Jason Tae ‘28 & Dwight Lin ‘28
Former New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. makes a catch against former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr on November 23, 2014 (Business Insider).
With the 2025-2026 NFL season starting this past September, the question arises: How does St. Mark’s watch football?
Featuring 32 teams and over 1,600 players, the NFL is by far the most viewed sports league in the United States. From the local New England Patriots to the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL makes a large cultural impact in every city they occupy.
A cornerstone aspect of St. Mark’s is that it brings together people from all across the country and globe. In doing so, St. Mark’s welcomes NFL fans from nearly every single team.
A school-wide survey revealed that the overwhelming favorite team among St. Markers is the historically successful New England Patriots.
The Patriots were in their prime with Tom Brady when many St. Mark’s students were in elementary school, just starting to become fans themselves. Holden Massachusetts local Tess Kelly ‘26 was one of these St. Markers who experienced the Patriots saga with Brady first hand.
She noted, “I grew up on the Pats during the era of when they were winning a lot. Going to all the Super Bowl and sports related parties really allowed my neighbor to come together.”
While the Patriots are her number one team, Kelly also added that she likes the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers.
Another heavily supported NFL team at St. Mark’s is the Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills, with around 10% of responders being supporters. History and Social Sciences faculty and department chair Dr. Plumb has been a die-hard Bills fan her whole life.
“I grew up in Tonawanda, NY, a little suburb of Buffalo,” Dr. Plumb said. “When I was about 11 years old, I started watching football because the team was great – went to 4 Super Bowls in a row. The whole region seemed to be watching and talking about the Bills and it was super fun to be a part of the conversation.”
Dr. Plumb is not the only faculty member part of the “Bill’s Mafia” at St. Mark’s. She explained that Spanish teacher Mr. Sellers and her check in on the team, the local sports radio and all things Bills all the time.
Taylor Swift might be the most famous Kansas City Chiefs fan at the moment, but St. Mark’s also has a few Chiefs fans of their own, including St. Louis local Brooklyn Asbach ‘28.
“I have been a Chiefs fan my whole life growing up in St. Louis. I am happy they are finally getting their recognition. Go Chiefs!” said Asbach.
While there are many passionate fans in the St. Mark’s community, the poll revealed there was also a significant percentage of people who did not watch the NFL as regularly. Among them was Patterson Marr prefect William Li ‘27, who said, “All I know is the Eagles will win the Super Bowl again.”
Being a part of a football fandom is more than just rooting for a team each weekend and updating a fantasy football roster. Phoenix Whitaker ‘26 is a member of the St. Mark’s Varsity football team and takes his passion for his favorite NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and turns it into inspiration for the way he plays football.
“My favorite NFL team inspires me to want to win. Finding a way to win every week no matter the opponent or adversity they face truly inspires me to push my team and myself through any challenges we face,” Whitaker explained.
