“Because of Her, I’ll Watch”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals His Super Bowl Motivation, and It’s Not A Player

Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t miss out on watching Sunday’s Super Bowl game. However, the 76-year-old bodybuilding icon won’t watch the game because he supports the Kansas City Chiefs or San Francisco 49ers. Neither is he rooting for Travis Kelce to win the game and create another viral moment with Taylor Swift.

Instead, his girlfriend, Heather Milligan, is the real reason why Arnie will tune in. In an exclusive interview with People, the Austrian Oak said that while he is interested in football, Milligan’s interest in the game dwarfs his own. The former Mr. Universe explained why Milligan is such a huge fan.

Heather Milligan turned passion into her profession

“My girlfriend Heather, she has this big physical therapy clinic and she treats a lot of the football players,” said Arnie. He revealed that the former gymnast also treats many UFC fighters, NBA players, and athletes from various disciplines. Treating these athletes has led to Milligan understanding each sport with a different perspective.

“So she’s heavily into football and all of the sports… So because of her, I’ll watch also,” Arnold Schwarzenegger told People. As a former athlete, Heather Milligan is passionate about treating even the most severely debilitated athletes to get them back on the field.

The 49-year-old never played football or stepped inside the octagon. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger said Milligan takes great care to “rebuild” the capabilities of everyone she treats. In fact, Milligan and Schwarzenegger first met when she helped Arnie after a shoulder surgery.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger reached out to Milligan in 2012 as he needed to get back to 100% to film Escape Plan with Sylvester Stallone, and the Elite OrthoSport founder came through. While the seven-time Mr. Olympia might not be the biggest football fan, he enjoys how football training has embraced weightlifting.

Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about the evolution of football training 

While appearing on ESPN’s Manningcast in 2023, Arnie said football players trained differently in the 70s. Many considered bodybuilding taboo as powerlifting was a fledgling sport at that time. “They always thought it would slow you down,” he explained.

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However, he was happy to see that training has evolved. “The football players are benefiting from that,” Schwarzenegger told Eli Manning. While bodybuilding pioneers like Arnold Schwarzenegger knew weightlifting would benefit the athletes, cross-training wasn’t very popular back then.

While Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t regularly watch football, he appreciates all sports. As one of the best bodybuilders in history, Arnie will enjoy watching the best footballers give it their best shot, with Heather Milligan as company.