Travis Kelce is used to being the toast of Chiefs Kingdom inside Arrowhead Stadium, but he was behind enemy lines when he showed up to watch his alma mater kick off their college football season.
Kelce, 35, hit Arrowhead on Thursday, August 28, to cheer on the University of Cincinnati — where he played from 2009 to 2012 — as they competed against the University of Nebraska.
When Kelce was shown on the Jumbotron during a break in action, he was met with a chorus of boos from the rowdy fans in attendance at the stadium, where the tight end has played all 12 of his NFL seasons as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kelce pointed to his Cincinnati Bearcats hat from his suite at the stadium as the boos rained down. The camera quickly cut away to a Cincinnati fan wearing a Bearcats jersey with Kelce’s name on the back.
The fan was surrounded by Nebraska supporters who continued booing and throwing thumbs-down gestures his way.
Despite technically being a home game for Cincinnati, the neutral site field was dominated in the stands by Nebraska fans.
The University of Nebraska, located in Lincoln, is roughly a three hour drive to Arrowhead Stadium. Meanwhile, the University of Cincinnati is over eight hours away.
Nebraska won the game 20-17.
The video of Kelce being booed, which was shared by Yahoo Sports via Instagram, drew some strong reactions in the comments.
“Seriously nebraska fans show some class…, “one person wrote.
Another said, “Nebraska is my home state. The behavior is embarrassing. Sit down.”
“We didn’t start booing until he showed his Bearcats hat,” one Cornhusker supporter explained. “Nebraska is Chiefs nation. I lived in Nebraska when I first became a Chiefs fan.”
Travis attended the game with his older brother Jason Kelce — who played at Cincinnati from 2007 to 2010 — and his new fiancée, Taylor Swift. The game was also attended by a large group of current members of the Chiefs roster, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City travels to São Paulo, Brazil next week to open their 2025 regular season on Friday, September 5, against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Travis getting booed was reminiscent of Swift, 35, getting a harsh reaction from the crowd at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome during Super Bowl LIX in February.
The pop star was shown from her suite on the Jumbotron and met with an overwhelming amount of boos, causing Swift to lean over to her friend, rapper Ice Spice, and ask, “What’s going on?”
