Wait, Denzel Washington is a Cowboys fan?

USA Today

3 days ago

On Tuesday, while promoting his new "Highest 2 Lowest" movie, Denzel Washington appeared on ESPN's First Take to share some of his opinions on the Dallas Cowboys. Unsurprisingly, he had some choice opinions about Dallas owner Jerry Jones. Because, you know, it's hard not to talk about him and his propensity to overanalyze handshakes with All-Pro pass-rushers.
Jones has driven the Cowboys into the ground over the years! He deserves all the criticism he's received lately and then some.
But that's not the part I'm concerned with here. No, no. Everyone has (rightful) opinions about Jones these days. Washington is just the latest to pile on. It's that Washington, a New York native, is ... a Cowboys fan? Really? How did I not know this? For a legendary, superstar actor like Washington, I feel like that's something that would be much more common knowledge. Huh.
So, how did it happen? How did a New York guy like Washington "betray" the New York Giants to root for one of their biggest rivals? As always, it's not as simple as it sounds.
What drew Washington to the Cowboys?
According to the Dallas Morning News, Washington's childhood football team was with the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, New York. Their nickname was the Red Raiders, and this made him want to go and play for the Texas Tech Red Raiders in college football. This eventually made him gravitate toward following Texas Longhorns football, and that, of course, transitioned to an emotional investment in the Cowboys.
The fact that his fandom started as a kid off of something so innocent makes a lot of sense.
Does Washington root for other New York teams?
Yes, from a baseball perspective, he grew up rooting for the New York Yankees. He said as much in a visit to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he told a story about sneaking into Yankee Stadium.
He's apparently a huge baseball guy through and through, which is cool.
From a basketball perspective, I'm sorry, Knicks fans, he doesn't love your team. (In all fairness, they haven't really been worth the trouble until recently.) Washington actually roots for the Los Angeles Lakers. He has season tickets and has been known to hang around the team from time to time over the years, like in this 2018 visit.
OK, so he roots for the Cowboys, Yankees, and Lakers ... does that also mean he roots for Duke?
Ha. Original!
But in all seriousness, there isn't anything clear or public to suggest Washington actively follows the Blue Devils' men's basketball program. Phew. So, in this specific case, he does get to maintain some semblance of credibility from a surface level as a sports fan.