CLEVELAND — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, a native of Cleveland Heights and unabashed Cleveland sports diehard, has bought into Cleveland Guardians ownership as a minority investor, a team source told The Athletic.
ESPN first reported the news. The Guardians plan to officially announce Kelce’s involvement on Wednesday.
“This is a way that I can always cement myself back into the east side of Cleveland,” Kelce said on this week’s edition of the New Heights podcast, which he hosts with his brother, Jason. “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.
“The opportunity came across the desk and I just couldn’t say no. … These guys gave me the opportunity to show my Cleveland love and plant my roots in Cleveland forever, no matter what. It’s an awesome feeling knowing that a childhood kid who grew up on the east side is now part-owner of his favorite baseball team.”
Kelce treasures memories of riding the rapid transit to downtown Cleveland as a kid, buying a game program and keeping score at Progressive Field in the late ‘90s and early 2000s.
Three years ago, Kelce stood atop the mound at Progressive Field, unbuttoned a No. 87 Guardians jersey to reveal an “I’m From Cleveland” T-shirt, and then spiked a ceremonial first pitch into the grass in front of home plate before the team’s home opener.
Kelce and his fiancée, pop star Taylor Swift, attended Game 3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference Finals series against the New York Knicks on Saturday night at Rocket Arena, which is next door to Progressive Field, his new office.
The Kelce brothers reminisced on their podcast about some of their core baseball memories, including Cleveland erasing a 12-run deficit to beat the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 5, 2001, which tied the largest comeback in league history. Kelce noted the team boasted the longest sellout streak in league history, at 455 games, stretching from 1995 to 2001.
In 2020, Kelce’s teammate, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, joined the ownership group of the Kansas City Royals, the Guardians’ AL Central foe.
“Baseball in Cleveland,” Kelce said, “is historically one of our favorite pastimes. It’s such an honor to finally be a part of the organization, knowing how many times I’ve always dreamed about maybe playing for them in the big leagues one day. This will be the closest I ever get, to be a part of this organization.”
This might not be the only change coming to Guardians ownership in the near future. The Dolan family purchased the franchise for $323 million in November 1999. They have the longest tenure in the history of an organization that started in 1901 as a charter member of the American League. But in the summer of 2022, Paul Dolan struck an agreement with David Blitzer to become a minority owner with a pathway for him to eventually take over as controlling partner.
Blitzer’s first option to assume majority control is after the 2027 season, multiple industry sources told The Athletic. Blitzer could also elect to punt the decision until a couple years later.