My thanks to Taylor Swift, for introducing me to Jason Kelce
Apologies for falling in love with your husband, Kylie
I have many things to be grateful to Taylor Swift for. That 12 minute version of All Too Well and of course the iconic scene in The Bear where Richie sings his heart out to Love Story.
Really, I should thank her for providing the soundtrack to my 20s and beyond, but as well as that and on a much more shallow note, I need to thank her for introducing me to Jason Kelce.
Now, I have actually been to an NFL game before, but I’m not going to pretend I keep up with the league, beyond my newfound discovery of the Kelce brothers.
When Kansas City Chiefs player and Jason’s brother, Travis, first gave Taylor that friendship bracelet with his phone number on, everyone became obsessed with their new relationship.
At first, I didn’t get the hype, but then my TikTok feed had other plans for me.
By drip feeding me clips of the brothers podcast - New Heights - I got to see how funny they were and how much they cared for one another.
Before I knew it, I was typing Jason Kelce into my search bar, desperate to see more clips of him with his adorable wife and three children or of Travis discussing how he actually owes his entire career to his brother.
No lie, I have watched this clip of Jason’s adorable children, saying hi to their Uncle Travis, more times than I’d like to admit.
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Despite the macho sport they play in, I’ve genuinely seen the Kelce brothers cry more times than I have my own Dad and Brother combined.
In a time when toxic male masculinity is at an all time high, these two are so refreshing with how open they are about the love for not only each other, but the females in their life.
This week Jason retired from his team - the Eagles - and gave an incredibly emotional speech. Of course, my favourite part was when he thanked his wife Kylie. Explaining that it was no coincidence that he had enjoyed the best years of his career with his wife by his side.
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It kind of reminded me of that speech Ryan Gosling made when he won a Golden Globe in 2017. Acknowledging his actress wife Eva Mendes, Ryan said:
“My lady was raising our daughter. Pregnant with our second and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer.
“If she hadn’t taken all that on, so that I could have this experience, there would surely be someone else up here”.
There is just something so incredibly beautiful, listening to a man talk about his partner like that. Especially in the field of sports, which is so incredibly misogynistic.
I mean, have you heard the latest on the Christian Horner F1 scandal? His accuser has been suspended, but if, like me, you’ve read his alleged text messages, you’ll be as surprised as I was.
In a time when alpha bros are the only male role models, young boys look up to, I’m incredibly grateful that the Kelce brothers are having their time in the spotilight.
I just hope I can do a Kylie and find my own Jason.
Can’t get on board with TS or American football, but the Kelce brothers are a joy to watch. Their parents did something right, you can tell even from the way Travis dresses that they’re very secure men. Please bring back the ‘stache Travis.