'Have some shame': Travis and Jason Kelce spark fan backlash over hosting Wayne Gretzky on New Heights podcast
Travis and Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast faces backlash for featuring NHL legend Wayne Gretzky (Getty Images)
Kansas City Chiefs tight end
Travis Kelce
and his brother, recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, are no strangers to entertaining fans with their popular 'New Heights' podcast.
But their latest guest announcement—NHL icon Wayne Gretzky—has triggered a wave of criticism from longtime listeners, many of whom are questioning the podcast's direction.
Fans push back as podcast shifts away from NFL-centered content
The Kelce brothers have built a strong following by delivering candid football commentary, player stories, and behind-the-scenes insights from the NFL. However, their decision to feature a sports legend from outside of football has stirred up controversy.
The backlash began almost immediately after the guest announcement, with fans taking to social media to vent their frustrations.
'This is a football podcast, not a hockey show,' one disappointed fan wrote. Another added, 'I tune in for football insights, not interviews with hockey players.' Another wrote, 'So Trump went after Taylor and your answer is to invite a big trumpie guy who is friend with him ?!? Have some shame.'
While Gretzky's legacy as "The Great One" is undeniable in the hockey world, many listeners believe that his appearance strays too far from what originally made 'New Heights' compelling—its deep NFL focus and the chemistry between the Kelce brothers.
The Kelce brothers respond to criticism and defend the decision
Despite the criticism, both Travis and Jason Kelce have stood by their decision, defending the value of cross-sport dialogue and the broader vision for their podcast.
"Wayne Gretzky is a legend, and there's always something to learn from the greats, no matter the sport," Travis Kelce said, underscoring Gretzky's relevance as a universally respected athlete. Jason added, "It's about broadening perspectives and bringing fresh content to our listeners."
Their comments reflect a clear intention to evolve the show beyond its NFL roots and embrace voices from other areas of sports and life.
As Travis continues preparations for OTAs with the Chiefs and Jason transitions into his post-playing career, the podcast represents an important outlet for both. But the Gretzky episode has highlighted a key challenge: maintaining authenticity and connection with a loyal football audience while trying to grow creatively.
Also Read:
The Kansas City Chiefs' jersey number no one dares to wear — and the heartbreaking reason why
The Kelces may be betting on the long-term benefits of diversity in content, but this moment shows how quickly fan sentiment can shift when expectations are disrupted. Whether the gamble pays off may depend on how well they balance sports legends like Gretzky with the football stories that built their podcast in the first place.
Get
IPL 2025
match
schedules
,
squads
,
points table
, and live scores for
CSK
,
MI
,
RCB
,
KKR
,
SRH
,
LSG
,
DC
,
GT
,
PBKS
, and
RR
. Check the latest
IPL Orange Cap
and
Purple Cap
standings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
GT vs MI Live Score, IPL 2025 Eliminator: Shubman's Gujarat await stern Test against Jasprit Bumrah
Official visuals confirm that Jonny Bairstow makes his Mumbai Indians debut in the IPL Eliminator. What weird times we live in. He is expected to open his innings alongside Rohit Sharma. Suryakumar Yadav has owned the middle overs in the tournament. He has the highest contribution in overs 7-15 in IPL 2025, with 480 runs. Heinrich Klaasen is the second in the list with 332 runs to his name in the middle overs. Shubman's biggest challenge in terms of bowling changes has been the poor form of Rashid Khan. Rashid has been way off his mark this season. He has not been effective in any part of the game. The star spinner has picked just 9 wickets from 14 games and has been one of the major underperformers in this season of the tournament. GT assistant coach on Rashid Khan (April 18): "Rashid went through a surgery because his back was hurting last year. Sometimes when you are in so much pain during matches, you tend to do certain things with your action so that it pains less. There have been a few things about which we spoke this year after 2–3 games, where he needs to make a few adjustments with his front hand, which has been rather closed, while it should be facing the batter. He is doing that now and bowling better lengths in the last two-three games," Gujarat assistant coach Aashish Kapoor explained ahead of the team's match against Delhi Capitals. "Hopefully he gets his confidence back and clinches a few wickets and we will have our old Rashid back," he added. Legendary Sunil Gavaskar analyses Shubman Gill's captaincy and says that his handling of the bowlers will be key in today's game against Mumbai Indians. Gavaskar says that if Shubman is able to make smart changes against the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, that will be the differentiator between the two sides on Friday. GT XI: Shubman Gill (c), Kusal Mendis (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Gerald Coetzee, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna Impact Sub: Sai Sudharsan MI XI: Jonny Bairstow (wk), Rohit Sharma, Charith Asalanka, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah Impact Sub: Ashwani Kumar The pitch in Mullanpur was heavily biased towards the bowlers in the Qualifier 1. In the opening overs there was ample amount of seam movement, and later there was grip and turn for the spinners. However, in PBKS vs RCB, opener Phil Salt showed that there were runs on board in the wicket once the batter settled down after the initial burst from the fast bowlers. There is no chance of rain on the day of the Eliminator, although intermittent clouds will be there throughout. Temperatures will be around the 33-degree Celsius mark with the humidity in the 30s and 40s. GT have won five out of seven matches against MI since the two teams first met in 2022. In fact, the Titans are on a four-match winning streak against the five-time champions. GT vs MI: RECENT RESULTS The Titans haven't had the best of times of late. They finished the league stage with defeats to the Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The losses meant that not only did GT lose their top spot, but slipped out of the top two. The equation is fairly simple for both teams. You win, you go ahead in the tournament and face Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 2. You lose, you simply crash out of the competition. For Gujarat, it may seem a little harsh that their fate depends on just one single game in the IPL playoffs, given they had led the table for the majority of the tournament. However, a terrible loss of form in the final two group games of the season has meant that GT have been forced to settle in the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League. Read our match preview here. Mumbai and Gujarat have had very different styles of play in the IPL 2025. While Mumbai are very much dependent on at least two of their batters firing through the ranks, Gujarat are entirely dependent on their top order - Shubman, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler - three of the top 10 run-scorers this season. Shubman Gill was recently announced as the Test captain of the Indian team. He has led GT admirably this season, and the Eliminator will be his first big test in this tournament. If Shubman keeps a cool head on his shoulders and performs with the bat as well, it will make a massive number of Indian cricket fans happy. Both teams have signed replacements for their missing players, and are likely to use them. Gujarat are likely to play Kusal Mendis, while Mumbai have Jonny Bairstow and Charith Asalanka as the replacements for Rickelton and Jacks respectively. Both teams have several players missing in the competition. Gujarat do not have Jos Buttler, one of their main players in the line-up, and will also miss the services of Kagiso Rabada. Mumbai, on the other hand, will be missing Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch. The players are away on national duty. Hello and welcome to India Today's coverage of the Indian Premier League's Eliminator. Mumbai Indians are set to face Gujarat Tiitans in a now or never clash. The loser will get knocked out of the tournament, while the winner of this clash will face Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad.
