This time last year, Travis and Jason Kelce were on the verge of making history as the first ever brothers to lock horns in the Super Bowl.
A feat as unprecedented and gripping as this shined an even brighter spotlight on the Kelce family name. Not only were the pair two of the greatest NFL players of all time in their respective positions, now they would be starring as protagonists of a unique story on the biggest stage in American sport.
Mother Donna, proudly boasting a half-and-half Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles jersey out of support for her warring sons, lapped up the newfound attention ahead of a showpiece heralded by many as ‘Kelce Bowl’.
In the end, it was Travis who earned the bragging rights of all bragging rights as the Chiefs got the better of the Eagles for his second ring, a victory which cemented his legacy as an all-time great.
Travis and Jason Kelce were about to become the first brothers competing against each other in the Super Bowl this time last year
Mother Donna lapped up the limelight that came with her two sons creating history
As the dust settled on that game, which Travis and the Chiefs prevailed in, the Kelce family would have been forgiven for thinking the peak of their popularity had been and gone
But the addition of Taylor Swift has propelled them to levels of fame which outweigh football
You could have forgiven the Kelces for thinking the peak of their popularity had been and gone as the dust settled on that historic night in Arizona. Unless they were to meet on that stage again, there was no way they could outdo the attention that comes with a brotherly battle at the Super Bowl… was there?
Fast forward 12 months, however, and the impossible has become possible.
While Jason won’t be there this time around, Travis is gearing up for his second straight Super Bowl appearance over in Las Vegas this weekend, and he’s doing so as one half of the most famous celebrity couple on the planet right now.
The Chiefs star’s romance with Taylor Swift has catapulted him to levels of fame which far outweigh his status as a football player. Thanks to the astonishing hysteria surrounding Swift, largely a result of her dedicated ‘Swiftie’ fanbase, non-football fans now know the name Travis Kelce. They also know the name Jason Kelce. Potentially even Donna, too.
Swift has dominated headlines on every occasion she has either flocked to Arrowhead or taken to the road to support her new man in action, which admittedly has not been to everyone’s taste. Diehard NFL fans, for example, have been spitting feathers over the number of cutaways to Kelce’s girlfriend in the stands during games.
Nevertheless, this widespread fascination and frenzy around the singer and songwriter has taken the Kelces to heights they would barely have dreamed of even heading into last year’s Super Bowl. Their catapult to superstardom has been mind-blowing.
‘This year it’s just been one week after another after another, and it just seems like it’s just never going to stop,’ Donna summed up perfectly back in November.
Kelce’s new relationship with Swift has dominated headlines over the past five months
The pop sensation has attended several Chiefs fixtures alongside Donna in recent months
Donna admitted back in November that her family’s new found fame has felt neverending
Kelce is now the face of the ‘sportsbiz’ landscape after sparking a romance with Swift
The singer and songwriter claimed two awards at this year’s Grammys in LA on Sunday night
Ever since Swift first rocked up at Arrowhead in September, when she watched Kelce and Co topple the Chicago Bears alongside Donna, the celebrity power couple have been the talk of America.
The majority of men and women in the street, including those who would typically have no clue whatsoever about the Chiefs tight end, now have an opinion on Travis and his relationship with the pop sensation in some way or another.
‘I was on top of the world after [winning] the Super Bowl and right now I’m even more on top of the world, so it’s fun,’ Travis said on his blossoming romance with Swift back in October.
‘We’re learning with the paparazzi taking photos all over the place, but it comes with it. You got a lot of people that care about Taylor, and for good reason.
‘Just gotta keep living and learning and enjoying the moments.’
Even with the press following his every move, Travis has lived by that motto as his relationship with Swift has gone from strength to strength, his family bond with Jason, Donna and dad Ed has remained as tight as ever and his form on the football field has propelled Kansas City to yet another Super Bowl.
It’s fair to say the 34-year-old is also riding the wave from a marketing standpoint, featuring in what seems like an endless number of TV commercials throughout the 2023-24 NFL season.
According to TV ad experts iSpot, via Sports Business Journal, Travis appeared in a staggering 375 commercials during NFL games from the start of the regular season up until December 11; more than any other athlete, actor or household name.
Kelce is the star of a host of TV commercials right now as he continues to ride the wave of his fame from a marketing standpoint
He also appeared on late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live with Swift in October
Travis has seen his and Jason’s award-winning New Heights podcast become a phenomenon
Turn on your TV set these days and it’s hard to escape him. Whether on the football field or in a commercial, Kelce has become the face of the American ‘sportsbiz’ landscape.
