Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have become two of the biggest stars in the NFL, but their ambitions go well beyond football. The Kansas City Chiefs teammates have used their fame, earnings and connections to build businesses across sports, media, food, consumer products and entertainment. Mahomes has taken a strong interest in sports ownership, with stakes connected to teams including the Kansas City Royals, Sporting Kansas City and Kansas City Current, while Kelce has built a powerful media business around New Heights with his brother Jason. They have also joined forces through 1587 Prime and invested in Alpine’s Formula 1 team, making their business stories especially interesting to compare.
How do Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce compare as business owners?
Mahomes and Kelce have taken noticeably different approaches to building wealth outside the NFL. Mahomes has leaned heavily toward sports ownership and investments, while Kelce has focused more on media, entertainment and consumer brands.
| Business area | Patrick Mahomes | Travis Kelce |
| Main strategy | Sports ownership and investments | Media, entertainment and consumer brands |
| MLB connection | Kansas City Royals | Cleveland Guardians |
| Soccer investments | Sporting Kansas City and Kansas City Current | No comparable soccer portfolio publicly documented |
| Formula 1 | Alpine investment | Alpine investment |
| Podcast | Media and production ventures | New Heights with Jason Kelce |
| Restaurant | 1587 Prime | 1587 Prime |
| Consumer businesses | Whoop, Hyperice and other investments reported | Garage Beer, Tru Kolors and other investments reported |
| Major strength | Diversified sports ownership | Media reach and personal brand |
Mahomes became a part-owner of the Kansas City Royals in 2020 and later expanded into soccer through Sporting Kansas City and the Kansas City Current. He has also been connected to an investment in Alpine’s Formula 1 team and Major League Pickleball’s Miami franchise.Kelce has followed a different route. His biggest business asset is arguably his audience. New Heights, which he hosts with Jason Kelce, has developed from a football podcast into a major media brand distributed through Amazon’s Wondery. Wondery says the show includes weekly NFL discussion, pop culture and interviews with major guests.
Why has Patrick Mahomes focused so heavily on sports ownership?
Mahomes’ business strategy is closely tied to the world he already knows. Instead of only signing endorsement deals, he has taken minority ownership positions in sports properties.His investment in the Kansas City Royals was an important early step. He later added Sporting Kansas City and the Kansas City Current, giving him exposure to baseball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer. His reported Alpine F1 investment then expanded that portfolio into international motorsports.This approach gives Mahomes a different relationship with the businesses. An endorsement usually pays an athlete for promoting a product or service. An ownership stake can potentially increase in value if the underlying team or business becomes more valuable.Of course, the exact size and current value of Mahomes’ individual stakes are generally not public. That means it would be misleading to put a precise dollar value on his entire business portfolio.Mahomes has also invested in businesses connected to sports performance and wellness, including companies such as Whoop and Hyperice, according to reports. These investments fit naturally with his identity as a professional athlete and his understanding of the sports-performance market.His strategy, therefore, is fairly clear. Mahomes appears to be using his NFL success to gain exposure to assets that could continue generating value after his playing career ends.
How did Travis Kelce turn New Heights into a major business?
Kelce’s biggest advantage outside football is his ability to attract an enormous audience. That is especially clear through New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce.The brothers launched the podcast in 2022, combining NFL analysis with family stories, humor, interviews and discussions about sports and pop culture. The show has since become one of the most recognizable sports podcasts. Wondery currently distributes the show and handles advertising and other commercial rights.Amazon announced the Wondery partnership in 2024, saying the company would receive rights to monetize and distribute the podcast’s audio and video episodes. The deal was widely reported as being worth more than $100 million over three years. Importantly, that figure should not be treated as Travis Kelce’s personal income. It is a deal involving the podcast business and the Kelce brothers, with production and other business arrangements behind the show.The scale of New Heights also continues to grow. The podcast entered its 200th episode in September 2026 and remains a weekly part of the NFL media conversation.Kelce has also expanded into consumer businesses. His reported ventures include Tru Kolors, Hilo Nutrition, Garage Beer and other investments. His partnership with his brother on Garage Beer is another example of how the Kelce family has turned their sports popularity into consumer businesses.Then there is 1587 Prime, the Kansas City steakhouse he launched with Mahomes and hospitality company Noble 33. The restaurant’s name combines their jersey numbers, 15 and 87, turning their famous Chiefs partnership into a consumer brand.
Does Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce have the bigger business empire?
The answer depends on what you mean by a “bigger” business empire. Mahomes has built a more diversified sports-ownership portfolio, while Kelce has developed a larger media and entertainment presence.Mahomes’ portfolio reaches across several sports and includes team ownership and investments. That gives him exposure to the long-term value of sports franchises, which can be very different from earning money through advertising campaigns.Kelce’s biggest asset is his ability to turn attention into business. New Heights gives him and Jason a direct relationship with millions of fans, while his consumer investments, entertainment appearances and partnerships allow that audience to move into other areas.Their shared ventures also show that the two strategies can work together. 1587 Prime combines their names and football identities with an established hospitality operator, while their investment in Alpine connects both players to a global sport that is continuing to expand its U.S. audience.So, rather than looking at Mahomes and Kelce as having identical business strategies, it makes more sense to see them as building two different types of post-NFL careers. Mahomes is increasingly positioning himself as a sports investor and owner, while Kelce is building a media and entertainment platform around his personality and audience. Both are still active NFL players, which makes the scale of their businesses outside football particularly notable.