Jason and Travis Kelce are the role models we need right now. Young men, especially.
For two hours Wednesday night, the world got a masterclass in uplifting women, treating partners with respect and approaching life with lightness and joy. This after two years of watching them celebrate their mother and Jason Kelce’s wife every chance they got.
“Just dudes who don’t want drama. Dudes who are trying to avoid the mess,” Taylor Swift said of her boyfriend and his brother.
The internet lost its collective mind over Swift’s appearance on the Kelce brothers’ popular “New Heights” podcast, mostly because the superstar doesn’t often grant interviews and she divulged a gold mine of information about herself to fans used to spending hours, days, months deciphering her lyrics and photos for Easter eggs, the term for hidden messages and meaning.
As much as Swift was the star of the show, though, the reactions of the Kelce brothers is a lesson that should not be overlooked.
Travis gave golden retriever energy throughout the entire podcast, hyping up Swift’s talent, brains and professionalism at every opportunity.
“Greatest songwriter in the world.’
“Smartest woman in the world.”
‘I had never experienced something so mesmerizing on stage and then so real and so beautiful in person.’
Now, Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends in NFL history and a three-time Super Bowl champion. He’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he’s eligible.
Yet he felt no need to one-up Swift or tout his own credentials. Even when Swift tried to turn the spotlight on him, he quickly redirected it to her.
“She makes me so much better,” he said, his pride in and love for Swift obvious in his voice. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
Jason Kelce, meanwhile, was equally effusive. But his admiration for Swift is not just for her musical talents. When she gushed about Travis Kelce being “a vibe booster” and “a human exclamation point,” Jason Kelce beamed, clearly thrilled his brother has found a partner who loves and appreciates him as he deserves.
The brothers have never been shy about expressing their affection for one another and others close to them, and Swift is now part of that circle.
“Thank you so much for hopping on,” Jason Kelce said at the end of the episode. “You are the best. This has been a blast.”
More of this, please. And less of the current crap boys and young men are being fed by social media.
Boys and young men have always been bombarded with toxic messaging. They’re told to be tough, to not cry or show emotion. They’re taught that they have primacy and to act accordingly. Some are encouraged to think of women as inferior or, worse, as objects.
It’s gotten worse lately, though. Popular podcasters and influencers have built careers out of promoting toxic masculinity and demeaning women. Our president was found liable of sexual abuse, in addition to being accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen other women.
Cryptobros have felt free to throw sex toys onto the court at WNBA games, egged on by the president’s son. Male politicians and Supreme Court justices have led the charge in stripping women of fundamental rights.
The atmosphere that’s created is awful for women, obviously. Women still earn just 85% of what men do, a statistic that’s even worse for women of color, and nearly 3 in 10 women in the United States have experienced intimate partner violence.
But we’re seeing that this alpha male attitude is also harmful for men. A Pew Research Center study released earlier this year found that 16% of men feel lonely or isolated all or most of the time. While that was only 1% higher than women, men reported having fewer places to turn with those feelings.
Suicide rates for men also have climbed steadily in the past 20 years, and a 2023 study found men were 3.8 times more likely than women to die by suicide.
Two NFL players can’t singlehandedly end the epidemic of male loneliness and its harmful byproducts. They can, however, provide a very visible alternative to misogyny and toxicity.
The Kelces are about the manliest men you can find. They’ve each lasted more than a decade in the NFL, a league that chews people up in relentless fashion. They are hulking and hairy and make no secret of their love of beer and hijinks.
When they show their emotions, it gives permission for other men to do the same. When they’re supportive of the women in their lives, it tells boys and young men that demeaning women isn’t cool. When they model deep, lasting friendships with other men, it offers an example to men searching for connection.
The world has enough men who are jerks, and we’re all paying the price for it. Jason and Travis Kelce are a reminder it doesn’t have to be that way.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.