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From Super Bowl touch downs to Taylor Swift, Patrick Mahomes has set up all of Travis Kelce‘s greatest catches.
On the latest episode of The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday (May 23), the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback revealed that he was the one who first encouraged his teammate to shoot his shot with the “Anti-Hero” pop star. “I have to take some of the credit,” a smiling Mahomes told McAfee. “I was the one who invited Travis to the first Taylor concert, when the friendship bracelet was… He was sitting in my suite, so I feel like I was the matchmaker.”
As revealed by Kelce on past episodes of his New Heights podcast, his and Swift’s love story dates back to the singer’s Eras Tour stops in Kansas City last summer, which the tight end attended. While there, he tried to slip the 14-time Grammy winner a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it, but was disappointed to find that his future girlfriend wasn’t meeting guests that night.
According to Mahomes, however, he was the one who insisted that Kelce to try out the bracelet idea. “I had some input in there as well,” the three-time Super Bowl champion continued on McAfee’s show. “I was like, ‘Dude, just go for it. Just go for it.’ You know Travis, man. He does and he’s a great dude.”
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Though the bracelet-giving tactic wasn’t initially successful for Kelce, his gesture eventually caught the attention of Swift. Just a couple months later, she attended her first of many Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Ohio native has since become a fixture at the superstar’s Eras Tour shows across the world.
Swift has also become a friend of the Mahomes family since dating Kelce, with the “Fortnight” musician getting particularly close with the quarterback’s wife, retired soccer player Brittany Mahomes, over the course of the 2023-24 season. The two women frequently sat together at games and hung out together in New York City a handful of times; plus, Swift attended the Mahomies Foundation charity gala with Kelce earlier this year and donated four Eras tickets to the cause.
See Mahomes recall his role in Swift and Kelce’s romance below.
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Netflix has made a deal with the National Football League, the first of its kind for the streaming giant.
According to reports, Netflix is now a member of the sports streaming game as it has entered into a partnership with the National Football League. The deal is set for three years beginning with the upcoming 2024-2025 season. The deal will also include two Christmas Day games to be aired this year. The two games that Netflix will carry on Christmas Day will be rivalry games – the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to take on the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Baltimore Ravens head to NRG Stadium to face off against the Houston Texans. The Pittsburgh and Kansas City game holds a potential surge in viewing thanks to Taylor Swift’s huge fan base (she’s currently dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce).
The streaming giant is expanding its sports offerings, having finalized a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment for the rights to stream its weekly flagship show “Raw”. It’s set to stream the highly anticipated match between social media influencer Jake Paul and boxing legend Mike Tyson in July. The move falls in line with Netflix’s aggressive foray into live events within the past few years. It recently played host to “The Roast of Tom Brady”, which ranked as its highest-rated English language show within the past two weeks.
“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports and more,” Bela Bejaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in a statement. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences N.F.L. football attracts.” Netflix’s entry into a game where Amazon has currently locked down Thursday night games since 2022 and NBC’s Peacock landed a playoff game in a landmark deal last season is set to have a serious impact. “Getting the king of premium streamers to say we are in the sports business for real is a pretty big deal for television,” said Lightshed Partners technology analyst Richard Greenfield. “Because it doesn’t matter what this means now — it just shows you you’ve got another serious bidder for sports rights.”
A viral question aimed at women has spread around the internet over the last few weeks: Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or with a bear? After listening to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s bigoted commencement address at Benedictine College, singer Maren Morris has her answer.
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In a post to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday (May 15), Morris shared a clip from Butker’s address, in which the footballer claimed that the graduating women had “the most diabolical lies” told to them, and encouraging them to consider taking on “one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.” Morris summed up her feelings on Butker’s comments — and on the aforementioned question — in just four words: “I choose the bear,” she wrote.
Morris is far from the only celebrity to criticize Butker’s comments. In a post to his X account on Tuesday (May 14), rapper Flavor Flav called out Butker and encouraged him to, respectfully, stop talking. “Sounds like some players ‘need to stay in their lanes’ and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches,” he wrote.
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Meanwhile, Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, responded to Butker’s anti-LGBTQ comments made throughout his address — including saying that Pride Month represented “deadly sins” — calling them “a clear miss,” as well as “inaccurate, ill-informed, and woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people and women.”
The speech began blowing up online thanks, in part, to the fact that Butker quoted lyrics from Taylor Swift’s “Bejeweled” during his speech. Speaking about bishops who derive pleasure “from the adulation they receive from their parishioners,” Butker made sure to quote “my teammate’s girlfriend” in saying “‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’”
After many called for the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs to comment on Butker’s speech, Jonathan Beane, senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer for the league, shared a statement with People on Wednesday. “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” he said. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Billboard has not yet heard back from the Chiefs after a request for comment.
Travis Kelce is joining the Ryan Murphy cinematic universe. The Kansas City Chiefs star has been cast in the American Horror Story creator’s latest production, Grotesquerie, starring Niecy Nash-Betts — and he’s already spent his first day on set.
