Don't get too excited, Eagles fans. While saying that he is "not a Giants-hater," Christie acknowledged Friday that, yes, his favorite football team is . . . the Dallas, blech, Cowboys.
This weekend, "I'm totally for the Giants," Christie said in an interview. In fact, he is taking one of his sons to the game in Indianapolis.
But Christie refused to pander: "When the Giants play the Cowboys next year, I'll be rooting for the Cowboys."
An avid fan of all four major sports, the Republican governor takes questions about the Mets at news conferences. He threw a Nerf football to end a recent Fox News interview. And during a stretch right after Christmas, he attended a Jets game, a Giants game, and the Winter Classic hockey game at Citizens Bank Park.
In doing so, Christie continues an American tradition dating to at least 1910, when President William Howard Taft threw out the first pitch on Opening Day, in which elected officials connect with the Average Joe through sports. Consider former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who cohosted an Eagles postgame show while in office.
This summer, Christie hopes to drive with his sons (and security detail) to visit ballparks. In 2010, his first summer as governor, they saw six Major League games in six cities in six days.
The former Mets season-ticket holder takes in many of his Mets games from a luxury box with a new friend, team owner Fred Wilpon. He also comes to Philadelphia to watch Mets-Phillies matchups, and he says he sits in the stands.
"I have some interesting interactions with Philadelphia fans," he said.
The governor's support for the Mets plays well in North Jersey, at least. The Cowboys thing doesn't work anywhere.
