Dear Gossips,   

There’s been some silly online speculation the last few days about why Travis Kelce only stayed two or three days with Taylor Swift when he visited her on tour. Travis flew to the US to hang out with his team and then was seen over the weekend in Philadelphia with his brother, Jason.

 

An emotional Jason called a press conference yesterday to announce his retirement from the NFL in the presence of his parents, his wife, Kylie, and his brother. In TNT terms, then, this is actually a positive development: Taylor’s boyfriend understands priorities. Let’s focus on Jason now. 

 

He was overcome at times when talking about his decision and reflecting back on his career, particularly when recalling how he and Travis grew up together in the sport. Travis was also choked up. 

 

I like Jason and Kylie Kelce so much. The options for both of them going forward are limitless and he took the time, as he should, to acknowledge how vital she’s been to his success. And it’s wonderful to know that, well, she can stop worrying, because American football is so hard on the body, so dangerous for the body, and no one wants to see their partner repeatedly put their body through all that abuse. 

That said, and I’m not here to be a downer, I don’t want to be a downer, so let me reiterate that I am moved by Jason’s sweet words and allllll his feelings – but it’s not like scenes like this are rare in sports, male-dominated sports. The arena, the field, the court, the ice, these are the places where it’s the most socially acceptable for a man to shed tears. A male athlete crying over winning or losing or retirement is the most normalised occasion of men displaying emotion. And along with that, of course, the canonising of the woman who Let Him Be Great. 

 

What’s rare is the case of the female athlete crying over the sacrifices that a supportive man in her life has had to make to Let Her Be Great. Serena William and Alexis Ohanian come to mind… but that’s it. Like I have to think real f-cking hard to come up with someone else. I’m not sure I can think of anyone else. So this is what was going through my mind while I was watching Jason Kelce’s press conference, which was, I repeat, a wonderful scene of softness and care. And this observation is in no way intended to take away from that. It’s just, when it comes to sports, and not even just sports, even in Hollywood, I also look forward to the day when the athlete is a woman talking about how her dude was the supporting character in her success. 

Yours in gossip, 

Lainey