We commend Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. His recent choice to appear in a new ad for Bud Light could not have been an easy decision.
Or maybe it was.
Per NFL rules, Kelce was prohibited from drinking the beer in the commercial, but the 15-second spot, “Backyard Grunts with Travis Kelce,” is Bud Light’s attempt to market the beer to sports fans.
Wokeness killed the brand, critics contend. We don’t agree.
We found nothing wrong with Bud Light’s decision to give transgender woman and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney a few cans of beer to feature in a single social media post. Others did.
Parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev, a company whose roots are in Missouri, took a hit. And conservatives rejoiced.
Tying his reputation to a brand that has been the target of a widespread boycott takes courage, a character trait Kelce often exhibits on the field.
In Kansas City, we learned some time ago Kelce was fearless: Over the course of his 10-year, record-setting career in the NFL, we’ve seen him run over hapless defenders with regularity. Kelce is never one to shy away from contact.
Away from the gridiron, Kelce is a superstar-in-waiting. He starred in a reality television show. He is featured in the July/August issue of Vanity Fair magazine. Earlier this year, he hosted a Saturday Night Live episode. “I think he killed it,” SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels told Vanity Fair.
And let’s not forget Kelce’s active involvement in the Operation Breakthrough Ignition Lab, a co-working space for teens to explore careers in STEM located near East 31st Street and Troost Avenue in Kansas City.
Are we surprised Kelce popped up in a 15-second YouTube commercial for Bud Light? We shouldn’t be. Kelce recently signed with talent agency CAA. His future prospects away from the field appear bright.
Kelce has done nothing but been a class act since he was drafted out of Cincinnati in the third round of the NFL draft a decade ago. As a Chief, much like teammate and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Kelce has kept mostly clear of legal problems and controversy.
He would make a great pitch person for any company, including one embroiled in a culture war with right-wing types.
We would be naive to think Kelce won’t take some heat for the new ad. But he has no reason to hang his head.
In the immediate aftermath of Mulvaney’s April 1 post, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley seemed to cheer on Bud Light’s dwindling sales.
“Woke globalists are ruining a great company,” Hawley wrote on TwitterApril. “Thanks, InBev.”
And let’s not forget the antics of Nick Schroer, the residency-challenged state senator from St. Charles County.
In April, on the grass in front of the Missouri State Capitol, Schroer used a baseball bat to smash a can of Bud Light. The act was immature and performative. But also disrespectful to employees of a company that has provided middle-class opportunities to Missourian workers for generations.
Hawley, Schroer and others like them aren’t the statesmen they claim to be. In months, InBev’s value has tanked by billions, financial analysts have said. Layoffs, resignations and reorganization have followed.
No one should root for that. And Chiefs fans of all ages everywhere should join Kelce in lifting an American brand out of a senseless controversy started by an act of inclusiveness.
