of Mind” collaboration with Alicia Keys became the theme song of the 2009 Yankees championship (the duo performed the song before Game 2 of that World Series). Among Jay-Z’s iconic lyrics: “I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can.”
Current vibes: 7.5/10
Undeniably a global superstar who’s been linked to the Yankees throughout his career and even made himself a part of the team’s culture. Is he a diehard at every game? No. Did he really make the Yankees cap more famous than a Yankee can? Maybe.
7. Will Ferrell
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 25 points
Actor Will Ferrell pitches for the Dodgers in spring training 2015, as part of his one-day multi-team extravaganza. (Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)
Celebrity status: 8/10
A beloved comedy actor and film star, Ferrell starred in iconic watches such as “Elf” and “Step Brothers” and “Anchorman.” Known for his quick wit and commitment to character, the blooper reel is arguably as good as the movie itself when the 2011 Mark Twain Prize recipient is on set. Over his career, he’s won six Emmy Awards, two ESPYs and an MLS Cup championship (via his part ownership stake of Los Angeles F.C.).
Team fandom: 9/10
According to MLB.com, Ferrell is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound shortstop who was assigned to 10 different teams in mid-March of 2015, with the Dodgers among them. He wore No. 19 in Dodger Blue when he took the mound during a Cactus League game and subsequently fielded a bunt for his first and only out as a member of the team. “(Don) Mattingly already cut me,” Ferrell said while mic’d up. Playing cowbell is probably more his speed.
GO DEEPER
Their big-league cameos led to World Series rings. Are they happy? It’s complicated
Current vibes: 8/10
All jokes aside, where is Ferrell’s rookie card? He’ll have to inquire. It’s either that or a World Series ring, unless someone in the Dodgers organization makes a mean thing of meatloaf.
6. Brad Paisley
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 25.5 points
Celebrity status: 7.5/10
A three-time Grammy Award winner, Paisley remains one of the most popular artists in country music and has been on the scene for over two decades. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, among the most prestigious country music honors, in 2001. And several of his songs have graced soundtracks for the “Cars” movie franchise, so he has cross-generational appeal.
Team loyalty: 10/10
Paisley, who has performed the national anthem for multiple World Series games at Dodger Stadium in the past, is set to do so again ahead of Game 1. But his fandom goes well beyond the diamond. Back in December, he hosted Dodgers team officials — including manager Dave Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman — at his 100-acre farm in Nashville, Tenn., where he greeted them with his most expensive bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle 23. Effectively, it was meant as an escape from the Winter Meetings and the Shohei Ohtani free-agency saga, which ultimately headlined the Dodgers’ bonkers $1.4 billion offseason.
GO DEEPER
The Dodgers’ billion-dollar spree: secrets, rumors and Brad Paisley’s Pappy Van Winkle
Current vibes: 8/10
Paisley’s Pappy Van Winkle 23 is the closest the real world will get to Michael’s Secret Stuff in “Space Jam.” When you think L.A., you don’t necessarily think country music superstar, but Paisley shows up, presumably with a little mud on the tires.
5. Bryan Cranston
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 26 points
Celebrity status: 8/10
The star of Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle, and several mainstream movies. He’s also received acclaim for his work on Broadway. He’s a massive star with six Emmy awards, two Golden Globes, three Screen Actors Guild awards, two Tony Awards, and one killer mustache. He’s kind of like Tom Hanks, but for television.
Team loyalty: 10/10
Attended his first Dodgers game in 1961 and named his pet dog after Vin Scully. Once described his high school playing career as that of a “solid, mediocre, professional baseball prospect.” He’s since been tapped to voice various Major League Baseball projects, and he announced the Dodgers’ Opening Day lineup this season.
Current vibes: 8/10
Cranston has both star power and longevity. He is the one who knocks, and as new generations keep finding his Walter White character via streaming platforms, he stays relevant — somehow both menacing and hilarious.
4. Denzel Washington
Team: Yankees
Total score: 26.5 points
Celebrity status: 9.5/10
Few artists can go by a mononym, but there really is only one Denzel. The two-time Academy Award winner, who’s earned 10 nominations over the course of more than three decades, is still a household name. The argument can be made that his stardom is not what it once was, but his upcoming role in “Gladiator II” is already getting Oscar buzz, and a number of his movies — “Remember the Titans,” “Training Day” and “American Gangster,” to name a few — remain timeless.
