Jhelum Mehta
Travis Kelce is starting to feel like the Taylor Swift of the sports world. Except instead of dropping surprise albums, he’s collecting power moves.
The Chiefs superstar just added ‘sports team owner’ to his résumé after buying a minority stake in the Cleveland Guardians, the MLB club he grew up rooting for back in Cleveland Heights. These days, athletes buying into franchises is basically the new offseason flex. If you’ve got generational money, a love for the game, and a fanbase ready to put your jersey in the rafters forever, why wouldn’t you get into the ownership game?
Kelce was always going to make this move eventually. The real shocker? It took the future Hall of Famer this long to join the front office side of the league.
Travis Kelce Adds MLB Owner to His Hall of Fame Résumé
Travis Kelce’s résumé already reads like a first-ballot Hall of Fame lock: three Super Bowl rings, four All-Pro selections, global superstar status alongside Taylor Swift — and now, NFL tight end turned MLB owner.
Before the Cleveland Guardians’ matchup against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, the franchise announced that the Chiefs star had officially purchased a minority stake in the team he grew up cheering for as a kid in Cleveland Heights.
Kelce bought into David Blitzer’s 35% share of the club, adding another power move to an offseason portfolio. Adam Schefter took to X to share the news. Blitzer still holds the option to become the controlling owner after the 2027 season.
The move feels straight out of Kelce’s playbook. Just last weekend, he and Swift were courtside in Cleveland for the Cavaliers-Knicks Eastern Conference Finals showdown, and now the hometown hero is planting permanent roots back in The Land.
His first duty as part-owner? Throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on June 14 against the Detroit Tigers. Chiefs Kingdom might remember Kelce’s last attempt in 2023 went a little… off-script. The throw bounced before the plate and rolled all the way to the backstop — basically the baseball version of an overthrow into triple coverage.
“The opportunity came across my desk and I just couldn’t say no,” Kelce said on the “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce. “These guys (Blitzer and majority owner Paul Dolan) gave me the opportunity to show my Cleveland love and plant my roots in Cleveland forever, no matter what. It’s an awesome feeling knowing that a childhood kid that grew up on the east side is now part owner of his favorite baseball team.”
Long before becoming Patrick Mahomes’ favorite red-zone cheat code, Kelce was a three-sport standout at Cleveland Heights High School, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball. Back in 2008, he even earned Cleveland Plain Dealer Player of the Week honors after going on an absolute heater at the plate.
Now, the 36-year-old is building an empire off the field too. Kelce has earned over $111 million during his NFL career, landed a reported $100 million New Heights podcast deal with Amazon Wondery alongside brother Jason Kelce, and pulls in millions more annually through endorsements with brands like Nike, Pfizer, and State Farm.
At this point, Kelce isn’t just winning championships anymore. He’s building a dynasty, with his queen right by his side.
