Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce Buys Minority Stake in Cleveland Guardians

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is joining the Cleveland Guardians ownership group as a minority investor. He told ESPN on Wednesday that he is purchasing a stake in the team he grew up watching.

He described growing up in Cleveland Heights and riding the rapid-transit light rail downtown with his father to attend games during the team's run of five consecutive American League Central titles in the 1990s. "There was nothing like Cleveland baseball in the '90s," Kelce said. "That's just a core memory for me."

“I have so much love for this city. I say it all the time: I'm just a kid from the Heights living the dream. I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic.”

Kelce added that he plans to observe, learn, and support the team and city.

He is the latest active professional athlete to acquire an equity stake in a Major League Baseball team. The Guardians are valued around $1.7 billion, up from their $1 billion valuation in 2022. 588 with six home runs as a senior in 2008. He said baseball scouts showed early interest before he was recruited to play football at the University of Cincinnati.