Team loyalty: 9/10
Washington is 69 and grew up watching Elston Howard win four World Series with the Yankees. Countless photos across decades have captured Washington in a Yankees hat. He once swapped it for a Dodgers cap, albeit temporarily and for good reason: He addressed the team on Jackie Robinson Day in 2022.
Current vibes: 8/10
Washington may be one of the most revered celebrities on this list. He demands respect in everything he does — his movies, his public speeches and his Yankees fandom. He’s put in the work and his fandom is not new. We have to give him his props.
3. Spike Lee
Team: Yankees
Total score: 27 points
Spike Lee is well known for his devotion to New York’s teams. (Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
Celebrity status: 8/10
As a director, producer, writer and actor, Lee has been a cultural icon since the mid-80s. He’s won an Oscar, two Emmys, and five of his films are preserved in the Library of Congress National Film Registry. His character Mars Blackmon gained further relevance in various Air Jordan commercials.
Team fandom: 10/10
New York sports, especially the Knicks, Liberty and Yankees, are immediate touchstones of Lee’s cultural image. He’s a regular at sporting events, often wearing over-the-top team gear. His passion for his teams is pretty hard to deny.
Current vibes: 9/10
Is there any celebrity more synonymous with a city’s sports teams than Spike Lee in New York? When he talks about the Yankees, he doesn’t sound like a guy who’s just going to the games to be seen. Yankee Stadium might as well be another Spike Lee joint.
2. Magic Johnson
Team: Dodgers
Total score: 27.5 points
Celebrity status: 9/10
Speaking of mononyms — imagine just being known as “Magic.” A listed billionaire on Forbes, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame point guard who led the Showtime Lakers to five NBA championships with three MVPs and as many Finals MVPs seems to be living the quiet life, relatively speaking, but he’s still one of the most recognizable stars in sports.
Team loyalty: 10/10
Johnson, a Dodgers minority owner since 2012, offered an impassioned pregame speech at Dodger Stadium on Jackie Robinson Day in April and has remained vocal about his fandom on social media.
Current vibes: 8.5/10
He brought five championships to L.A. as a basketball player, and now Johnson will watch the Sho-Time Dodgers compete in a World Series. It’s rather fitting. Plus, he owns the team! Hard to say whether that adds to subtracts from the fan experience, though.
1. Billy Crystal
Team: Yankees
Total score: 28 points
Celebrity status: 10/10
An actor since the 1970s and a legitimate American icon since the 1980s, Crystal is a City Slicker who met Sally and threw mamma from the train. He’s been a Pixar monster, a Spinal Tap mime, and a Princess Bride healer. He’s hosted the Oscars nine times, won Emmy awards and a Tony. He’s also earned three Grammy nominations, the Mark Twain Prize, a Kennedy Center Honor, and whatever you call it when a person becomes one of the most well-known voices of his or any other generation.
Team loyalty: 10/10
Among the best-known baseball fans in pop culture, Crystal was raised in New York and grew up to become friends with his childhood idol, Mickey Mantle. He directed the baseball movie 61 and was among those interviewed for the epic Ken Burns documentary about the sport. He once hit leadoff for the Yankees in a spring training game.
Current vibes: 8/10
He’s arguably the most iconic person on this list, but he’s also a 78-year-old man who is far less recognizable to anyone who’s the age of, say, Juan Soto. Few celebrities have achieved Crystal’s peak prominence, and few baseball fans have a more established connection to the game. He’s like Giancarlo Stanton. The glory days have faded, but man can he still hit one out of the park.
So, which team has the best celebrity fans? Our scientific points system gives the edge to the Dodgers by 12 points — half a Gaga — and that’s largely because of our questions about LeBron’s loyalty and our uncertainty about J.Lo’s current celebrity status. The Yankees have three of our top four celebrity fans, which probably speaks to the team’s history and its location (entertainers might live in L.A., but a lot of them seem to be born and raised in New York). And if you disagree with our methods, we’ll apologize by borrowing a line from No. 10 on our list: “We’ve made a huge mistake.”
(Illustration by Meech Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Victor Boyko, Stephen Dunn, J. Meric, Harry How / Getty Images; Bobby Bank / WireImage; Scott Kane / Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
