Jason Kelce Visits U.S. Women’s Rugby Team and Star Player Ilona Maher at Olympics: ‘I Am Officially a Fan’
Following in the footsteps of women’s water polo unofficial mascot Flavor Flav, Kelce declared that he had officially become “a fan” of the Team USA rugby squad
Jason Kelce has been named the unofficial mascot of Team USA women’s rugby.
On Sunday, July 28, Kelce, 36, stopped by the rugby team’s locker room after their winning game against Brazil at the 2024 Paris Olympics. While he chatted with star player Ilona Maher, the former Philadelphia Eagles center was given a convincing argument about why he should become a Team USA women’s rugby superfan.
“Women’s water polo has Flavor Flav as their superfan,” Maher, 27, could be heard telling Kelce (still sporting his French beret) in the video, explaining the logic behind her proposal. “You are a girl dad.”
“Do you get anything from being our superfan? No,” Maher joked in the clip as Kelce stroked his beard, pretending to be deep in thought about the request. “There’s no reward, no money, no benefits, I don’t think I can get you free stuff.”
@ilonamaher We got Jason Kelce @Team USA @paris2024 @Olympics @USA Rugby #jasonkelce ♬ original sound – Ilona Maher
“You’re a great salesman,” Kelce joked back, before addressing the camera and declaring: “I am officially a fan of women’s rugby, Olympics.”
“We got Jason Kelce!” Maher announced, as the former NFL star laughed and the rest of her team screamed with joy in the background.
Earlier in the opening weekend of the Paris Games, Jason and wife Kylie Kelce showed off their patriotic side and paid homage to her background in field hockey — Kylie played in college at Cabrini University — when they attended the Team USA women’s field hockey game on Saturday.
Although Jason could be seen sporting a blue USA sweatshirt and Kylie was wearing a red, white and blue jacket, he was still getting in the French spirit by wearing his beret. In photos shared by USA Field Hockey, the power couple posed for photos with the team.
The former NFL star also spoke to the Associated Press about how he and Kylie were asked to attend the field hockey event, where they cheered on the women (although they ultimately lost 4-1 to Argentina). He also joked that he bought his beret at “a souvenir shop.”
“When we found out that we were going to have an opportunity to go to this, the more we thought about it, we were like, ‘Let’s take advantage of it now that we can actually do it,’ ” Jason told the outlet.
