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How I Watch With Reality Star and New York Jets Supporter Sophia Culpo

The reality TV star and influencer discusses her and her sisters’ show and how she watches and cheers on her boyfriend and New York Jets wide receiver, Braxton Berrios.

How do you watch your favorite team each week? Sports Illustrated is highlighting passionate sports fans all season long with its How I Watch series, where you’ll hear from athletes, celebrities and other superfans from across the country about their game-day traditions, routines and setup for the perfect day of watching sports.

Olivia Culpo hugs someone as sisters Aurora and Sophie stand at a restaurant opening

Olivia, Aurora and Sophia all star in the new TV series, ‘The Culpo Sisters,’ airing on TLC.

Sophia Culpo has a long list of titles: model, content creator, and social media personality—and she recently added reality TV show star. The first season of The Culpo Sisters, airing on TLC, recently wrapped up, and Culpo, 26, is the youngest of the three. 

The show follows her and her two sisters, Aurora and Olivia, in Los Angeles as they navigate life, work and relationships. The family is from Rhode Island, but all three sisters are finding a place in the public eye, and Culpo is taking that time to break out of the little sister mold, she says. The show also talks about her boyfriend, Jets wide receiver Braxton Berrios, as well as Olivia’s boyfriend, Christian McCaffrey.

Culpo is all in on the Jets—though she’ll always be a Berrios fan first, she says—and spends a lot of time at MetLife Stadium. She spoke to Sports Illustrated about her tailgating must-haves (she’s an expert at this point), what it’s like to watch free agency go down and more.

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Sports Illustrated: First off, what team do you call yourself a fan of? Is there another team that you grew up with, or has it always been the Jets?

Sophia Culpo: Well, it's funny because I grew up around the New England Patriots, but my boyfriend now plays for the Jets. And [earlier this season] he played at the at the Patriots’ stadium, so that was fun. That was interesting for me, because I had to go. Obviously, I would only support the Jets because it's where my boyfriend plays, but all of my hometown friends are like diehard Patriots fan, so that's always a little bit of a tough situation. 

SI: If Braxton had signed to a different team during free agency, do you think you would you have switched fandoms? 

SC: Yes. I don't know if that makes me like, a bad team player. But yeah ... you've got to you've got to give them 100% of your support. Otherwise, it doesn't work. It's really hard what they do so you got to be behind them 100%. ... I'm a Braxton Barrios fan. So wherever he is, that's my favorite team.

SI: When you're watching games, are you normally watching at home or are usually at the stadium?

SC: I will always go to a home game. As long as I'm not working, I'll go to every home game. I traveled to New England because it’s where I’m from, to his away game against the Patriots, and I'll go to the Miami Dolphins away game. Other than that, though, I'll usually watch away games from home just because it's tough to travel so often, and I already travel a lot for work. So if I can stay put, it's nice to watch from the comfort of your home.

SI: Who are you normally watching with if you're at home?

SC: So if it's an away game, I have a lot of girlfriends who are also on the Jets, whether they're married or dating one of the players. We get together, we have a good girl group on the Jets, and we'll always go to someone's house. And then for games that I go to, I always bring my best friend Eva. We go to every game together. She's honestly the Jets’ good luck charm. Every time she comes, they win. If she doesn't come, they lose.

SI: Is she your only superstition? I know you've talked about a lucky ring of some sort in the TV show.

SC: A lot of people have superstitions when it comes to sports games. I'm not super crazy, like game to game, but when Braxton was a free agent, I had this emerald green—like Jets-green ring—that I got at a Super Bowl event, like it was given to me as a tiny goodie. And I was like, “This is a sign, like I think he's gonna go back to the Jets.” So I wore it for the whole month that he was a free agent, and then he did go back. So my green ring is one thing, but I also, I don't know, I feel like sometimes I'll do little weird things. I have to be standing if he's doing a return, otherwise, it's bad luck. Which it's not, but I've made that up in my head.

SI: What would you say are your tailgate essentials, if you're going to the home game?

SC: Oh, we have a shotski. It is a Jets shotski, and we bring it out for a little tailgate. So yeah, shotski and tequila—that will have to be my tailgate must-have. But now in the winter, hand warmers!

SI: Do you have a favorite piece of Jets clothing, or an outfit that you love? I saw your green cowboy boots.

SC: I like to switch it up, but my absolute favorite Jets piece that I have ... one of the girls on the team found, and because it was No. 10, she was like “you have to go buy this.” It’s a really oversized crewneck, and on the back is a No. 10 jersey that's been like cut up and stitched into the crewneck. So it's really cool, and it's like a custom-made piece.

SI: What is the first thing that you do on a game day? Whether its with Braxton, or on your own, is there anything you do to get yourself pumped up for a game?

SC: It's funny. The day before his games, they have to stay in a hotel, so the whole team stays at a hotel. Usually me, or my girlfriends or whoever's in town for a game, we have a girls night. So I literally prepare for his game by having myself a girls night, and then the next morning I'm ready to go. 

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SI: Are you ever with your sisters for those, or is that only if you're in LA? 

SC: Only if I'm in LA. It can be tough because Olivia and I, she obviously will be watching her boyfriend's game, so we don't always get to watch the games together, since they have—up until recently—they have the same time slot. Now, Christian plays a little bit later than Braxton, so we can actually watch each other's games together. But that just changed.

SI: What’s your go-to snack at the stadium, and at home? 

SC: I definitely care a lot about nutrition and when I'm eating so for games, I know this sounds boring, but I don't eat at the stadium. One, I don't want a stomachache during a game. I'm already really nervous. So I'll usually pack like a bar, nuts, trail mix, things like that, or like a nut butter pouch. When I'm home? There's less rules when I'm home. I'm a big popcorn girl, I love kettle corn, Spindrift—like, can they sponsor me? I'm obsessed with Spindrift. It's actually a problem. I cannot fit enough of them in my fridge. It’s always just like snacking things: chips, popcorn, cookies ... if I'm home and I can make my homemade cookies, I'll ball out.

SI: Would you ever be able to pick, for a gameday drink, tequila or Spindrift?

SC: Well, now you're gonna get my secret, because what I do is I make a tequila soda with Spindrift. So can I have both?

SI: Totally. What’s your favorite memory watching the Jets, or Braxton, play?

SC: It was last season, Braxton was returning and he had 103-yard touchdown. It was just so cool to watch ... And they were also wearing their black uniforms, which they don't wear often. It looked awesome, and it was one of the biggest moments in his career, so it was so nice to be there.

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