A recent New York Times profile on superstar Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s management team indicated that they’re nervous about his ever-increasing notoriety.
The Tuesday story highlighted his agents, twins Aaron and André Earnes, and their concerns that the world may be getting too much Kelce. “While 2023 was nearly a perfect year for Mr. Kelce, Aaron Earnes said the increased attention has his team considering a potential area of concern: oversaturation,” the Times reported.
Really fellas? You don’t say?
The article notes Kelce has starred in seven national television commercials, including a Pfizer spot for the Covid-19 vaccine that seems to be aired during every single NFL game ad break. If they didn’t want to load our plates with a healthy serving of number 87 maybe they should have thought of that before plastering him all over television every day. Say nothing of his whirlwind public romance with the most iconic pop star of the past decade. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump Weighs In On Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Relationship)
The story lays out the Earnes brothers’ careful plan to build Kelce’s brand, with brother André telling the Times “We positioned Travis to be world famous.” Well then, you should hardly be surprised that folks are getting a little sick of him.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Says Travis Kelce is a ‘Wonderful Spokesperson’ But ‘COVID Fatigue’ is Hurting Earnings
“I think he is a wonderful spokesperson for us and we are very proud that we are associating our name with him…but there is a little bit of COVID fatigue, which… pic.twitter.com/mhnVgXpmDQ
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 2, 2023
One Chiefs fan took to Reddit to tell his fellow Kansas City faithful “Y’all, I have Travis Kelce fatigue. I used to go a whole week without thinking about him once. Now he’s all over social media and I know that he bought ice cream yesterday and visited Mahomes.”
The article addresses the Kelce fatigue, asking, “Is there too much of Mr. Kelce on television and in the news, and could fans grow numb to the sight of him?”
The answer is, obviously, yes.
Kelce went from being known as the unquestionably most dominant tight end in the NFL to Taylor’s boyfriend. The man we used to know and love for his on-field prowess now seems to be an SNL host who also happens to play football.
I’m not questioning Kelce’s commitment to football or the Chiefs. The article notes a trip Kelce took to Paris for fashion week where he made sure to still get his sprints in, at midnight. He’s obviously dedicated. And the Chiefs just clinched their eighth straight AFC West title.
But, the 34-year-old has suffered the ever-so slightest fall-off. While still 2nd amongst tight ends in yards, his five touchdowns this year have him trailing his more pedestrian counterparts like the Patriots’ Hunter Henry and Cleveland’s David Njoku, per Fantasypros.com.
Would Kelce have returned to his 2020 form, where he set the NFL record for tight end yards in a single season, if he weren’t so famous? It’s hard to say. But one thing’s for sure, if you’re going to be more famous off the field than on it, you better deliver, lest you go the way of Tim Tebow and Colin Kaepernick and earn yourself the “distraction” label.