The NFL icon even featured on late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live with his new flame back in October, appearing at the end of a skit about the league’s tendency to cut to Swift in the crowd at Chiefs games. Taylor, meanwhile, introduced friend and rapper Ice Spice to the stage for a live performance.
Travis has also seen his and Jason’s award-winning New Heights podcast become a phenomenon since launching back in September 2022, amassing 2.14 million subscribers and a staggering seven millions views on one video alone.
The video in question featured a guest appearance from Jason’s long-time wife Kylie, who has also been thrust into the spotlight like never before as Swift’s new sister-in-law to be.
Yet to highlight the stark contrast between the two WAGs of the Kelce family, Kylie opened up about her unease in the public eye towards the end of last year.
‘It’s not particularly my cup of tea to be in the spotlight or in front of a camera,’ she said. ‘I was a communication major in college, I love to be behind it. That’s my bread and butter.’
Amid the madness that is Travis and Taylor, Jason and Kylie’s more laidback, reserved relationship has created intrigue around the couple. In comparison to the aforementioned pair, their relationship is a lot more relatable to the average person.
And with more eyeballs on the family after Swift’s addition, Kylie now boasts 1.5 million followers on Instagram as a result.
Her reaction to Jason’s viral antics in Buffalo last month – which saw him rip off his shirt in the crowd when Travis scored a touchdown against the Bills – was also picked up by fans on social media.
Travis’ brother Jason and his wife Kylie have also seen their fame skyrocket amid his romance with Swift
Jason went viral during the Chiefs’ win over the Bills after ripping his shirt off in the crowd
Kylie, who confessed that she doesn’t like the spotlight, could be seen laughing in the back
The contrast between Travis’ relationship with Swift and Jason’s marriage to Kylie has created an intrigue around the latter couple
Kylie could be seen watching on in the background, laughing to herself as her larger-than-life husband stole the show at the NFL playoff game.
Patrick Mahomes’ father could also be heard telling Jason in a clip which circulated on social media: ‘Hey, Kylie said get your a** back in here.’
Kylie said: ‘So, the first time he jumped out of the suite, I was like: “You know what, go ahead. That’s my husband!”
‘And then the second and third time he did it, I was like: “I’m gonna need you to get back in because the poor cops that are out front trying to keep the chaos at a minimum—you’re making their jobs harder.”‘
While Travis and Taylor both met each other’s parents fairly early into the relationship, it took a little while longer for Swift to cross paths with Jason and Kylie for the first time.
Reports emerged last month that the singer has an ‘awkward’ relationship with her boyfriend’s brother and partner, yet those claims were quickly put to bed when they met at the Chiefs vs Bills game in Buffalo.
Since then, Jason has also spoken highly of Taylor in public – even referring to her as a ‘role model’ for young women.
‘I think that the NFL would probably be foolish not to, you know, show her and be a role model for all the young girls out there,’ Kelce said.
‘She’s a world star, she’s the quintessential, you know, artist right now in the world,’ he added while describing the 14-time Grammy winner as an ‘immensely talented’ artist and an ‘unbelievable role model for young women across the globe.’
Kylie and Jason finally met Swift during the Chiefs’ game against the Bills last month
Jason has since heaped praise on his brother’s new girlfriend for being a ‘role model’
Travis and the Chiefs are gearing up to face the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas on Sunday
If they win, it will cap a remarkable year for the Kelces and their newest addition to the family
This weekend, Swift is expected to wrap up the latest leg of her Eras Tour in Tokyo and head 5,000 miles across the world to watch Travis in the Super Bowl – after claiming two awards at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
The pop star will hope for another joyous night when she links up with Jason, Kylie, Donna and Co in Vegas for the Super Bowl, where they will be rooting for a Chiefs victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
On Donna’s part, there is no need for the half-and-half jersey this time around. Yet Travis himself isn’t sure if Jason will recreate his shirtless celebrations at Allegiant Stadium.
‘That’s just who he is, he enjoys the game of football. The desire and the love that we’ve had for the game since we were kids just oozes out of us and we can’t help that,’ he said about his brother’s antics in Buffalo.
‘But I don’t know if the Vegas crowd is going to make him want to take his shirt off though!’
Whatever the scenes in the stands, a Chiefs victory in Vegas will put the icing on the cake for the Kelce family and its newest member after what has been a whirlwind 12 months.
And with the Kelce-Swift hype showing no signs of slowing down, who knows what the next 12 could have in store?