Philadelphia sports fans don’t ask for much from their favorite players. They simply have to play with overwhelming passion and unlimited guts. It also helps to speak lovingly about the region and its residents. Oh, and they also need to care—a lot. They must play hurt, and they must hurt others, when necessary.
They must absorb the inevitable boos and jeers. They must shoulder the relentless hopes and expectations of a city that’s experienced too little success over too many years.
Do most of that and maybe—just maybe—you’ll be accepted. Do it all, and you’ll be Haverford resident and recent ESPN hire Jason Kelce, his year’s Best Pro Sports Celebrity. The Eagles center, who retired in a one-for-the-ages press conference this past March, is practically guaranteed entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame thanks to a stellar career that included six All-Pro selections and seven Pro Bowls. This area has had some absolute greats play on its major sports teams, but it’s rare that the star’s personality matches their substantial talent. Julius Erving is one. Bernie Parent is another. If Bryce Harper continues to stand out while wearing Phanatic cleats, he’ll likely earn a spot on that list.
Kelce certainly belongs in that group. Until the Brotherly Shove was a thing, the TV cameras didn’t exactly fixate on him. But when Jalen Hurts started converting every third- and fourth-and-short, we got to see him at work. How was he able to submarine so low and still have the power to vanquish opponents generally up to 40 pounds heavier? It was almost sorcery.
In the past two years, the region learned a lot about Kelce as a football player. As the months rolled on, we discovered more about him as a person. He somehow balanced being a great husband and father with enough flat-out silly behavior to earn the respect of the most strident beer-swilling bro. Fans saw him playing with his kids and supporting his wife. But he also guest-bartended and showed up down the Shore to participate in beer-chugging contests. In early 2022, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni sent him a keg of beer to induce him to play one more year. His podcast with brother Travis went to number one. And, of course, there was the shirtless episode in the suite at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium with Taylor Swift’s entourage.
There are those who joined Team Kelce the minute he donned that Mummer’s costume and gave the speech of a lifetime at the 2018 Super Bowl parade. But just about everybody in the region came aboard after the 2023 season, when he told us his body was screaming for an end to football.
Kelce is a family man at heart. Now it seems like we’re all part of his family.
Related: Montco’s Trey Yesavage Is One of the Nation’s Top MLB Draft Prospects
