• Travis Kelce’s business managers, André and Aaron Eanes, had a plan to make him “world famous.”

• The brothers told The New York Times they spent years developing Kelce’s brand behind the scenes.

• But one thing that they didn’t anticipate was him dating Taylor Swift.

From winning the Super Bowl to hosting “Saturday Night Live,” Travis Kelce had a great 2023 — but his business managers say the NFL star’s skyrocketing popularity was anything but sudden.

André and Aaron Eanes, twin brothers who co-manage Kelce, told The New York Times they had a carefully crafted business plan to make the Kansas City Chiefs tight end famous.

“People say to me, ‘Man, it’s been a crazy year,'” Aaron Eanes told the Times. “When I say, ‘Actually, it’s not that crazy,’ people look at me funny. It’s because it’s easy when you have a plan. We’re executing that plan.”

The Eanes first met Kelce through Kelce’s college roommate and always thought he had the potential to be a huge star.

“He was always the life of the party,” André told the Times. “Everyone wanted to go hang out with Travis.”

After a 2015 Complex magazine feature, Kelce was offered a chance to star in his own reality dating show, per the Times. While his managers were initially reluctant, they eventually changed their minds when they considered how it might raise the NFL star’s profile.

That aside, the Eanes also secured endorsement deals for Kelce with companies not traditionally affiliated with the NFL — enabling him to build his brand outside football, per the Times.

After Kelce’s Super Bowl win in March last year, “Saturday Night Live” came calling — and the 34-year-old was finally able to fulfill his childhood dream of hosting the show, the Times reported.

With that, Kelce’s star began to rise as planned, but there was one thing that happened last year that his managers couldn’t have anticipated — him dating Taylor Swift, per the Times.

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“We positioned Travis to be world famous,” André said. “We didn’t know how it would happen, or when it would happen, or what would help push that further along. But it’s always been the thought in the back of our minds.”

The Eanes brothers cofounded A&A Management, a sports media and marketing agency, while they were still in college. Other company clients include Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, soccer player and TikTok star Kaila Novak, and former NFL player Joe Haden.

According to A&A Management’s website, the company offers services such as brand strategy, public relations, and IP development for its clients.

Read the original article on Business Insider