In an episode of the New Heights podcast that was packed with candid confessions, locker-room laughs, and deeply emotional career reflections, brothers Jason and Travis Kelce hosted two of sports broadcasting’s most influential figures: Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson. While the conversation naturally flowed through football, career paths, and hilarious anecdotes, the segment that struck a powerful cultural chord—and generated an immediate, viral reaction—was an unexpected discussion on the enduring, often misunderstood, impact of the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce relationship.
Far from being a simple celebrity romance, Jason Kelce revealed that the cultural wave known as the “Taylor Swift Effect” is delivering a profound, heartwarming legacy that transcends the game, the headlines, and the estimated billion-dollar value it has added to the NFL.
The True Value of a Billion-Dollar Bond
The New Heights episode, featuring two women who have pioneered female representation in a male-dominated industry, was the perfect venue for Jason Kelce’s candid reflection. Discussing the massive spike in viewership and engagement since the superstar singer began attending Chiefs games, Kelce quickly shifted the focus from metrics and money to the deeply personal connections being forged in living rooms across the nation.
He lauded Swift for increasing football viewership among women, but his focus quickly narrowed to a more intimate consequence of the phenomenon: the bond between fathers and daughters.
“You just mentioned Taylor and how much she’s gotten girls into the sport and dads and daughters together, which is one of the coolest things I get when people talk about Taylor and Travis and hearing from dads or hearing from daughters about that,” Kelce remarked.
This observation is not merely anecdotal; it speaks to a quiet, yet revolutionary, shift in how sports are consumed. For generations, football Sundays were a sacred, often exclusively male, ritual. The “Taylor Swift Effect” has provided a universally appealing cultural bridge, a shared vocabulary for parents and children who previously lacked common ground in the sports world. A daughter who once showed no interest in the game is now tuning in to see the latest fashion, the latest reaction shot, or simply the latest chapter in the story—and her father is right there beside her, able to share his passion without reservation or resistance. This shared experience is the true, priceless metric of the relationship’s cultural impact, turning the NFL into a family affair in a way that is utterly unprecedented.
It’s a powerful validation for Charissa Thompson, who also shared her appreciation for this shift, especially as a woman who has dedicated her life to the industry. The idea that this high-profile romance is providing an effortless “in” for young girls resonates deeply with her own origin story, which, like that of her colleague Erin Andrews, is rooted firmly in family.
The Foundation of Passion: Dads in the Broadcast Booth
To understand the emotional gravity of the “dad-daughter bond” discussion on New Heights, one must first appreciate the foundation of the guests’ own careers. Both Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson shared moving, vulnerable accounts of how their fathers shaped their path into sports broadcasting, making their success a shared family triumph.
Thompson’s motivation was simple and pure: “I loved hanging out with my dad and he would watch football every Sunday. I would beg my mom to miss church so I could just hang out with my dad,” she recalled. Her father, recognizing her deep desire to connect, ingeniously turned the Sunday tradition into a game. “He’s like, ‘All right, we’re going to play school. So you’re going to raise your hand and I’m the teacher and I’ll teach you and those kinds of things.’ ” This creative method allowed her to learn the complexities of the game while simultaneously enjoying special, uninterrupted time with her father—a blueprint for the very kind of father-daughter bonding Jason Kelce was praising.
Andrews’ account offered similarly evocative, career-defining moments rooted in her relationship with her father, a renowned storyteller in his own right. For her, the ultimate reward of a demanding career came in the form of sharing triumphant, once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the man who inspired her.
She recounted bringing her father to Fenway Park during the World Series. As a Fox reporter, she was granted unparalleled access. “I brought my dad onto the field after they won,” she recalled, a memory made even more spectacular when David “Big Papi” Ortiz emerged, champagne-spraying and “swinging him around like a rag doll.” Similarly, Thompson spoke of the privilege of taking her father to the 2019 Masters, securing a second-row seat at the 16th hole just as Tiger Woods was making his historic comeback.
“I like sat there and I was like holy shit, I’m going to be able to experience Tiger winning the Masters with my dad,” Thompson shared, voice thick with emotion. Both women emphasized the core truth: “Our parents don’t ask for anything, like all they ever want is for us to be happy and healthy and like do what we love, and so to like have access or those moments where we can share them with our parents, like that’s like the greatest gift in the world.” These stories solidified the podcast’s unexpected theme: that at the highest level of professional sports, success is most meaningfully measured not by championships, but by the ability to connect and share joy with family.
