You may have heard of Taylor Swift by now. The multi-Grammy-winning global icon has a song entitled “Never Grow Up” that makes me cry almost every time I put it on an Instagram reel of my kids. It would appear that her fiancé, Travis Kelce, who you’ve also probably heard of, has taken the sentiment of this song to heart with his latest business venture.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Kelce was part of an activist investment group injecting around $200 million to acquire a 9% stake in Six Flags. For those who didn’t grow up in the ’80s or ’90s, Six Flags is an American amusement park chain with over 40 locations across the country, and was once an entertainment mainstay—a centerpiece of family vacations, school field trips, and various other gatherings.
Kelce was clearly one of these Six Flags kids, as he is now putting his money where his memories were in an attempt to revitalize a franchise that has long struggled with attendance, which has led to financial concerns. According to reports, the group plans to work with the board and current management at Six Flags in hopes of improving the guest experience and, of course, increasing shareholder value. The second piece happened almost immediately, with Six Flags’ stock price rising 21% on Wednesday, the day of the announcement.
Travis Kelce’s Six Flags investment proves he’s still the NFL’s ultimate big kid.
Let’s leave the financial details and the business jargon at the door for now. This has to be the most Travis Kelce move of all time, right? Kelce has obviously been a mainstay in Kansas City culture, but has more recently become a nationwide celebrity due in large part to his relationship and engagement with the world’s most popular musician. Yes, he has personally cashed in on this, without question, but what else would this guy put his newfound (additional) riches into than something he loved as a kid?
It’s hard not to smile at the thought of a young Travis Kelce, along with his brother, sprinting through Six Flags as kids. The hypnotizing smell of asphalt and turkey legs in the air as they race toward their next roller coaster, whether that be The Boss, Batman, Mr. Freeze, or whatever may have the shortest lin, where one can just ride back-to-back-to-back. Maybe they took a breather to shoot hoops on an 11' bent rim with the hopes of winning a fully rubber NCAA basketball that would inevitably have a bubble dribbled into it before Ed and Donna were forced to tote it around the park the rest of the day. Hell, they may have even stopped for some Dippin’ Dots while they were cooling off.
Kelce has always had a playful demeanor—on the field, on the sidelines (for the most part), in the media, and seemingly in the locker room. He is Chiefs Kingdom’s brother, whether he’s an older brother or younger brother depends on which generation of Chiefs fans we’re defining the connection for. However, anyone who grew up with a brother can’t deny it. He’s a giant kid that we appreciate more and more as he inches closer to the end of his Hall of Fame career in Kansas City.
Kelce is 36, still playing football at a very high level for one of the best teams of all time. He's also making a killing co-hosting the No. 1 sports podcast in the country, riffing with his older and equally lovable brother Jason on a weekly basis. He's got a ton of endorsement deals, was on the cover of GQ, and is engaged to Taylor Swift. The question stands to be asked: Does anyone have it better than Travis Kelce right now?
We do, because we get to embrace him as our own forever. The name Travis Kelce will always be synonymous with Chiefs Kingdom, as will the golden era he had such a large hand in ushering in. No matter what his production is on the field, we should treasure the fact that we’ve gotten to watch this guy’s life progress both on the field and off of it. And we should appreciate even more the warmth he has shown to the fans and the community of Kansas City. In the process, he has made Chiefs Kingdom feel like family, which will ultimately be a big part of his lasting legacy.