Jason Sudeikis cheers on Caitlin Clark at NCAA game and talks about his love for women’s basketball

By Alli Rosenbloom and Sandra Gonzalez, CNN

(CNN) — College basketball star Caitlin Clark has a fan in beloved actor and sports fanatic Jason Sudeikis.

The “Ted Lasso” star attended Friday’s Final Four NCAA women’s basketball match to watch Clark’s team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, play the Connecticut Huskies.

The No. 1 Hawkeyes earned a return to the women’s NCAA tournament national championship game after defeating No. 3 UConn in a nailbiter finish, winning 71-69 in Friday night’s game.

During the game, Sudeikis shared more about what drew him to women’s sports and basketball on ESPN’s “The Bird and Taurasi Show.”

“It started with getting the opportunity to be in the UK when the England national women’s team won the Euro,” he said, referencing England winning its first-ever major women’s championship in 2022 while he was across the pond filming “Lasso.”

He also said one of his sisters played college basketball and “we grew up watching sports.” And, he added, “having a daughter is a big part of it.”

Sudeikis previously attended the highly anticipated Elite 8 game earlier this month, where he watched Clark lead the Iowa Hawkeyes to a 94-87 victory over the LSU Tigers.

Donning a sweatshirt that had “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” written on the back, Sudeikis was seen in footage posted to social media cheering on Clark from the sidelines and giving her a congratulatory hug after that game.

Having grown up in Kansas City, Sudeikis is known to cheer for his hometown teams in professional leagues, but he has previously showcased his support of women’s sports beyond the message written on his sweatshirt that he wore at the Elite 8 game.

In December, Sudeikis was seen sitting next to WBNA legend Sue Bird to watch Iowa play against Bowling Green, and he has attended a number of New York Liberty WBNA games with his family.

He also made a memorable appearance on “The Bird and Taurasi Show” last year, which his two kids – Otis, 9, and Daisy, 7, who he shares with ex Olivia Wilde – hilariously crashed.

Iowa will next play the South Carolina Gamecocks in the national championship game on Sunday. Last year, the Hawkeyes lost to the LSU Tigers in the title game.

CNN’s Homero DeLaFuente contributed to this story.

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