The National Football League (NFL) has long been a dominant force in American media, but the rise of its athletes as mainstream celebrities is a relatively recent phenomenon. Today's NFL stars are visible beyond Sundays, hosting podcasts, making music, appearing in TV shows and movies, attending the Met Gala, becoming brand ambassadors, and building post-playing careers in production and broadcasting.
This shift is driven by several factors, including the growing influence of social media, the increasing visibility of athletes' personal lives, and the savvy of the NFL in capitalizing on its stars' celebrity appeal. Let's delve into how this transformation is reshaping the landscape of sports and popular culture.
The Tunnel Walk: A New Catwalk
The "tunnel walk," where players arrive at the stadium before a game, has become a fashion show in its own right. Custom suits, mink coats, bling, and Louis Vuitton duffle bags are now common sights in the musty, concrete basements of NFL stadiums. Even the Washington Commanders’ mascot shows up in $1,040 Louis Vuitton shoes on game day. This trend reflects athletes' growing influence in off-the-field popular culture.
"There was always a desire to be dressing Hollywood stars, to be dressing people for the red carpet, to be dressing performers on stage," said Vogue style director Leah Faye Cooper. "But athletes, at the time, were not really that visible."
Now, people are paying attention, so much so that the NFL hired its first-ever fashion editor, Kyle Smith, in 2024.
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From Uniforms to Red Carpets: The Visibility of NFL Stars
In the past, athletes were primarily seen in their uniforms during games. "You saw an athlete when they were playing, but they were just in their uniform," said Faye Cooper. "Arriving at the game, no one was photographing."
However, that has changed dramatically. Last year, Faye Cooper profiled Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson during their appearances at Paris Fashion Week as part of a growing wave of NFL players finding new ways to express themselves.
Joe Burrow's appearance at Paris Fashion Week.
Relationships in the Spotlight
Players’ date nights are followed by the paparazzi, and their weddings are highly confidential. Just ask Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, who accidentally leaked the wedding date of quarterback Josh Allen and actress Hailee Steinfeld months before their nuptials. Star-studded relationships like Allen and Steinfeld’s are all around the NFL.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s engagement to one of the world’s most popular music stars, Taylor Swift, has changed his status from star tight end to, simply, star. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was spotted last weekend with his girlfriend/singer Madison Beer, enjoying a Los Angeles Lakers game courtside and attending Game 3 of the World Series (though he admitted they left before the historic 18-inning Dodgers win). San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffery married former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo last year, with teammates George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk there to witness, and they welcomed their first child this year.
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These relationships bring a new spotlight to the personal lives of NFL stars - whether they want it or not.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs caught himself in a messy situation this offseason when a viral video of him on a boat with rapper Cardi B coincided with a stretch when he was not seen at multiple Patriots practices. New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner saw a July getaway with rap star Ice Spice spoiled by TMZ, and he later explained how surprising the attention was in the usually serene Lake George in upstate New York.
"It got to the point where there were like hundreds of people following behind us," Gardner told CBS New York afterward. "It was just crazy."
The Power of Social Media
The biggest shift in this marriage between athlete and celebrity is social media. With infinite ways to reach an audience, the definition of a celebrity athlete is becoming less clear. And so are the ways in which athletes are navigating it.
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Social media provides a new touchpoint for athletes to connect with fans and build personal brands. If gameday is the stage, social media is the meet-and-greet.
The Power of Social Media | Carter Jamison | TEDxOrangeHS
"Broadway Joe": The Original NFL Celebrity
On July 19, 1965, then 22-year-old New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The title read: "Football Goes Show Biz," with a photo of Namath - soft-smiling, hands on hips in an effortlessly cool kind of way - illuminated by the shining lights of Times Square.
"Broadway Joe,” as he would soon be known, helped lead the Jets to a Super Bowl three years later, but his off-the-field Hollywood endeavors became the true staple of his legacy.
Joe Namath on the cover of Sports Illustrated, 1965.
"For the NFL, he was really the first lightning rod celebrity figure," Durbin said. "It was perfect timing in the late 1960s, right before ‘Monday Night Football’ made the NFL the dominant sport in the country, and (Namath) brought all the celebrity to it."
The NBA's Influence on Sports Celebrity
The NBA was perhaps first to master the modern form of sports celebrity by embracing the star power of its athletes - and of the fans surrounding them. Courtside seats are hotbeds for celebrity sightings and have linked the game to popular culture, “Entertainment Tonight” host Kevin Frazier said.
"The courtside seat is holy grail real estate," said Frazier, who worked for ESPN before jumping to entertainment news. "You can put somebody courtside and in half the shots, you’re going to see them there. When you put Kim Kardashian courtside at the Lakers game, you’re going to see a lot of Kim Kardashian. That became a big deal. And the NBA was so smart to capitalize on it."
The NFL adopted its own version of the courtside seat with camera shots of box seating at games. It fully leaned in when Swift began attending Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium in 2023, panning to her throughout the broadcast and leading to new records in fan engagement.
Athlete-Hosted Podcasts and Production Ventures
NFL player-hosted podcasts have boomed in recent years. Six shows hosted by current or former NFL players rank in Apple’s Top 50 sports podcasts. Networks are also buying into the celebrity value of athletes. Amazon Prime and Netflix paid millions for rights to air NFL games in recent years. The streamers are also investing in documentaries that pull back the curtain to athletes’ personal lives and passions, from Netflix’s “Quarterback” to Prime Video’s recent release of “Saquon,” a feature-length docuseries that follows the five-year journey of Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley.
Commercially, some NFL stars are just as recognizable to brands as they are to their teams. Mahomes joked recently that he was able to pull off a trick play against the Las Vegas Raiders thanks to his acting experience in State Farm commercials.
The Evolving Media Landscape
There’s been a shift in the way sports stars are covered in the media, too. Traditionally, entertainment-focused brands from People to TMZ treat athletes for what they are: entertainers. In an interview for his GQ cover story, Kelce put it best, lamenting how he relates to his mega-star fiancée over the physical and mental pressures of their jobs in the spotlight.
"I hadn’t experienced somebody in the same shoes as me,” Kelce said, “having a partner who understands the scrutiny, understands the ups and downs of being in front of millions.”
From fashion to television and podcasting to production, NFL stars are translating their skills on the field into a more personal presence that resonates with fans. It’s certainly not all glamorous, but it’s a sign of how sports stars are shaping industries beyond their own.
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