Mike Ehrmantraut is a New Mexico United fan

Football is irresistible. Billions of people feel its pull, and even your favorite celebrities cannot stop themselves from watching the game. Daniel Craig and Liverpool or Penelope Cruz and Real Madrid are prominent examples. It is somewhat comforting to share this passion with such big names, but this ‘privilege’ is reserved for supporters of the biggest clubs in the world. Small teams usually do not get this type of special recognition, unless we are talking about New Mexico United. Despite only playing in the second tier of American football, the team has its own celebrity supporter: Jonathan Banks, known as Mike Ehrmantraut on the hit-shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. It was quite an startling sight for New Mexico United supporters when they saw the famed actor first appear at home games during the 2021 season. The team isn’t exactly a giant of the sport, and Mr. Banks is not a native of New Mexico, nor an outspoken football fanatic. So where does this passion come from?

As it turns out, this inexplicable interest involves different intricacies and details that surround the life of Jonathan Banks. Born in Washington DC and raised in the state of Maryland, Banks spent all of his early life more than 2000 kilometers away from New Mexico. He first set foot in the state during the early stages of filming for Breaking Bad, back in 2007. Banks grew to love the place, and New Mexico became an unexpected home for him, just like it did for his character in the Breaking Bad universe. Mike Ehrmantraut, in fact, is a Philadelphia native (not too far from where Banks grew up in real life) and after retiring from the police force, moves to New Mexico. A stunning coincidence that only adds to the intrigue and charm of this unlikely story.

Transitioning from Breaking Bad to its spin-off Better Call Saul in 2015 made sure that Banks was in New Mexico when NM United played their debut season in 2019 and started slowly making strides to conquer the hearts of fans in the state. The team is characterized by a unique philosophy, centered around honoring New Mexico culture, art, and music, as well as giving back to the community. The club’s official website proudly boasts the following statement: “creating experiences at the crossroads of Art & Sport, creating positive outcomes for every New Mexican, and exporting New Mexico to the rest of the world.”

New Mexico United’s youth academy is the only one in the US that is free for every participant, and every year tens of players from every corner of the state of New Mexico get scholarships to be able to relocate and play for the team. If you look around the MLS, USL, and the other leagues in the American football pyramid, it is clear that few clubs can rival New Mexico United in their efforts to develop an organic football culture among the younger generations. A true exponent of the grassroot movement across the States that is allowing football popularity to grow on the daily.

Brushing football aside, NMU’s Diversity Fellowship allows people of color and women to get experience working for the club in different front office positions, forming an attempt to tackle the lack of diversity in the world of American professional football. Artists are also given visibility with the Artist Series program, in which New Mexico United displays fan artwork in the team shop, and has so far helped 10 local artists emerge.

But it is perhaps the community aspect, the people's side, that has impressed Jonathan Banks the most. The club’s stadium has an entire sector dedicated to those in need called the ‘community section’, where free tickets are given out to fans who cannot afford the stadium experience. This way, everyone gets the possibility to experience the electrifying atmosphere felt at home games. All of this is powered through the Somos Unidos Foundation, an initiative by the club itself with which it aims to create “positive outcomes for every New Mexican”, and as an adopted New Mexican, with an ever-growing love for his new home, Banks cannot resist the charm of the club. In a 2021 podcast, the actor said: “If I can lend myself to anything, that is helping young people in this town, and kids. Because there are a lot of people that don’t have much. I want to be part of that”. 

Banks is a man of the arts and a man of the people. He has found a new home and loves it as much as he loves the people who fill it. Therefore, it is not surprising that nearly a year after the end of Better Call Saul, Banks can still be spotted at home games, proudly and passionately waving flags, leading the other fans as they collectively cheer for their team, state, and people.