With The Kingdom on ESPN, Foolish Club Studios in motion, and Taylor Swift in the stands, the Chiefs are building more than a football dynasty—they’re shaping a global brand.
Kansas City, August 23 – Few NFL teams have captured America’s imagination the way the Kansas City Chiefs have. Fresh off a bid for a historic third straight Super Bowl, the franchise is now broadening its vision beyond the field—thanks to ESPN’s docuseries The Kingdom, the launch of Foolish Club Studios, and, of course, the undeniable cultural spark brought by Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce.
In a candid conversation, Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt opened up about how the team is blending sports, entertainment, and pop culture to expand its fanbase at home and around the world.
The Kingdom: More Than Just Football
When The Kingdom, the six-part ESPN docuseries, debuted earlier this year, Hunt admits the family initially had reservations. Allowing cameras behind the scenes during a Super Bowl pursuit could have been a distraction or risked exposing strategy. But the right production team—Words + Pictures, the creators of The Last Dance—gave him confidence.
“The feedback has been tremendous,” Hunt said. “Fans have told me they learned things they never knew about the Chiefs’ history or my father’s contributions to the NFL. That’s been incredibly rewarding.”
For Hunt, the docuseries was about more than one season—it was about telling the Chiefs’ story across six decades, honoring Lamar Hunt’s legacy, and showing the human side of players like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Foolish Club Studios: The Chiefs in Hollywood
The Kingdom also marked the official launch of Foolish Club Studios, a new entertainment arm of the Chiefs named after the eight original AFL owners—“The Foolish Club”—that Lamar Hunt was part of.
“My dad always believed sports were about more than just the game. He focused on entertainment and fan experience,” Hunt explained. “With Foolish Club Studios, we can build on that—both scripted and unscripted projects.”
One early venture was the Hallmark movie Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, which revealed the team’s crossover power beyond sports. Future projects could include scripted dramas about the early days of the NFL or even non-football stories in partnership with outside studios.
Global Expansion: The Chiefs Beyond Arrowhead
The Hunt family’s international ambitions trace back decades. Lamar Hunt championed NFL Europe in the ’80s and ’90s, and the Chiefs continue that legacy.
This season, the team will open in São Paulo, Brazil against the Chargers—a historic first. “If we win, we’ll become the only NFL team to win five regular-season games in different countries,” Hunt noted proudly.
International games, grassroots outreach, and star power are all part of Hunt’s strategy to grow the Chiefs brand worldwide.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Power of Stars
The Chiefs are blessed with not just championships but marketable superstars. Mahomes, Kelce, and Chris Jones are as charismatic off the field as they are dominant on it.
“Fans connect with teams, but they connect with stars even more,” Hunt said. The Kingdom dives into Mahomes’ family life, showing what it takes to prepare for a championship season—something Hunt calls “one of the most compelling aspects” of the show.
Taylor Swift and a New Wave of Fans
Of course, no conversation about the Chiefs in 2025 is complete without mentioning Taylor Swift. Since her relationship with Travis Kelce became public, the team has seen a seismic shift in its fanbase demographics.
“Our North American fanbase went from 50/50 male and female to 57% female,” Hunt revealed. “That’s unique in the NFL. Taylor has clearly had a massive impact.”
Hunt emphasizes that for the organization, the most important thing is the couple’s happiness—but he admits Swift’s presence has created an electrifying new energy at Arrowhead Stadium.
“When Taylor’s in attendance, the stadium buzzes differently,” he smiled. “There’s always a little extra spectacle. And our fans love it.”
A Legacy That Continues to Grow
For Clark Hunt, everything circles back to his father’s vision: football as entertainment, family, and community. From The Kingdom to Foolish Club Studios, from international expansion to Taylor Swift’s cultural impact, the Chiefs are not just playing football—they’re shaping the future of the NFL as a global entertainment brand.
As Hunt puts it: “We’re not just telling the story of last season. We’re telling the story of the Kansas City Chiefs across six decades—and writing the next chapters right now.”