Once a familiar face around town, Travis Kelce’s rise mirrors an underground band hitting the big time. Now a celebrated figure, his Kansas City appearances spark excitement, fueled by his NFL stardom and a high-profile relationship.
That’s at least how Carrington Harrison, host of The Drive on 610 Sports Radio (AM) in Kansas City, described it on the upcoming episode of The Awful Announcing Podcast.
You got to see them at a small venue,” Harrison told host Brandon Contes, “and now they pack out Staples Center. “We’ve seen Travis Kelce go from football star to pop culture star. Those are two completely different things. And something that not many football players get to be.”
Harrison laments how Kelce’s relationship with Swift has eclipsed the actual game, overshadowing players like Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes.
At the same time, he predicts this Super Bowl could be the most-watched ever, with the spotlight mainly on Kelce’s personal life and not his athletic achievements or the game itself. However, Harrison praises Kelce’s professional handling of the situation. He acknowledges the potential challenges of dating such a high-profile figure like Swift.
Still, he commends Kelce for consistently maintaining a positive and respectful attitude toward the media and deflecting attention back to his athletic contributions. He sees Kelce as a true “superstar” for navigating this unexpected fame with class and composure.
And don’t get Harrison wrong; he feels the way Kansas City has embraced Swift is remarkable.
“Especially as someone born and raised in Kansas City, I love Kansas City with all my heart,” he said. “I don’t really have a desire to live in too many places, so to see someone interact with the city — and you can tell she is gaining that love and appreciation for the city.
“You read stories in the newspaper about how she went to this restaurant, or they went to this restaurant…I haven’t heard or read any negative story about her in Kansas City — not her being rude to a waiter, not her being impatient, not her being a poor tipper. Everybody’s genuinely excited about her being here.
“Again, I’m not the biggest Swiftie fan in the world; I don’t listen to her music. But she not bothering me. I’m not bothering her. She likes Kansas City. I like Kansas City. She’s happy, he’s happy. Like why would I not be happy in this scenario? It doesn’t have any effect on my life. I think it’s cool. I’m happy for them. I hope they get married. I hope they have kids. I want nothing but success.”
Contes asked “Have most Chiefs fans accepted Taylor Swift as one of them? Were Chiefs fans ever concerned about that relationship?” and Harrison said yes, but that’s normal.
“I mean, that’s just kind of how people are. I mean, you remember a couple of years ago when Patrick Mahomes struggled, they said he was doing too many commercials. That was a complaint that people had. The Grammys just happened on Sunday; Kansas City was No. 1 in the ratings. Like, Kansas City is very much a place where if you embrace the city, then the city is gonna embrace you and make them one of your own.
“And at this point, Taylor Swift is from Kansas City. She’s not from Nashville. She’s not from Philadelphia or any of these other places. She is from Kansas City. I think for the most part, Chiefs fans are really excited about it.
“And I think we have just made so much about this when every time they show her on the screen, she seems to be having a really good time, and she seems to be out of the way. Like, she’s not in the stands. She’s not sitting 50-yard line holding a sign, just brining a lot of attention to herself. She’s not wearing a shirt that says, ‘Stream my Album,’ and using this as a promotion…
“No. 1, she went to a Thursday night Chiefs and Broncos game, which was awful. She was here on Christmas. She was here on New Year’s. That Dolphins game was the fourth-coldest game in NFL history. It was a wind chill of minus-17. You went to a Chiefs game? That’s love. She has just really persevered and been there the entire step of the way. I would say, overwhelmingly, Taylor Swift has the support of Kansas City and its fans.”
The full episode of The Awful Announcing Podcast with Carrington Harrison will be released Friday morning. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.
