Patrick Mahomes congratulates (and trolls) Travis Kelce over Guardians investment
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Travis Kelce joined the Cleveland Guardians ownership group as a minority investor.
- Kelce’s Guardians stake puts him playfully at odds with Patrick Mahomes, a Royals owner.
- Kelce said there will be bragging rights when the teams play.
The Cleveland Guardians apparently don’t hold a grudge.
Ahead of their 2023 home opener, the Guardians had Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, a native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, throw out the first pitch — and it was a disaster.
But in a humorous way.
Kelce can now say that botched first pitch was for his team. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Wednesday that Kelce joined the Guardians’ ownership group as a minority investor.
“I have so much love for this city,” Kelce told ESPN. “I say it all the time: I’m just a kid from the Heights living the dream. I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic. Cleveland Heights is such a diverse and dynamic place. Every friend, neighbor, teacher and teammate — they all made me the man I am today. It just fueled such a deep appreciation for life and community and service. That mentality of Cleveland against the world runs deep.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have a front-row seat to good ownership in my career, and I know the best teams prioritize culture. Everyone is there to play their role, and right now, I’m here to observe and learn and really to support the team and the city when and where I can.”
Kelce showed that love for Cleveland over the weekend when he took fiancée Taylor Swift to a Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals game against the New York Knicks.
But this investment puts Kelce at odds with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is part of the Royals’ ownership group.
The Royals and Guardians are in the American League Central and the teams play 13 times each season. Cleveland currently leads the division and Kansas City is nine games back in fourth place.
Mahomes fired an opening salvo Wednesday when he congratulated Kelce on joining the Guardians ownership group. Mahomes did so on X and shared a video of that infamous first pitch.
It’s clear that Mahomes and Kelce are going to love their new rivalry.
“We’re both as competitive as it gets, so you know there will be some bragging rights on the line when we play our division games,” Kelce told Passan. “But I really have a lot of respect for the Royals and their organization. It was a fun time in Kansas City cheering them on for their World Series win in 2015.”
