The Cleveland Guardians recently added some championship pedigree to their front office, and it came as something of a surprise. Three-time Super Bowl champion and Cleveland-area native Travis Kelce announced that he has acquired an ownership stake in the title-starved baseball franchise.
For Kelce, it is a way to reconnect with his childhood in Cleveland Heights, where he became a fan of the team in the 1990s. For the Guardians, it may be a way to find some good luck as they search for their first World Series championship since 1948.
The amount of Kelce’s stake in the team has not been revealed, and insider Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com is raising questions about his actual role with the Guardians, saying it might be more of a “decoration” than anything else.
“I don’t know if this is just kind of, you know, a decoration that [Travis Kelce] can hang on his bedroom wall,” Hoynes said. “I’m not sure how much control he actually will have.”
That is likely to be true, at least in the near future, as Kelce is still an active player for the Kansas City Chiefs. The tight end also has an upcoming wedding with pop superstar Taylor Swift, so he has other priorities to address first.
After he retires, however, Kelce could look to increase his involvement with the Guardians, or he could remain something of a figurehead while continuing to build out his highly successful podcast with his brother. With majority ownership shifting from the Dolan family to David Blitzer over the coming years, anything is possible, especially considering the combined bank accounts of the NFL and media star and his billionaire bride.
It also could create an interesting rivalry with current Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who became a part-owner of the AL Central’s Kansas City Royals in 2020. They are not alone, as former Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James became an owner of the Boston Red Sox in 2021 as a partner in Fenway Sports Group.
Kelce is expected to make his first appearance as an owner at Progressive Field on June 13, and it will be very interesting to see what kind of response he receives from the fans, and if Swift is going to join him.
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