At the super bowl between Philly Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs something new happens: for the first time, two brothers meet.
When the 57th Super Bowl begins at 0.30 a.m. CET on the night from Sunday to Monday (here live in the audio stream with us), a winner will already have been determined. More specifically, a winner. “Our Mother Can’t Lose”, says Travis Kelce, who is back in the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs after winning 2020. Opponents are the Philadelphia Eagles – with Jason Kelce. The Kelce brothers are creating something new: Never before have two brothers met in the Super Bowl.
“That was always the goal”says Travis, the younger at 33, about the upcoming family duel, “It’s a bit crazy that it’s happening.” However, they are not quite comfortable with the great media interest: “I don’t like that they call it the Kelce Bowl. It’s not the Kelce Bowl.”emphasizes Jason, 35 years old and also a Super Bowl winner in 2018.
Joint podcast, mutual appreciation
Regardless of the name – the story is always remarkable. The two grew up in Cleveland/Ohio, played together in high school and later for them Cincinnati Bearcats also at college. They still have a close relationship today and run a joint podcast called “New Heights“. It’s quite successful: within two years they have reached over 500,000 followers on their You Tube channel.
Their mutual appreciation is obvious: Travis comes up with the number 87, the year Jason was born. Jason watched his younger brother’s finals with their parents at a sports bar wearing a Chiefs shirt. Only after the end of the game did he exchange it for a sweater from the Eagles. The fan existence must now rest – at least over the weekend. “Officially done being a chiefs fan this season” tweeted Jason.
No direct encounter on the field
The Super Bowl is the fourth duel between the two. The record so far speaks clearly for Travis – the previous three duels have all been decided by his chiefs. However, the two will not meet directly on the field. Travis plays as tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, Jason as center for the Philadelphia Eagles. Since their tasks in each case offense lie, they will never be on the field at the same time.
It’s also a very special game for Chiefs coach Andy Reid. He brought both players into the league. In 2011, when he was still the Eagles coach, he drafted Jason Kelce in round six. Two years later, he brought Travis Kelce to the Chiefs in round three. “I’ve invested time in both of them, so I feel like part of the family.”said Andy Reid.
By the way, mother Kelce has come up with a clever solution for her two hearts in one breast: She will wear a split jersey, red front from the Chiefs, green back from the Eagles, with the numbers of the sons. When playing, she wants to stick with both of them. “The plan is to scream really loud every time someone has the ball”she said.