The national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame on Monday night drew plenty of stars to Atlanta, Georgia – including LeBron James and Travis Scott.
James, who is famously a Buckeyes fan, was seen wearing an Ohio State baseball cap as he watched on from a suite before the game.
The NBA star is from Akron, Ohio – less than a two hour drive from Ohio State’s campus in Columbus.
Also pulling for Ohio State was Phillies star Bryce Harper, who was seen wearing Buckeyes gear as he stood on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium before the game.
Rapper Travis Scott was dressed more neutrally as he wore a leather jacket and sunglasses to the contest.
Actor Anthony Mackie was also in attendance, and flashed a wide smile as he held a football near the field before the action kicked off.
LeBron James was seen rooting for the Ohio State Buckeyes at the national championship
Rapper Travis Scott was also at the game, and dressed neutrally in a leather jacket
Phillies star Bryce Harper was spotted on the field before the game in Buckeyes gear
On the Notre Dame side, former Fighting Irish running back and NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis was seen at the game alongside former Buckeye Archie Griffin.
Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, who led the school to a national championship in the 2014 season, was also in attendance.
Meyer coached Notre Dame’s wide receivers from 1996-2000 as well.
Furthermore, NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin was seen in the stands in Ohio State gear.
The game, which is being played on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is the first time that a black coach – Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman – has led his team to the national championship.
Freeman, whose father is African American and whose mother is South Korean, was thoughtful earlier this month when asked about the historic nature of his victory in the semifinals, where he was going against Penn State and coach James Franklin, who also is Black.
Actor Anthony Mackie flashed a wide grin as he stood near the field before the game
Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish player Jerome Bettis and Ohio State Buckeyes player Archie Griffin were seen together before the action kicked off
And NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin was also spotted in the stands in Ohio State colors
‘It is an honor, and I hope all coaches, minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn´t matter, great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this,’ Freeman said.
The coach’s most trenchant statement about race and his role in opening up opportunities came not during Notre Dame´s current playoff run but rather in 2021, when he was hired.
‘I want to be a demonstration of what someone can do, and the level they can do it at, if they are given the OPPORTUNITY,’ he said.
‘Because that´s what is needed: opportunity.’
Just 14 percent of D1 head coaches identified as African American in 2023, per NCAA records.
