You recognize the sight: Leonardo DiCaprio, the finest actor of his generation, sitting courtside at the Lakers game. He's sporting two immediate pieces of facial flair. One is that semi-wispy goatee he's worn consistently since "Blood Diamond." The other is a ballcap pulled tightly over his head.
The other night, as the Lakers clinched Kobe Bryant's fifth title with a win over the Boston Celtics, Bruins fans had even more to be proud of -- Mr. DiCaprio's low-worn UCLA cap. Perhaps it was an homage to recently departed (see what I did there?) legend John Wooden. Perhaps it was a mere nod to local sporting excellence. Or, as UCLA fans hoped, perhaps it was a sign that DiCaprio was a tried-and-true Bruins fan. He is from Los Angeles, after all.
Perhaps not: The Dagger's Jeff Eisenberg mined the photo archives and found DiCaprio's college fandom is much more difficult to determine. At varying times, the actor has worn hats supporting -- deep breath -- South Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame, Long Beach State, Michigan, VCU, Florida Atlantic, Rhode Island, Georgia and Arizona State, among others. It's far less likely DiCaprio has any interest whatsoever in any of these teams, UCLA included, than he simply enjoys wearing a bro cap to the basketball game and selects them based on the design he finds most visually appealing. Or, you know, the army of people in charge of image select them. Same deal.
Which is not a sporting crime, as disloyal as it may seem. DiCaprio basically does the same thing with baseball caps as I do with college basketball shorts. Such purchases have very little to do with fandom and everything to do with uniform design. What I'm trying to say is that Leonardo DiCaprio and I are pretty much the same dude. Wait ... why are you laughing?