Travis Kelce’s ‘jet-setter’ lifestyle blamed for poor football season

Unfortunately, we all knew this day would come. The moment Travis Kelce tripped on the football field, Taylor Swift would be blamed for his lackluster performance. And now it’s here.

Sports commentator Todd McShay joined the chat on The Rayne Russell Podcast on Monday, September 24, and pointed the finger of blame at Swift. “Every show that I watch, the pregame show, the halftime show, the postgame show, the weekday shows, every broadcast that I’ve watched the last few weeks, I’m like, why shouldn’t they say he’s not in shape, or that he’s been partying all offseason, and he’s been jet-setting all over the place with arguably the most famous person in the world,” McShay said.

So true. There was no need to even mention Swift’s name, but the implication was that a relationship took him away from the game of football. “Take a preseason picture for 2022 and a preseason picture for 2024. They’re hardly the same person,” McShay continued. “In Kelsey’s case, the bottom line is he gets the same coverage and the same respect, but he’s a different athlete.”

We’re not football experts, so we’ll take the sports experts’ word that it’s been a disappointing start to the season for Kelsey, but Swift isn’t the only one going on in his life. As an athlete, he’s allowed to enjoy a fulfilling personal life, and it’s no secret that he has Hollywood ambitions. From a cameo in Grotesquerie to an upcoming Amazon Prime game show, Kelsey is making moves that may take him away from the football field.

Kelsey’s business managers, Andre and Aaron Eanes, had been plotting behind the scenes to make the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end a household name even before Swift came on the scene. They created a “detailed business plan” to turn him into a star. “We set up Travis to become world famous,” Andre Eanes told The New York Times in January. “We didn’t know how it would happen, when it would happen, what would help push it further. But it was always an idea in the back of our minds.”

McShay may not have intended for the Kelsey debate to be tinged with misogyny, but that’s what it was. As an athlete, Kelsey’s obligation is to be in shape and perform at his best. Swift wasn’t telling him to eat extra carbs. The 34-year-old NFL star would understand that, but let’s leave his superstar girlfriend out of this discussion.

Before you leave, click through to see all of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelcy’s cutest public affectionate moments.