Usually, when Travis Kelce steps foot into Arrowhead Stadium, the crowd goes wild with cheers. He’s a legend there, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight end. But something totally unexpected happened when he showed up for a college football game. Our guy Travis found himself on the receiving end of a very loud round of boos. Talk about a plot twist!
It all went down on Thursday, August 28th. Travis, who’s 35 years old, was in the house to root for his old college team, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. He played for them from 2009 to 2012. This time, Cincinnati was facing off against the University of Nebraska, right there at Arrowhead.
When Travis popped up on the big Jumbotron screen during a break in the game, the stadium erupted. Not with cheers, though! A wave of boos washed over him. Travis, from his suite, just pointed to his Cincinnati Bearcats hat, as if to say, “Yep, that’s my team!” The camera then cut to a lone Cincinnati fan wearing a Kelce jersey, surrounded by a sea of Nebraska fans. They were all still booing and giving him thumbs-down gestures. It was quite a scene!
Even though Cincinnati was technically the home team for this neutral site game, Nebraska fans basically took over the stands. It makes sense when you think about it. The University of Nebraska is just a three-hour drive from Arrowhead Stadium. Cincinnati, on the other hand, is more than eight hours away. So, a lot more Huskers faithful could make the trip. In the end, Nebraska won the game with a 20-17 score.
The video of Travis getting booed quickly made the rounds online. Yahoo Sports shared it on Instagram, and the comments section blew up. Some people were pretty upset by the crowd’s reaction. One person wrote, “Seriously Nebraska fans, show some class.” Another chimed in, saying, “Nebraska is my home state. Behavior is embarrassing. Sit down.” But a Cornhuskers fan quickly defended their team, explaining, “We didn’t start booing him until he showed his Bearcats hat. Nebraska is Chiefs nation. I lived in Nebraska when I became a Chiefs fan.”
Travis wasn’t alone at the game. He was there with his older brother, Jason Kelce, who also played for Cincinnati from 2007 to 2010. And yes, Taylor Swift was there too, along with a bunch of other Chiefs players, including superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Speaking of the Chiefs, they’re gearing up for a big trip. The team is heading to São Paulo, Brazil, next week. They’re kicking off their 2025 regular season there on Friday, September 5th, against the Los Angeles Chargers.
This whole booing episode might have felt a bit like déjà vu for Taylor Swift, who is also 35. She faced a similar reaction back in February during Super Bowl LIX. When the pop superstar appeared on the Jumbotron at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, she was also met with a flood of boos. Caught off guard, she leaned over to her friend, rapper Ice Spice, and famously asked, “What’s going on?” It just goes to show that even the biggest stars can get a chilly reception sometimes, no matter how beloved they usually are.