Travis Kelce is pouring some of his wealth into one of his hometown teams.
The 11-time Pro Bowl tight end and Cleveland Heights, Ohio native joined the Cleveland Guardians' ownership group in a minority capacity, the MLB team announced Wednesday.
"This is some of the coolest stuff I've ever been a part of," Kelce said on the "New Heights" podcast he co-hosts with his brother, Jason. "The childhood memories, the jumping on the Rapid (light rail line) with the family or my friends in high school going down to a game, just buying a program with Dad when I was younger and keeping score of the game. There are so many countless memories of the '90s and then early 2000s where it's in me to always root for the Guards and always want to be a part of them, even though I haven't been able to get back to Cleveland as much as I've always wanted to.
"This is a way that I can always cement myself back into the east side of Cleveland, man. It's a dream come true for a Cleveland kid. Any Cleveland kid would be through the roof right now, and I'm happy to be the honorable one to get to do it for us."
Despite spending his entire professional career in Kansas City, Kelce has made plenty of efforts to return to Cleveland and both he and Jason proudly remind listeners of their roots at the start of each podcast episode. Travis Kelce has thrown out the first pitch at a Guardians game, and just last weekend, he returned to Cleveland, sitting courtside with fiancée Taylor Swift at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in support of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, the downtown Cleveland neighbors of the Guardians.
Kelce joins an ownership group headlined by chairman Paul Dolan and partner David Blitzer, with the latter owning an option to purchase a majority stake in the team after the 2027 season.
"Travis Kelce knows what it takes to win at the highest levels and he's exemplified that throughout his playing career and in the way he shows up as a community leader and businessman," Dolan and Blitzer said in a statement released by the team Wednesday. "He cares deeply for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio and is committed to supporting our mission of building out a world-class organization that helps uplift the communities we serve. It's great to welcome Travis home and we know he'll make a lasting impact here."
Kelce is not the only member of the Kansas City Chiefs to purchase a stake in another professional sports organization. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes owns a minority stake in MLB's Kansas City Royals and is a co-owner of the NWSL's Kansas City Current. Both Kelce and Mahomes also own a stake in the Alpine Formula One Team.
