While waiting for a call from his agent in September, Isaac Rochell, a professional football player looking for a team, watched the National Football League’s opening weekend games on television with his infant daughter. His wife needed a babysitter.
Allison Kucharczyk, Rochell’s wife and an Internet influencer with more than three million TikTok followers, was closer to the field than she had been thanks to a partnership with NBC Sports. He flew across continents on a private jet with other content creators to document a weekend of desert roads, concession stands and stadium locations at NFL games in Kansas City, Mo.; São Paulo, Brazil; and Detroit.
By documenting her lifestyle as the wife of a professional athlete, Kucharczyk has become more famous than Rochell, who reached the highest level of her sport but never became a household name. When we’re together in public, Rochell said, sometimes people ask for Kucharczyk’s autograph instead of hers.
“It doesn’t hurt my ego — I’m happy for him — but it was crazy,” said Rochell, a defensive lineman who has played for four NFL teams in seven seasons.
As the NFL and its media partners attract more female viewers, they increasingly associate themselves with the wives and girlfriends of players. (Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s partnership was inevitable last season.) They hope that potential fans who don’t mind the jargon of sports and the players clashing on the field might respond to the ensembles of clothes and the attractive experience in the luxury suites.
“When women see me sharing about the NFL, they end up being like, ‘Wow I could be interested in this other than just math,'” Kucharczyk, 29, said. “I think there is a place for everyone in sports.”
He added, “You don’t have to be a big name for people to be invested in your story.”
Rochell, 29, played college football at Notre Dame and was a seventh-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. While he struggled to stay on the team’s roster for a few seasons, he was also active on their social media channels, regularly. volunteering for projects. He proposed to Kucharczyk, whom he met at a college party, while they were taping a Charger podcast in 2020.
“If you spend five minutes with Allison and Isaac together, you can see their chemistry and how genuine they are,” said Jason Lavine, Charger’s senior vice president of product development and content. “That kind of relationship is something you want to highlight in your feed.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, the couple posted regularly on TikTok. Rochell took viewers behind the scenes of the NFL, including the buffet-style meals the players eat the night before games. Many of Kucharczyk’s posts have shown the less positive side of Rochell’s nomadic career, like living apart and packing to move cities — Indianapolis, Cleveland, Las Vegas — whenever he changes teams.
When she was nine months pregnant, Kucharczyk, who worked as an interior designer, told her fans that she cried when the Las Vegas raiders released Rochell in November 2023, weeks before her due date. Kucharczyk, who admits they have financial resources not available to everyone, says the online community he fostered helped him through his turbulent times.
“I think sharing makes me feel less alone,” she said.
As the couple’s public presence grew, the NFL took notice. The league sent Rochell a jersey with “Mr. Kuch” nameplate and Kucharczyk was a red-carpet headliner at last year’s Super Bowl. The couple also participated in a campaign to register to vote with former President Barack Obama.
“For this next generation of content creators, they understand how both can be successful and what they need to do to support each other,” said Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s senior vice president of communications, influence and content marketing.
British tabloids coined the acronym “WAG” (wives and girlfriends) two decades ago to refer to the partners of footballers, and several famous footballers have had equally famous spouses. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen was Tom Brady’s publicist before their 13-year wedding in 2022, and singer Ciara married quarterback Russell Wilson in 2016.
But it was Swift’s relationship with Kelce that created a new level of interest.
Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, launched a clothing line this month after designing outerwear for Swift and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles (who is married to Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens ). Fox Sports filmed a segment this season with Alix Earle, a TikTok influencer with seven million followers who is dating Miami Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios. Also this month, Netflix will release the series, “WAGs to Riches,” which follows some of the most important athletes and entertainers, including Keeta Hill, wife of Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.
Rochell never got that call from his agent, but he is still training in hopes of an NFL team signing him. Even though he has to retire, the unit said it will continue to work with the couple.
“It’s actually easier because you’ll have more time,” said Trombetta with a laugh.
Source link