India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
If RCB have to win the IPL, Mumbai Indians shouldn't enter the final: R Ashwin
Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin feels Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mustn't face Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) final if they are to win the tournament. RCB qualified for the IPL final for the fourth time in their history after hammering Punjab Kings by eight wickets in the Qualifier 1 in comprehensive victory has taken them a step closer to winning their maiden IPL title as the Rajat Patidar-led side are eagerly waiting to cross the final hurdle. However, Ravichandran Ashwin has also backed RCB o win the tournament but feels that Mumbai Indians should get knocked out in the Eliminator fixture to further bolster their chances for the title RCB have to win the IPL, then Gujarat Titans should win against Mumbai Indians. MI are one team that you cannot allow to enter the final, you have to stop them at any cost,' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat' Ashwin further said that MI mustn't be qualifying for the final as they're the only team that has some chance against RCB.'RCB will keep their fingers crossed to not have Mumbai Indians in the final. Mumbai Indians is the only team that has some chance against RCB. It looks like RCB are going the distance, but it is cricket; anything can happen. If I were RCB, my best finalist team would be Gujarat Titans. If I was RCB, I would want to face Gujarat Titans,' he have a great record while playing in the IPL final as they've won five out of the six times in the summit clash. On the other hand, RCB have lost all of the finals they've been a part of so far in their history. Having crushed Punjab in Qualifier 1, RCB will be eager to brush aside their past horrors and finally stake claim of the elusive IPL updated on IPL 2025 with India Today! Get match schedules, team squads, live score, and the latest IPL points table for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Plus, keep track of the top contenders for the IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap. Don't miss a moment!
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
From Defeating CSK After 17 Years To Biggest Win In Playoffs History: 9 Times RCB Rewrite History In IPL 2025
photoDetails english 2908508 Updated:May 30, 2025, 06:25 PM IST Double Win Over CSK 1 / 10 IPL 2025 is the first time RCB completed the league double over CSK, defeating them both home and away. In fact, the win at the Chepauk, was the first in 17 years Win At Wankhede After 10 Years 2 / 10 One of the best days for RCB this season came at the Wankhede when Kohli, Patidar and Jitesh Sharma batted the Mumbai Indians out of the game to register a first win at the stadium in 10 years Win At Eden Gardens After 6 Years 3 / 10 RCB had to wait for six years before they could defeat KKR at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata Dominance Against Delhi Capitals 4 / 10 In Kohli's back yard, in New Delhi, RCB won handsomely against Delhi Capitals, breaking a seven-year jinx Highest Ever Run Chase For RCB 5 / 10 In the final league game of IPL 2025, RCB were at it again, as they used brute power to storm past the Lucknow Super Giants – chasing down 228 with more than an over to spare. It was the second highest successful chase this season and it also put RCB in second spot on the points table Biggest Win In Playoffs History 6 / 10 RCB defeated Punjab Kings with 60 deliveries to spare in Qualifier 1 of IPL Playoffs. The biggest such win for any team in an IPL playoff (or knockout) match Highest Score By Jitesh Sharma 7 / 10 Jitesh Sharma's 85 not out off 33 balls against LSG is the highest score by a batter at No 6 or lower in IPL history Highest Partnership For 5th Wicket 8 / 10 107-run stand between Jitesh Sharma and Mayank Agarwal was the highest for RCB for the 5th wicket or lower in a run-chase, going past 91 between AB de Villiers and Iqbal Abdullah against Gujarat Lions in 2016 Qualifier 1 Third Fastest To 1000 Runs 9 / 10 Phil Salt is the third quickest to 1000 IPL runs in the history of the tournament, having completed it in 576 balls. Only two batters have got to the 1000-run milestone quicker - Andre Russell (545 balls) and Travis Head (575). The Final Call 10 / 10 Now RCB has reached their 4th IPL Final aiming to win this time with balanced and extra performing team and dream of clenching after 18 years trophy drought.
