In any other year, Travis Kelce, the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, would have his hands full during AFC championship week.
But this year is not like the others.
The Chiefs are undoubtedly the underdog against the Baltimore Ravens, who are the top club in the conference in the regular season. Additionally, Kelce’s relationship with musician Taylor Swift has brought him to a level of prominence that is uncommon for someone who isn’t a quarterback. This raises a modest but important concern.
When asked on Friday how he and Swift deal with the deluge of media attention around their daily lives, Kelce referenced a football strategy that’s widely used: turning down the volume.
“The only thing we’ve talked about is as long as we’re happy, we can’t listen to anything that’s outside noise,” added Kelce.
Following wins in 2019 and 2022, Kelce is vying for his third Super Bowl ring—possibly Kansas City’s fourth. Given that the Chiefs’ 11-6 record was their poorest since 2017, this one would have to be earned.
“There’s certain kinds of challenges in life where you just gotta appreciate that you’re getting tested,” Kelce stated. “Not everybody gets those kinds of opportunities, especially when you get an opportunity to do it with a group of men and women that you can rally together with and really prove to yourselves what you’re made of.”
