Janelle Irwin Taylor
Travis Kelce is, for now, the most popular NFL player in the nation, with Americans in 31 states, including Florida, Googling him more than any other player.
That’s according to a study from UK-based betting aggregation site BettingSites.co.uk, which analyzed search data over the past 12 months.
In Florida, people Googled Kelce 185,250 times per month on average. That puts the state behind California, with more than 321,000 monthly searches, and Texas, with nearly 246,000 monthly searches. It’s worth noting that both California and Texas have larger populations than Florida, meaning the per capita searches are closer to even than the raw numbers suggest.
“It will be interesting to see how searches related to the NFL change in the build-up to the big event and how they change after, depending on the result, and who makes the big plays in the game,” BettingSites Head of News Lee Astley said in a statement.
“Additionally, while activities outside of the NFL have likely influenced searches, like in the case of Travis Kelce, many players are popular in their respective states for being one of the leading men in the state’s teams, such as in the case of Lamar Jackson.”
That statement references Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift. Swift has been spotted at several Chief’s games cheering on her boyfriend, and her appearances have led to spikes in searches for things like red sweaters and lipstick. Her expected appearance at the Super Bowl has led to some interesting betting opportunities and a new slate of beauty products lining up to advertise during the big game.
While Kelce dominated NFL-related searches in 31 states, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who won’t even play in Sunday’s Super Bowl, was the most commonly searched in 13 states, and was the second-most searched in Florida. Not surprisingly, he was the top searched football star in New York, as well as in neighboring New Jersey.
Rodgers has made news recently due to the Jets’ recruitment strategy, which prioritizes his preferences in teammates.
Behind Kelce and Rodgers, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the third-most Googled player in Florida. He was in the news this week after his dad was arrested on suspicion of DWI in Texas.
In the No. 4 spot in Florida is Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who will appear in a Super Bowl ad for BodyArmor.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rounded out the Top 5 in Florida. Jackson has the eighth-most jersey sales of all NFL players at the sports apparel retailer Lids.
