NFL Superstar Christian McCaffrey is a Huge Tyler Childers Fan
Training camps are just getting started all across the NFL, and playlists full of music to get players amped up will be blasting out over Bluetooth speakers in locker rooms or streaming through earbuds, and one of the NFL’s biggest stars says his primary fix comes from surging country music artist Tyler Childers.
Christian McCaffrey was the 8th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft after coming in 2nd in Heisman Trophy voting, and being named the AP College Football Player of the Year. He took his NCAA record for most all purpose yards in a season to the NFL, and in just his first two years has set the NFL record for most receptions for a running back with 107, as well as the record for single season receptions and all purpose yards in Carolina Panthers history. Along with being a running back and pass receiver out of the backfield, McCaffrey also returns kicks. The 23-year-old Colorado native is considered one of the best overall players in the NFL at the moment.
When asked a few days ago what kind of music McCaffrey listens to by ESPN, the running back responded, “There’s a guy right now who’s probably my favorite: Tyler Childers, a country artist. I love his sound. I love Mac Miller. I’m a big Drake fan. I love Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley. I probably have the most versatile playlist in the world, from country to rap to classic rock to classical.”
McCaffrey also happens to be a musician, songwriter, and music producer himself. “One of my big passions in the offseason, or just when I get time off in general, is playing music, and I’ve been fortunate to be around people who are a lot more talented than I am,” he tells ESPN. “My childhood neighbor played piano, and he told me we’d get all the girls if I learned how to play-and I was probably in eighth grade, going into high school, so I said, “Sign me up.” There was a talent show with a cash bonus, so we learned a little song together [Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D’] and ended up winning it, took home one of those big checks, like in ‘Happy Gilmore.’
Kentucky-born Tyler Childers is now a major label country artist, becoming the newest signee to RCA Records in May. He’s getting ready to release a new album called Country Squire on August 2nd through Tyler’s own imprint on RCA called Hickman Holler Records. Childers released his first record at 19 called Bottles and Bibles. Appearing throughout Kentucky and West Virginia, Childers became a regional phenomenon, and was given a major boost when the drummer for Sturgill Simpson, Miles Miller, introduced the two. Soon Childers was signed to Thirty Tigers, and became one of the fastest-rising artists in country music. Childers regularly sells out live appearances, and Country Squire is expected by many to be a breakout.
July 26, 2019 @ 5:11 pm
But then he said Drake and Mac Miller. Ugh
July 26, 2019 @ 6:16 pm
Eh, I’ll always give athletes a pass if their musical tastes don’t perfectly align. They’re too busy training and sticking their nose in playbooks to dig too deep. But that’s what also cool about him digging Tyler Childers. That means he’s filtering out to the culture at large.
July 26, 2019 @ 8:34 pm
Time and place for every kind of music. In the gym, getting ready for a game, a little rap music gets the blood flowing.
July 26, 2019 @ 10:33 pm
Maybe he’d like this stuff. A perfect blend of Hillbilly and Hip-Hop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLBRgLQ4bEA
July 29, 2019 @ 9:49 pm
It *is* legitimate for people to like genres in addition to country music, right? So I’m assuming you’re saying that Mac and Drake are *bad artists qua artists*, not that they’re just *not country*. And if you’re saying that, then you should know enough about rap to know that, while Drake has put out a lot of mediocre stuff, he’s also put out some quality stuff (why not give McCaffrey the benefit of the doubt?––Dylan has put out a *lot* of shit too). And you’d know that Mac is almost universally adored among people who like rap.
July 26, 2019 @ 6:14 pm
McCaffrey and Childers (and SCM) are included in the 12 people I follow on instagram and I have seen McCaffrey liking Childers posts for over a year now. I loved McCaffrey when he was at Stanford. I wish some team other than Carolina drafted him. I never see a Panthers’ score let alone a highlight.
July 26, 2019 @ 7:13 pm
Tyler in the new episode of Yellowstone this week. That’s bigger than this muppet liking him!
July 29, 2019 @ 9:32 pm
Wrong, and especially so with respect to *expanding* the fanbase and name recognition of an artist like Tyler. Not personal, but you don’t understand how influence works in culture. McCaffrey’s endorsement––Tyler as his favorite, among titans like Drake and Mac––is definitely newsworthy!
July 30, 2019 @ 3:12 am
Hahahahha are you just Mr. Know-it-all trying to go through and correct everyone in the comments of this site? I know very well how influence works in culture and McCafftey has about zero influence on almost anyone involved in music or culture, he’s a podunk off brand football player that nearly no teenager has ever heard of.
It’s about numbers.
About 2.5 million people on average have been watching Yellowstone every week.
Christian McCaffrey has 863,000 Instagram followers
Yellowstone is a nationally televised show that the Brazilian lady that cleans my house watches.
McCaffrey plays for a team in North Carolina that has a very regional fanbase(I’m from the next state over).
Lastly this interview was located inside a weird video inside of the espn app. Not something that too many teenagers are perusing these days or the espn website. It wasn’t even on television. If you google it. This article is the first thing that comes up. Twice.
July 30, 2019 @ 5:25 am
Yeah, Monday-night disinhibited me went and tried to correct The Internet haha.
I mean I still disagree with you, but anyhow, cheers man.
Trigger, sorry for my bullshit.
July 26, 2019 @ 10:28 pm
Wow. Good for him. What’s his favorite toothpaste?
July 29, 2019 @ 9:40 pm
Off-topic, much?
Star players are brands. McCaffrey is an *idol* to a nontrivial portion of the football-obsessed kids of the south/southeast––believe me. You can hate that fact or dismiss his influence, but your feelings on the state of culture don’t do shit to diminish McCaffrey’s real-life influence on a bunch of teenagers who––believe me––could stand to be introduced to some great music.
How about just being happy that Tyler is cool enough that cultural influencers are name-dropping him!
July 27, 2019 @ 9:39 am
Being a Carolina boy and a student of country music as well as a third generation musician I really dig this post. I’m also a huge Panthers fan. CMC is the truth and it’s so awesome to see him show some love to Tyler Childress.
July 27, 2019 @ 10:25 am
Too bad football has been irrelevant for at least five years
July 29, 2019 @ 9:57 pm
Jesus, so much stupidity in this comments section. But this should be quick: nope, you’re wrong. Speaking as an authority on people in my demographic, they most definitely care about the NFL, but even more so––and that which is relevant to the point of this article––they care about its next-gen stars like McCaffrey.
July 28, 2019 @ 12:44 am
Its bluegrass/americana, but Childers bangs!