Sisterhood, Scrutiny, and Stepping Up
The conversation also took a serious turn as Andrews and Thompson discussed the challenges of carving out a career as women in a high-pressure, high-visibility environment. Both acknowledged that while being female might help “get your foot in the door,” staying in a coveted position requires a relentless work ethic and a thick skin.
Thompson spoke openly about the “cattiness” and competitiveness that can sometimes turn toxic, remembering the women who were “not so nice” during her rise. This challenging journey, however, informed her philosophy on mentorship. “I always made it a point because I will never forget those people… I was like if there’s anyone, I I understand that this seat is is a special privilege to sit in but there will be a time and a place where I have to pass that on.”
Andrews, visibly touched, echoed this sentiment, revealing how meaningful it is when people—especially other women like Kylie Kelce and a young Patriots reporter—acknowledge her impact. “That’s I think what’s breaking me down a lot more than it used to, especially now that I have Mac [her child]… I want them to attack life like both of you did.” Their mutual understanding of the grind, the scrutiny, and the responsibility to the next generation served as a masterclass for any aspiring journalist, regardless of gender.
Welcome to TV: The Hilarious Anecdotes
While the conversation touched on deep personal themes, it was peppered with the kind of hilarious, shareable anecdotes that make the New Heights podcast a cultural hit. The two veterans recalled their “Welcome to TV” moments, providing a humbling balance to their current status.
Thompson shared a mortifying on-air blunder during a Big Ten Network game on a frigid day. “My mouth is frozen,” she recounted, completely unable to pronounce “play clock” correctly. Her only recourse was to give up entirely: “So finally I just go, ‘Tom, you guys got it from here.’ “
Andrews recalled her first big ESPN Saturday Night Football game, where she was so nervous she braced herself like a cheerleader, standing with her legs wide apart. Her producer, instead of praising her flawless delivery, simply said: “Hey, great job. So next time we do this, close your legs.” These humanizing stories provided a necessary reminder that even the most polished professionals started somewhere, nerves and all.
The Great One’s Embarrassing Text
Perhaps the most culturally shareable moment of the episode came via a shocking, second-hand anecdote involving hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and NFL analyst Greg Olsen. Thompson and Andrews shared details of a group text thread that included Olsen and Kevin Burkhardt. After a night out in Kansas City, Gretzky, who had enjoyed hanging out with the crew, decided to text Olsen personally.
“He got his phone number and he just wrote, ‘Hey this is 99,’ ” Thompson recounted. Given that Gretzky is globally synonymous with the number 99, this introduction should have been instantly recognizable. However, Olsen, either unaware or jokingly forgetful after a night of celebration, sent back a single, shocking reply: “I’m sorry, who is this?” The sheer audacity of asking “The Great One” to identify himself left the entire panel speechless with laughter, a perfect illustration of how hockey culture—which the group praised for its humility and laid-back attitude—sometimes overlaps with the NFL’s buttoned-up approach.
Travis Kelce: Leadership Beyond the Box Score
Throughout the episode, Travis Kelce was his usual, charismatic self, revealing his own passion for playing football on Christmas, an activity he genuinely loves because it allows him to feel the excitement of families celebrating at home while he is on the field.
However, the episode’s underlying theme of strong male figures was also reflected in his recent on-field actions. Though his personal performance in a recent victory over the Colts might not have been his most statistically dominant, his true value as an emotional leader was on full display. After running back Kareem Hunt committed a brutal red-zone fumble, Kelce was the first to greet the visibly dejected teammate on the sideline. The cameras caught Kelce not reprimanding, but embracing Hunt in a bear hug and delivering a fiery, reassuring message. Hunt went on to score a touchdown on the very next drive, proving Kelce’s influence to be far deeper than his receiving yardage. This quiet, paternal-like leadership mirrors the very “father figure” role that the conversation praised as being the highest form of professional contribution.
The New Heights podcast, through its candid and star-studded discussion, delivered a powerful message: whether it’s the cultural shift driven by a superstar singer, the personal sacrifices of pioneers in broadcasting, or the quiet leadership of a tight end, the real, enduring meaning of sports is found in the shared human experience—the moments of connection, emotional vulnerability, and family bonding that ultimately define a legacy.
