Is Jason Sudeikis an Iowa fan? Why Kansas supporter cheered on Caitlin Clark, Hawkeyes at March Madness

Jacob Camenker

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Is Jason Sudeikis an Iowa fan? Why Kansas supporter cheered on Caitlin Clark, Hawkeyes at March Madness image

Caitlin Clark's greatness captured the attention of basketball fans everywhere during her electric run at Iowa.

Clark led Iowa to two consecutive national title game appearances in 2023 and 2024. In this year's Elite Eight, Clark notched a 41-point double-double against LSU — and comedian Jason Sudeikis, best known for his titular role in the series "Ted Lasso," was on hand to witness it.

Sudeikis cheered on Iowa rabidly as the team exacted revenge on LSU. He broke out John Cena's "you can't see me!" celebration late in the victory to pay homage to what Clark did against Louisville in last year's Elite Eight. Angel Reese later mimicked that gesture in last season's NCAA title game.

Clearly, Sudeikis knows his Iowa basketball, but is that his favorite team? Here's what to know about Sudeikis' affinity for basketball and why he's a fan of a well-known Big 12 school.

BENDER: Caitlin Clark's logo 3-point show is returning to the Final Four

Is Jason Sudeikis an Iowa fan?

Sudeikis is actually a die-hard Kansas fan, as he demonstrated during a trip to Allen Fieldhouse as a part of WNBA legend Sue Bird's ESPN show, "Sue's Places."

"I'll be honest with you, I didn't really go to KU," Sudeikis said while addressing the Jayhawks before a Dec. 1 matchup against UConn. "I wasn't good enough."

"But I will say this: I've always been a lifelong fan of KU. All my life," he added. "I think it helped me develop my love of the sport of basketball."

Though Kansas is Sudeikis' top team, he apparently developed a healthy respect for Iowa's women's basketball team. Bird took Sudeikis to the Hawkeye game vs. Bowling Green on Dec. 2 — a day after the duo's trip to Kansas — and he saw Caitlin Clark and Co. up close and personal in a 99-65 thrashing of the Eagles.

Sudeikis broke out his iconic dance moves from "Ted Lasso" after some convincing from the crowd.

Sudeikis' appearance at the women's Elite Eight suggests he has adopted Iowa as one of his favorite non-Kansas college basketball teams. It's easy to understand why, given Clark's electric scoring ability and the scrappiness of her teammates, like Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin, who complement Clark's skillset so well.

Couple that with Sudeikis' general basketball fandom, and it looks like the Hawkeyes were the perfect team for him to adopt after the men's and women's Jayhawks squads flamed out in their respective 2024 NCAA Tournaments. Each lost in the second round while Iowa marched all the way to the Final Four.

MORE: Caitlin Clark channels Kobe Bryant with comments after Elite Eight win

Sudeikis also attended the Final Four, appearing at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to support Clark and Iowa for their Final Four win against UConn — and their championship loss to South Carolina.

And when Clark accepted the 2024 Wooden Award, Sudeikis was on hand at the ceremony in Los Angeles to present her with a personalized AFC Richmond jersey from "Ted Lasso."

Where is Jason Sudeikis from?

Sudeikis grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, which is about 35 miles east of the University of Kansas. That makes Sudeikis' Jayhawks fandom explicable.

During his youth, Sudeikis dreamed of playing for Kansas, his hometown team, as many do.

"Had I been good enough to come here, I would have loved to," Sudeikis said of the school on Sue's Places. "I love it here."

Instead, Sudeikis settled on an acting career. That said, he was good enough to earn a basketball scholarship somewhere.

MORE: Updated list of Caitlin Clark's most absurd stats in NCAA career

Did Jason Sudeikis play basketball?

Sudeikis played college basketball at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. He went there on a basketball scholarship, but he didn't get a chance to play.

As Sudeikis described in a 2013 interview with ESPN, he was ineligible early in his community college career, as he didn't have enough credit hours. Then, he was redshirted and turned his focus to plays and musicals, where he had more success earning bigger roles.

"I would say the discontent within my athletic life led to a powerful appreciation of what was ahead of me in this artistic [career] I fell into," Sudeikis told ESPN.

By all accounts, Sudeikis (6-1) was a good player in high school with a Pete Maravich-type flair. He earned rave reviews from his coaches, who liked what he brought to the table.

"Jason was a joy to coach," former Shawnee Mission West coach Donnie Campbell said. "He was a good basketball player. He was a left-handed kid, he could shoot it a little bit, he could handle the ball. We were at a large [Class] 6A school, he had to be a pretty good basketball player to make it on that level."

Sudeikis may not have quite made it as a college basketball player, but his love of the game still exists. That's why it wouldn't be a surprise to see him attend at least one of the NCAA's Final Foul games in 2024.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.