Swimming took a hit in mainstream media on Thursday.
Kylie Kelce, the wife of former NFL star Jason Kelce and the brother-in-law of current football star Travis Kelce (and therefore potentially the future sister-in-law of the most famous woman in the world, Taylor Swift), recently said there’s one sport she doesn’t want her daughters to participate in, and it’s swimming.
Speaking on the Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce podcast released on Thursday, Kelce said it’s a common question that comes her way, given she has four daughters, and while many might expect her to say she doesn’t want them to participate in a contact sport that might be more prone to injury, the dullness, and the smell of the pool, led her to pick swimming.
“It’s funny now that we have four daughters and people will always say, ‘What’s the one sport you don’t want them to participate in?’ ” she said on the podcast. “Not once have I said cheerleading … I’m going to piss off a whole community right now: It’s swimming.”
Actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder, who was also on the podcast, was visibly stunned when Kelce said swimming. “I’m shaken,” she said.
Sad to hear, but at least it looks like she kinda felt bad dunking on our entire sport solely based on the experience for the parents as spectators
Guess the Swim Mom life ain’t for everybody 🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/yIohtSbVom pic.twitter.com/6LQre7A7W1
— Buttstroke Swimming (@ButtstrokeSwim) August 21, 2025
“I have a reason,” Kelce continued. “I don’t wanna have to sit in a hot pool as the spectator and smell like chlorine when I leave, when I never f***ing touched the pool. That’s it. That’s literally it.
“That’s the whole reason. It’s not like I enjoy watching swimming,” the 33-year-old said, admitting it was a “very selfish answer.”
She also said she worked as the PA announcer for two swim meets during college: “I’m good. I’ve seen what I need to see.”
Kelce was previously a student-athlete, competing in field hockey at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., and then in college at the NCAA Division III level with Cabrini University. She was a four-year starter on defense and recognized as the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Rookie of the Year, and received All-CSAC honors four times, including three first-team selections.
She has since worked as the coach of the field hockey team at her alma mater, Lower Merion High School.
The Kelces currently live in Haverford, Pa., right next to Haverford Senior High School, which has produced a few notable swimmers, including Olympians Brendan Hansen, Shane Ryan, and Paralympian David Abrahams.
Who?
Coaching the sport for so long I never realized how miserable the experience is for spectators until my son started swimming. As a coach, you have a kid in every event but when you are there as a parent you are stuck there for 3,4,5 hours and get to see your kid compete a couple times for a few seconds or minutes. HS and College swimming is more fun to watch because there is more of a team aspect. But club swimming is brutal. I really hope he plays anything but swimming
Maybe she could be our new CEO
She just revealed what kind of person she is.. selfish and entitled…😂
How selfish. If you’re an adult and a halfway-decent parent, you suck it up and find a way to be interested, encouraging, and involved in what your kids’ passions are, whatever those may be.
You drop your kid off at warm-ups and go watch the live stream at a local bar. Kelce is doing this wrong…
Sad
People Magazine posted about this on Instagram. Made me feel better that most of the comments were defending swimming as a great sport. Maybe this isn’t really our problem….
Honestly, who cares what Jason Kelce’s wife thinks? Let’s focus on the amazing work people like Kyle Sockwell are doing to grow our sport and ignore comments from people who don’t matter like those from a retired football center’s wife.