Very little is known about the upcoming FX series, much less about Kelce’s character, but, Murphy did post an audio teaser for Grotesquerie in February featuring Nash-Betts’ distressed voice on a phone speaker describing a disturbing crime scene. He also confirmed that the project is a “horror drama” that’s set to premiere this fall.
Plus, Nash-Betts shared a few behind-the-scenes clips from her time on set with Kelce via Instagram on Wednesday. In one video, she hangs out with the tight end in a dressing room and says excitedly, “Guys, guess who I’m working with on Grotesquerie?”
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Kelce then comes into frame and says, “Jumping into new territory with Niecy!” He also reposted the video onto his Story and wrote, “Steppin into a new world with one of the legends!”
In another clip posted to the Emmy winner’s Story, she and the New Heights podcaster appear to be filming a scene in a sleek red convertible. Laughing, Kelce holds a peace sign up to the camera and says, “Buckle up!”
A third video finds the football player hugging Murphy between takes. “I’m just glad I didn’t hurt nobody,” he tells Nash-Betts, smiling into the camera.
The news comes shortly after Prime Video confirmed that Kelce is slated to host its upcoming game show Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, a spin-off of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? “I grew up loving game shows, and I’m excited to be following in the footsteps of so many TV icons,” he said in a statement about the series, which will feature contestants using celebrities to help with 11 elementary-school-level questions as they compete to win $100,000.
Kelce’s recent influx in entertainment gigs doesn’t mean he’s planning on slowing down his football career any time soon, though. The athlete also recently re-signed with the Chiefs, inking a two-year extension deal that will make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL — meaning fans can all but count on two more seasons’ worth of Taylor Swift appearances at Arrowhead Stadium.
Watch Kelce and Nash-Betts bond behind the scenes of Grotesquerie below.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were featured together for only a split-second in 15 and The Mahomies Foundation’s new Instagram reel, but of course, they still stole the show. Posted Sunday (April 28), the video compiles clips from the organization’s Las Vegas charity gala, which the “Anti-Hero” singer attended alongside the Kansas City Chief tight […]
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The Chicago Bears are looking to rebuild their franchise with the help of a new quarterback. They have drafted Caleb Williams with their pick.
As per the organization’s official news site the house that Mike Ditka built will be welcoming one of the hottest college prospects of the decade. On Thursday, April 25 the Chicago Bears chose the University of South California junior to be the face of the franchise. The choice came to the football industry as no surprise as the Washington D.C. native had a stellar year with 3,333 yards, 30 passing touchdowns throughout the season. He also took home the very prestigious Heisman Award back in 2022.
Caleb Williams showed up to the 2024 NFL Draft wearing a custom one of one Chrome Hearts suit with nails to match. Bears General Manager Ryan Poles made it clear that he impressed the team on and off the field during recruitment process. “When you talk to his teammates, they don’t like him, they love him,” Poles explained. “His leadership, how he brings people together, he’s intentional with his leadership. Same goes with the staff. I’m having a hard time finding a person that doesn’t like him or even love him and thinks that he can reach the highest limits. The feedback’s been good.”
Last week Caleb Williams was a guest on the Pivot Podcast. When asked his thoughts on potentially being drafted by Chicago. “I want to play in one place for 20 years, and chase one guy, No. 12 (Tom Brady),” Williams said. “I want a place that loves ball. That’s all I’ve heard about Chicago so far, which is exciting for me.” The Chicago Bears finished with a record of 7-10.
Big Sean won’t ever suit up in an NFL game, but he’ll have his name called at the NFL Draft and walk across that stage for other reasons. That’s because Detroit’s own Big Sean has been announced as the league’s official headliner for the Bud Light NFL Draft Concert Series when the draft comes to the D next week, from April 25 to 27.
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Sean Don is set to perform ahead of round one of the NFL Draft next Thursday (April 25), when he’ll take the Draft Theater stage around 6:15 p.m. ET to warm up the thousands in the Campus Martius Park audience.
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“With the Draft coming to Detroit, we knew the importance of representing the rich cultural history and music legacy of this city as part of our NFL Draft Concert Series,” Tim Tubito, director of event presentation and content at the NFL, said in a statement.
“With an incredible lineup of headliners who all hail from the region, we’re excited for these great artists to help us create an amazing on-site experience for our fans and prospects.”
The Detroit Youth Choir will hit the stage on day two (April 26), and Michigan native Bazzi will close out the concert series with a performance on Saturday night (April 27). The NFL Draft Concert Series is completely free of charge for fans, and general admission with be on a first-come-first-served basis.
Those seeking entry to the draft festivities just need to sign up for the NFL OnePass app. Attendees can also head to the nearby Hart Plaza for the Draft Experience, which will host player appearances, exhibits, games and more.
The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night (April 25) with the Chicago Bears on the clock; the team is widely expected to select USC quarterback Calebl Williams with the first pick.
ESPN will be broadcasting wall-to-wall coverage as the home of the NFL Draft all weekend.
As for Big Sean, he ended his hiatus with his comeback single “Precision” in March. Sean Don promised an album “coming soon” during his soulful Tiny Desk concert, and will become an author with his first book, Go Higher, arriving later this year.
