The most famous mom in football just got a little more famous. From humble beginnings in Cleveland, Donna Kelce raised two NFL stars, becoming the first mom to watch her sons, Jason and Travis Kelce, play against each other in the 2023 Super Bowl. Known for sending her boys off with homemade cookies on game days, she earned the title of America’s Favorite Mom. Then, Taylor Swift happened. A new kind of fame surrounded the family. But truth be told, Donna would rather talk about her sons’ success or community involvement . . . not what she refers to as “the stuff that sells newspapers.”
Luckily, Donna is already a pro at navigating the attention. “It’s really not that difficult,” she says, speaking completely freely. “I mean, what mother doesn’t like to talk about their kids 24/7?” That said, Donna knows when to be tight-lipped. On watching the Kansas City Chiefs game with Swift on Sept. 24, she says, “It was nice.” Donna adds, “It’s kind of cool that it’s opened up some things for the NFL, so that’s kind of fun.”
“What mother doesn’t like to talk about their kids 24/7?”
To this point, Swift’s attendance, following her rumored relationship with Travis, led to skyrocketing jersey sales and ushered in new viewership. “[Football] is a very interesting game and it’s a very exciting game, and I don’t think people really realize that until they know somebody that’s playing,” Donna says. Or maybe even just somebody that’s watching.
When she’s not supporting her son in a suite, Donna keeps busy with partnerships of her own, recently launching “Donna’s Purse Snacks” in collaboration with Kind Snacks. The limited-edition nut clusters are designed for game days, dipped in dark chocolate for both kids and adults to enjoy. “You figure out what your kids like and then you just have it on hand because it shuts them up,” Donna laughs, pointing to the fact that her purse snacks are a lot more nutritional than the marshmallow treats her sons used to reach for as kids. Although Donna’s initial launch sold out within 24 hours, Kind is already hinting at another drop coming soon.
Donna is humble about her family’s whirlwind success, saying she’s just grateful to do it all beside her sons. Still, when it comes to their athletic abilities, she has to take some credit. “I would like to say – I’m biased – that it’s from my side of the family,” she says. “My brother played at Purdue, my dad played at a high university, we have several people on our side. My uncle played for the Cleveland Indians way back in the day.”
At the same time, there’s more to the Kelce success story than athleticism. Speaking as someone who secretly ran track and field pre-Title IX (against her father’s wishes), Donna raised her kids with similar heart and drive. “Everybody says that it builds character,” she says. “All sports does is it reveals your character.” And the Kelces have lots of it.
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