Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce grew up watching the Cleveland Guardians and now he’ll be part of the team’s ownership group.
He announced on Wednesday that he has purchased a minority stake in the team.
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“I have so much love for this city,” Kelce told ESPN. “I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic. Cleveland Heights is such a diverse and dynamic place. … It just fueled such a deep appreciation for life and community and service. That mentality of Cleveland against the world runs deep.”
In the 1990’s’, Kelce grew up as a die-hard Guardians fan and saw the team win five straight American League Central titles.
Baseball was such a large part of Kelce’s life that he was actually first recruited as a baseball player out of high school. He rattled off six home runs in his senior season while batting .588.
“I think I had always felt most confident on the diamond,” Kelce said. “I was playing every sport growing up, but baseball was actually the only one I had early interest from scouts, so I really did think it was a viable option for me. The football thing chose me at the end of the day, and when I moved to tight end, it really took off for me.”
Kelce’s teammate, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is also an MLB minority owner after purchasing a stake in the Kansas City Royals in 2020.
It’s safe to say the locker room banter between the two will be competitive any time the Royals and Guardians face off.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
