ClutchPoints
While he has sold out football stadiums for years, Paul McCartney is a fan of American football and reflected on his fandom ahead of Super Bowl 59.
In the latest edition of You Gave Me the Answer, a series where he answers fans questions, McCartney revealed the origins of his football fandom. His first wife, Linda McCartney, was the driving force behind it.
They spent a lot of time in America when they were married. Her family would watch football, and McCartney would struggle to understand what was going on. Luckily, Linda was able to explain the fundamentals.
“Then Linda gave me a big clue,” McCartney recalled. “She said, ‘See that guy there? When the two teams line up against each other, there’s a guy who receives the ball. Keep an eye on him, he’s called the quarterback, and he’s going to pass it to someone. All the action comes from him.’ So, once I had that clue, I found it much easier to follow.”
“I watched a lot of it and grew to really like it, because it’s quite a complicated and strategic game – and obviously very athletic,” he continued.
Unlike some British people, McCartney doesn’t scoff at the sport. He is now a big fan of the game, even attending several Super Bowls.
“In Britain we used to laugh at it, saying, ‘They wear all those pads and protective gear. We don’t, we’ve got rugby, a proper sport!’” McCartney explained. “But I got over all that, and found I really liked it. So yeah, I’m a big fan of football, American-style.”
It is unknown if Paul McCartney will see America’s biggest football game of the year, Super Bowl 59. He has previously attended several Super Bowls.
He is currently enjoying time off from the road after embarking on the Got Back Tour, his first since the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour ran from April 28, 2022, to December 19, 2024. During that span, he went on seven legs and performed 59 shows. It was more extensive than his last tour, Freshen Up, which only had 39 shows across six legs.
Once again, McCartney toured with his backing band. Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray, Paul “Wix” Wickens, and Abe Laboriel Jr. joined him. They have been a part of his backing band since 2002’s Driving World Tour.
During each show, McCartney would play songs from his Beatles, Wings, and solo catalogs. They were all hit-filled sets with songs that everyone knows.
Now, it sounds like McCartney is looking ahead. He recently said that his goal for 2025 is to “finish” his next album. He has not released an album of original material since 2020’s McCartney III. In 2021, he released McCartney III Imagined, a collection of remixes and covers of his songs by artists such as Phoebe Bridgers, Beck, and Dominic Fike.
“I’ve been working on a lot of songs, and have had to put it to the side because of...
