Outside of rap, we do not know too much about Eminem and his personal interests outside of his career. We know a lot about his upbringing with his family, his formerly strained relationship with his mother, and whatever other dirty little details that he has divulged in interviews, books, and of course his music. But when it comes to basic stuff regarding other hobbies and passions outside of rap, Em is pretty much a blank space.
That mostly has to do with Em being more or less a recluse, but thankfully, he has left little bread crumbs in his music to give us an idea for the type of person that he is. And the type of person that he is happens to be a sports fanatic. It sounds like he is a fan of just about every single sport imaginable: basketball, baseball, football, boxing, etc. You name it, he's rapped about it and poured out his love for each sport. Here's what we know.
13 He's Awkward With Michael Jordan
During a new radio conversation on Sway in the Morning, Eminem recalled a phone call conversation he had with Michael Jordan where he joked asking MJ when he would be coming to Detroit so that Em could dunk on him. Jordan did not find the joke too funny, and what proceeded was dead silence.
12 He's Awkward With ESPN
Maybe Eminem is just an awkward introvert. He was certainly awkward at the very least while taking part in an interview with ESPN a few years back. It was just an extremely bizarre interview segment during a Notre Dame vs. Michigan college football game where Em, for lack of a better term, freaked out the whole time.
11 He's An Honorary Lions Captain
Just a week after the release of his bombastic album, Kamikaze, Eminem was announced on the Detroit Lions Twitter page to be the honorary captain for the football team during their next game against the Jets at Ford Field for his hometown team's opening of the NFL season that year.
10 Basketball Was His First Passion
Seeing how much success the Grammy winner has accumulated over the years, it is hard to imagine Eminem commit to any career other than rap, but at the age of 18, his original aspirations were to be a basketball player, so he recalled in his autobiography, The Way I Am (h/t Sportskeeda). Instead, he wanted to take a gamble on being a rapper.
9 He Supports Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick's decision to take a knee during his time in the NFL received just as much backlash from detractors as it received kudos from his supporters and Eminem is one of those supporters. He supported Kaepernick by showing him out on a diss track he performed on BET about police brutality and racism.
8 Wanted A Detroit AAF Team
For those who may forget, the AAF was a football league that had exactly one season before finally going bankrupt in 2019. Before the league went under, Eminem was a fan and as a fan, campaigned heavily on Twitter for AAF to introduce a Detroit team. He also wanted them to allow field fighting, but neither ever came to fruition.
7 Has A Crush On Danica Patrick
On the song "So Far...," Eminem detailed a story between himself and Danica Patrick: "I get to meet famous people, look at her, dag / Her nylons are ran, her skirt's snaggged / And I heard she drag races [burp] swag / [Bleeping] my Hanes shirt tag/ You're Danica Patrick (yeah) work, skag / We'd be the perfect match / Cause you're a vacuum, I'm a dirtbag." We doubt this actually took place though.
6 He's A Dikembe Mutombo Fan
On the song "Groundhog Day," Em calls himself "bigger than Dikembe Mutombo on the [bleeping] jumbotron." In short, he dominates the rap game much like how the former Center for the Denver Nuggets dominated the NBA court. We could not agree more, and the comparison suggests he speaks highly of the basketball blocker as a fan.
5 He's A Tom Brady Fan
In a similar vain, he thinks just as highly of NFL quarterback Tom Brady. In the song "Baby," Eminem said that he was "what Tom Brady is to the Patriots to rap." In short, the Pats need Brady as badly as the rap game needs Shady. Which is ironic, in a modern context.
4 He's A Tony Romo Fan
When asked in a 2012 issue of GQ about the Dallas Cowboys and their chances of grabbing a Super Bowl ring, Eminem said that he "truly believe that Romo gives them the best chance to win." Instead, the Cowboys did not make it to the Super Bowl that year. In fact, Romo never reached the Super Bowl at all before he retired.
3 He's A Huge Pistons Fan
As far as NBA teams go, the Detroit Pistons don't get a whole lot of love from fans, except from mega-fan Eminem, who rocks Pistons gear whenever he has the chance to do so. He even showed up in the front row of the 2005 NBA Finals to support the Pistons in their effort against the San Antonio Spurs, even though Detroit lost the series.
2 He Almost Played A Boxer In A Movie
Not only is Eminem a boxing fan, but there were plans in place for him to play the leading role of boxer Jimmy Hope in the movie Southpaw. It did not work out and the role wound up going to Jake Gyllenhaal, but as a constellation prize at least, Em recorded a song for the film's soundtrack called "Phenomenal."
1 He Can Actually Box
For those wondering why Eminem was even considered for a role in a boxing movie (yet alone the lead part), it is because he has a legit background in boxing due to training with boxing legend Emanuel Steward, who helped trained fellow legend, Oscar De La Hoya, back in the day.
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