Musicians + Sports: Darius Rucker Lives for Football: See His Pregame Soundtrack
By Radio.com
With the 2015 football season coming to a close, fans around the country are still holding on to hope that it will be their favorite team hoisting the Lombardi trophy when the dust settles at the upcoming Super Bowl in Arizona. Country music superstar Darius Rucker is no exception.
"Yes, I'm rooting for the Miami Dolphins," he says during a recent Radio.com interview about his well-publicized affinity for football, especially when it comes to the Dolphins. "I think they're going to win the Super Bowl this year. I say that every year."
With the Dolphins currently a long shot to even make the playoffs with a record of 7-7, Rucker's hometown collegiate squad, are not faring much better.
"I did think the South Carolina Gamecocks would win until we got destroyed by Texas A&M, so we're gonna make it to the Gator Bowl again this year," he sighs, referencing the 52-28 drubbing the Gamecocks suffered at the hands of the Aggies over the opening weekend of the current college football season.
"I love sports, especially football. I'm trademarking it—there's two times a year for me: football season and waiting for football season. That's really how I feel about it," he says. "I love everything else, but I live for football."
Rucker's love for the gridiron is enough that he has a rather extensive and wildly diverse pre-game soundtrack for getting pumped up to watch his teams do battle on the field.
"I love listening to Notorious B.I.G., his whole first record, before the game," Rucker reveals. "That really gets me pumped up, gets me going, gets me really excited. I love to listen to Radney Foster's 'Louisiana Blue.' That's one of those songs, man, I don't know why, it never mentions football, it just reminds me of football. I love to listen to Lyle Lovett's "(I've Been to) Memphis," that's one of those songs that also reminds me of football. Oh, R.E.M., 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine).' That's a pre-football song for me, too."
Watch the full interview with Rucker above.