It was revealed that Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker sold more NFL merchandise than Travis Kelce during his controversial graduation speech at the beginning of the year.
Butker sparked outrage with his address to graduates of Benedictine College in Kansas, where he told women that they should be more excited about becoming housewives than pursuing successful careers.
In his controversial speech, he also criticized the LGBTQ+ community and President Joe Biden’s pro-abortion stance, which divided sentiments across America in May – thousands signed a petition calling on Kansas City to terminate its contract with the team.
And incredibly, the Chiefs star attracted so much attention that he sold more items on the NFL merch charts earlier this year than his celebrity teammate Kelce.
Harrison Butker (left) sold more NFL items than Travis Kelce after his controversial graduation speech earlier this year
The NFL Players Association has released a list of the 20 players who had the highest sales from the beginning of March to the end of May. Butker ranks 11th.
Kelce, on the other hand, has to settle for 12th place, even though he became increasingly famous last year as a result of his whirlwind romance with Taylor Swift.
Thanks to his highly acclaimed speech, Butker even managed to sell more merchandise than star quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (13th), Josh Allen (16th) and Russell Wilson (18th).
It’s a big surprise that Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud tops the list, ahead of Chiefs icon Patrick Mahomes in second place, even though he’s only in his second season in the NFL.
The remaining top 10 are Aidan Hutchinson (Detroit Lions), Amon-Ra St Brown (Detroit Lions), Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals), Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles), Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles), Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions), Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys) and Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers).
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is ranked 14th on the list, while Jets receiver Garrett Wilson is ranked 15th.
Butker caused such a stir that he sold more official fan merchandise than his prominent teammate
Despite his romance with Taylor Swift, Kelce was not a popular choice among buyers
Wilson’s New York teammate Sauce Gardner is ranked 17th, Lions quarterback Jared Goff is ranked 19th and Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby is ranked 20th.
Butker has enjoyed a huge surge in popularity since his performance at Benedictine College in May, which came a few months after the Chiefs won their second consecutive Super Bowl.
He also played a part in their flawless start to the new season, kicking a last-minute field goal to secure the win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week.
Despite Swift cheering him on in the stands, Kelce has failed to return to form so far in the 2024 season, recording just four pass catches for 39 yards in two appearances.
