Donna Kelce will watch the Eagles-Chiefs game with a few lucky fans. Here’s how you can apply for the chance.
Fans have until Wednesday to enter a contest for a chance to watch the so-called Kelce Bowl rematch with Mama Kelce herself in Kansas City.
No. 62 was all over South Philly on Sunday.
Sometimes it was emblazoned on a new kelly green Eagles jersey as its wearer played flip cup at a tailgate at the Linc. Other times, it was stitched onto a black or midnight green shirt as fans flipped burgers and chatted with friends.
In the hours before a crucial game between the 7-1 Eagles and its most-hated NFC rival, the 5-2 Dallas Cowboys, many fans opted to represent center Jason Kelce. In the sea of revelers, his jersey was almost as omnipresent as that of No. 1, quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The pregame scene was yet another reminder of how beloved Kelce, who turned 36 Sunday, has become here, with many fans saying they see him as emblematic of the tough, down-to-earth nature for which Philadelphians have become known.
His mom has become a celebrity, too, something not lost on Barefoot Wines, which has partnered with Donna Kelce to give one lucky fan a chance to spend some time with her.
And the winner will get to watch not just any game with Mama Kelce. They’ll sit in a box with her for the Nov. 20 Eagles-Chiefs game at Kansas City’s stadium. That means they’ll also get to see in action another popular Kelce, younger brother Travis, a Chiefs tight end who has made headlines due to his budding relationship with Taylor Swift. Anyone can enter the contest until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday on Barefoot Wine’s Instagram or Facebook page.
In the Linc parking lots on Sunday, fans dreamed of what they would do for some one-on-one time with Donna Kelce.
“I would do a lot,” said Jack Hammond, who wore Travis Kelce’s red No. 82 jersey with lederhosen, a nod to the Chiefs’ game earlier Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany. “I’d run a 10K and I don’t even run.”
Hammond, 27, and his girlfriend, Rachel Lambert, 26, both of Center City, usually wear matching Jason Kelce jerseys, but on Sunday he couldn’t resist dressing up as Travis, of whom he has been a fan for years. Hammond said he watched the younger Kelce’s dating show, Catching Kelce, in 2016.
If Hammond had a chance to watch a game with Donna Kelce, “I would ask about what life was like growing up,” he said. “What their favorite foods were … who was in time-out more.”
“It seemed like a fun, somewhat-dysfunctional family,” he added.
Having cheered on her own sons as they played on opposing teams in youth sports, Rynaka Woods, 42, of Bridgeton, N.J., said she would ask: “How did it feel when they [Jason and Travis] were playing against each other?”
Woods sat beside Jaymera Harden, 32, of Newfield, N.J., one of the many tailgaters wearing No. 62.
Harden said she only became a fan of Jason Kelce in recent years, impressed by “how he’s family-oriented.”
Alyssa Urbano, 25, of Fairmount, said she would do “literally anything” to spend time with Donna Kelce.
“I think she’s the cutest person in the world,” Urbano said.
Her friend, Emily Mason, 26, of South Philadelphia, said she would want to hear how Donna Kelce has really handled her sudden rise from NFL mom to celebrity.
“How is she doing?” Mason said. “Is she doing OK?”
Meanwhile, Kayla Froriep, 24, of Rittenhouse, was wearing a Jason Kelce jersey only because of her devotion to his brother’s potential girlfriend. So she would want to ask Donna Kelce mostly about the pop star.
“My boyfriend is thrilled that I got into football,” Froriep added, “because of Taylor Swift.”
But to many around Philly, Jason Kelce is the superstar. He has been a beloved Eagle for years, perhaps cementing his status as a Philly legend with an impassioned speech at the 2018 Super Bowl parade. Then, he played against Travis in last year’s Super Bowl, which some dubbed “the Kelce bowl.” This fall’s release of his documentary Kelce, which recently became the most-watched documentary on Amazon Prime Video, and the popularity of the brothers’ podcast, New Heights, have catapulted the elder brother into another stratosphere of sports celebrity.
“He seems so real,” Mason said. “Even before the documentary, he always seemed like such an institution within Philly. He always seemed so accessible”
And watching interviews with his mom, it’s easy to see where Jason gets it from, she and her friends added.
If it meant spending time with Donna Kelce, Mason said, “I would do whatever she wanted.”