A charity in Guelph, Ont. has cashed in thanks to a unique piece of NFL memorabilia.
Guelph Wish Fund for Children auctioned off a jersey autographed by Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce and his superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift for a whopping $21,000 on Saturday. After initially planning to auction off the item in person as part of their annual Curl for Kids Winter Bonspiel, international attention drove the bidding online and allowed the organization to maximize the massive donation.
The item was procured by Scottie Johnston, a native of Oakville, Ont. who works as a close protection officer with the New England Patriots, and donated by the event’s presenting sponsor, Linamar Corps. It comes with a full certificate of authenticity.
The budding relationship between Kelce and Swift was one of the main storylines of the 2023 NFL season, culminating in the Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVIII. Kelce caught nine passes for 93 yards in the game, leading his team in both categories, before being caught on the broadcast smooching his platinum-selling sweetheart amidst the confetti.
A record average audience of 10 million people in Canada watched Kansas City beat the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 25-22 in overtime, with 19 million unique viewers tuning in for some part of the game on CTV, TSN, and RDS. The game was also the most-watched program in U.S. television history, drawing an average of 123.7 million viewers in no small part due to Swift’s huge following.
Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes also had a signed jersey up for auction to support the charity but drew $16,000 less than the one inked by football’s most famous lovebirds when bidding closed at 4:00 p.m. EST on February 17. Signed jerseys by Kobe Bryant ($3,600), Lebron James ($1,600) and Michael Jordan ($2,700) all came in at significantly lower dollar figures than the Swift-related piece.
Guelph Wish Fund for Children provides ‘wishes’ and support to children under the age of 19, residing in Guelph or Wellington County, who are living with a significant illness, life-altering injury or a rare and debilitating syndrome. You can visit their website to donate.