It isn’t easy to pick which MLB postseason team to root for as a superstar athlete. Just ask LeBron James — he’s shown up to support the Dodgers in the NLDS and tweeted his support for the Guardians during the 2024 postseason alone.
Many wondered whether Chiefs TE Travis Kelce had dual allegiances as well when he attended Game 1 of the ALCS between the Guardians and Yankees with Taylor Swift.
Kelce has associated himself with the Guardians in the past, but he attended Game 1 at Yankee Stadium and didn’t wear any Cleveland gear for what would be a Yankees win. Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes has been steadfast in his support for the Royals, but were the times changing Kelce’s MLB fandom?
The Sporting News has you covered on the details of Kelce’s MLB interest, along with how his hometown is correlated to it.
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Is Travis Kelce a Guardians or Yankees fan?
Kelce has previously mentioned the Guardians as his hometown team and has shown up to their games. During Cleveland’s ALCS matchup with the Yankees, he confirmed he’s been “a Cleveland sports fan my entire life.”
“I don’t wear Cleveland gear one time and all of a sudden I’m not a real fan?!” Kelce asked after some questioned his loyalty
😂😂😂 I’ve been a cleveland sports fan my entire life… Make it back to countless amount of games over the years both Guards and Cavs just to enjoy these memories with my friends and family, WIN OR LOSE!!… and I don’t wear Cleveland gear one time 😂 and all of a sudden I’m not…
— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) October 18, 2024
Kelce celebrated the Guardians’ improbable Game 3 win over the Yankees, confirming he’s not cheering for New York despite Swift living in the city. He has a history with the Guardians, too. Kelce threw out a first pitch before a Cleveland game in 2023, although the pitch itself wasn’t very pretty.
MORE: Guardians walk-off Yankees in extra innings for dramatic ALCS Game 3 win
However, as he’s played in Kansas City for years, Chiefs fans have tried to convert Kelce into a Royals fan. In June, Kelce was asked which team between the Guardians and Royals he’d want to host a playoff game.
“I’ve been to more playoff Cleveland Guardian games, those games are unbelievably electric. Back in 2015, when the Royals won (the World Series), those games were every bit as electric,” Kelce said. “My hometown team, though, I’m still a huge Guards fan.”
While Kelce has mostly maintained his commitment to the Guardians, there happens to be old tweets of his where he mentions the Yankees as “my” team, only further complicating which team he’d be rooting for in the ALCS.
seems like a good time to re-circulate my comprehensive review of all of Travis Kelce’s old baseball tweets which featured contradictory evidence regarding whether he was a fan of his hometown team or if he was actually just a Yankees fanhttps://t.co/YddatEJi61 https://t.co/KV7blAkBDp pic.twitter.com/MVKr650nw3
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) October 14, 2024
In most circumstances, Kelce has shown support for the Guardians. The Royals may share a city — and parking lot — with his beloved Chiefs, and he may have mentioned the Yankees once or twice, but Kelce seems to be committed to his hometown team.
MORE: How Guardians payroll compares to big-spending Yankees, Dodgers and Mets
Where is Travis Kelce from?
Kelce was born in Westlake, Ohio, and went to Cleveland Heights High School.
He and his brother, Jason Kelce, mention their Cleveland roots on a consistent basis, and their shared podcast, “New Heights,” is a nod to their upbringing in the Cleveland Heights area.
