Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made his debut on the big stage with girlfriend Taylor Swift this week, showing once again that he can handle the attention that comes with dating the biggest pop star on Earth. After clips from the show in Europe made the rounds, ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes remarked at just how perfect Kelce has been as a companion to Swift.
In an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Thursday, Kimes praised Kelce’s ability to meet the moment in a way other football players might not, and be truly compatible with one of the most famous people in the world.
“She managed to date, and maybe there is a little bit of intention here, the one NFL player who similar to her doesn’t really offend anyone,” Kimes said. “He is equally capable of being the public eye … and for the most part they both are these incredibly innocuous, kind of glossy, smoothed-over cultural figures that seem to be very compatible from a fame perspective.”
Kimes added that while Kelce previously talked himself up as the next Dwayne Johnson type, his long-lasting relationship with Swift shows he can actually be likable and charming the way The Rock and other lovable jock celebrities are.
“He wants it,” Kimes said. “He was more ready for this than arguably any football player on earth. He has said he wants to be a Hollywood personality. He wants to be in movies. He seems to want to be famous. But his desire to be so is not aggravating, at least to me.”
Of course, NFL athletes dating celebrities is nothing new. Tony Romo once dated Jessica Simpson. Tom Brady was married to Gisele Bundchen. Reggie Bush had a fling with Kim Kardashian.
But none of those has fans as passionate as Swifties, and those NFL stars were not involved intimately in their partners’ work the way Kelce has been, following Swift on tour and participating in the recent concert.
“She could not have picked a more perfect NFL player to be her partner in all of this,” Kimes said.
Other former football players turned media personalities like Pat McAfee and Domonique Foxworth have given Kelce props for representing then NFL well in the relationship. Big, goofy jocks who tackle each other for a living don’t always get the best rap, and Kelce handling his romance with Swift maturely and professionally goes a long way.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.