Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce was thrust into a higher tier of stardom than he was already in after becoming the boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift.
Kelce became a household name, yet another unexpected player on the Chiefs still managed to sell more NFL gear than Kelce.
Kansas City Chiefs K Harrison Butker sold more jerseys than Travis Kelce
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker moved up to the No. 11 spot on the NFLPA’s list of most licensed product sold. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, another Chiefs player, is second on the list. Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud sits atop the list despite coming into the league in 2023.
Butker went viral this offseason for a graduation speech at Benedictine College. Butker was attacked by many via social media for a speech that some considered sexist. Butker also received a lot of praise for that same speech from another group of people who considered Butker a rare representative of traditional values.
Butker was adopted by one side of the political spectrum, which shows in the sales of products with his likeness. A similar thing happened in the past when quarterback Colin Kaepernick was adopted as a representative of one side of the political spectrum.
Kaepernick kneed during the national anthem to protest police violence and rose to the top of NFL jersey sales because of that protest. Butker, like Kaepernick, is a controversial figure, but it has not affected his play on the field as he has already drilled home a game-winner for the Chiefs in 2024.