See the announcement of Big Sean’s NFL Draft performance below:
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Tom Brady might be reconsidering his retirement. In a recent interview he said he is not opposed to returning back to the NFL.
ESPN is reporting that the gridiron legend’s cleats aren’t hung up for good. Earlier this week he was a guest on the Deep Cut Podcast where he gave his take on a variety of topics. When asked by host Vic Blends if he would entertain any offers to play quarterback for a team during the 2024 season he made it clear he is ready to go if permitted. “I’m not opposed to it,” Tom Brady revealed. “I don’t know if they are going to let me if I become an owner of an NFL team. I’m always going to be in good shape. I’ll always be able to throw the ball. So, to come in for a little bit, like MJ [Michael Jordan] coming back, I don’t know if they would let me. But I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
In 2023, Tom Brady submitted a request to the Las Vegas Raiders to join the team’s ownership group. Even though the seven-time champion is held in very high regard his bid is not guaranteed as per the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell. “I wouldn’t say it’s a delay,” Goodell explained. “We go through a very thorough process. We’re just going through our process. We’ve been in touch with their side. I think it’s been making progress.”
Minority ownership stakes aside Tom Brady will be slotted to offer his analysis and commentary on the next season of Fox Sports. “My career and all that, that’s a thing of the past in my mind. I was a gladiator out there, and now my time has moved on. Now it’s, ‘OK, how can I deliver for my next group of teammates?’ he added.
You can see Tom Brady discuss his options while getting a haircut below.
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Jason and Travis Kelce returned to their old college stomping grounds on Thursday (April 11) when the NFL legend brothers packed the University of Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena for a taping of their “New Heights” podcast in front of a rabid audience of college kids and football fans. And while they had some A-list guests […]
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Travis Kelce wants you to fight for your right to party and to help you do so, he’s hosting his second music festival in Kansas City.
The aptly-named Kelce Jam was founded by the Kansas City Chiefs tight end as a celebration every time the NFL star’s team wins the Super Bowl. This marks the second year the football player will be trading his cleats for hosting duties. The festival will be held on Saturday (May 18) at the Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS, going from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. CT.
The lineup consists of a mix of some of the athlete’s favorite artists including Lil Wayne and Diplo. If you’re a fan of the Chiefs or want to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift’s boyfriend in person you can officially buy Kelce Jam 2024 tickets online.
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Keep reading to learn more about the lineup for Kelce Jam and how to get tickets.
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Kelce Jam 2024 Lineup
Fans can expect to see Lil Wayne and Diplo headlining Kelce Jam as well as a mix of other artists including 2Chainz and DJ Irie. Along with live concerts, the event will feature local restaurant pop-ups and interactive activations for fans to take advantage of. Since Kelce is hosting the event, it’s also not uncommon for attendees to see the star make onstage appearances.
How to Get Tickets to Kelce Jam 2024?
Official tickets and VIP options went on general sale through Ticketmaster on Friday (April 5) with VIP packages quickly selling out. Tickets are still available on Ticketmaster with prices ranging from $50-$110.
Last year, the event completely sold out and featured viral moments including the Chiefs player spiking a replica of the Lombardi Trophy and joining Machine Gun Kelly on stage for a performance. If you want to score tickets and add the event to your list of festivals and tours, you won’t want to wait too long
If the desired spot or VIP package you want isn’t available, there are a range of cheap ticket sites offering resale options you can find below.
Where to Buy Tickets to Kelce Jam 2024
Vivid Seats has tickets to Kelce Jam available starting at $61 and include a Buyer Guarantee to keep your purchases protected. You can also choose your tickets based on price or seating area in the venue. You can also score $20 off purchases of $200+ when you use the code BB2024 at checkout.
Another affordable option is StubHub, which is offering tickets for as low $62. You can sort tickets based on price, seating section and recommended ones from the site. Each purchase comes with a FanProtect Guarantee that you can read more about here.
Seat Geek is another option for scoring cheap tickets to Kelce Jam with options starting at $85. The ticket resale site uses a ranking system on a scale of 1-10 to rate the deals. Tickets labeled 10 are the best deal and one-rated tickets are the worst. You can include fees when looking at ticket prices and even sign up to get notified if ticket sales drop in cost.
Looking to save more money? Use code BILLBOARD10 to save $10 off your ticket purchases of $250+ (offer valid on first purchases only) at SeatGeek.com.
Gametime is a great option for last-minute tickets offering options starting as low as $66. You can sort tickets based on how good of a deal it is, the price and section of the venue. Your purchase is also protected by the Gametime Guarantee that you can read more about here.
In excitement for Kelce Jam, the athlete took to Instagram on Tuesday (April 2) to announce the music festival.
“Kansas City are you ready to fight for your right to party!? Let’s kick off year two of – @KelceJam Presented by @jimbeamofficial – returning Saturday, May 18th with electric performances by some of my favorite artists @liltunechi, @diplo, @2chainz, and more! Prepare for legendary superstar artists, KC’s best BBQ, and tons of interactive experiences,” the Instagram caption says.