Isaac Rochell, a professional football player looking for a team, was watching the National Football League's opening weekend game on TV with his young daughter in September as he waited for a call from his agent. His wife needed a babysitter.
Rochelle's wife, Allison Kucharczyk, an online influencer with more than 3 million TikTok followers, was closer to the scene than he was, thanks to a partnership with NBC Sports. She crisscrossed the continent in a private jet with other content creators to document a weekend of raucous tailgates, concession food, and stadium environments at an NFL game in Kansas City, Missouri. I did. São Paulo, Brazil. And Detroit.
By documenting her lifestyle as the wife of a professional athlete, Kucharczyk became more famous than Rochelle, who reached the highest levels of the sport but never became a household name. Rochel said people sometimes ask for Kucharczyk's autograph on his behalf when they are together in public.
“It doesn't hurt my ego. I'm excited for her. But it's been crazy,” said Rochell, a defensive lineman who played for four NFL teams in seven seasons.
The NFL and its media partners are increasingly working with players' wives and girlfriends as they attract more female viewers. (Last season, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's partnership was inevitable.) They hope that future fans who aren't interested in sports terminology or fistfights between players on the field will instead look at the outfit ensembles and extravaganzas. We hope that customers will respond to the luxurious experience of the suite.
“Women who see me sharing about the NFL are finally like, 'Wow, I'm actually interested in more than just statistics,'” Kucharczyk, 29, said. “I think there’s a place for everyone in sports.”
She added, “You don't have to be famous for people to be interested in your story.”
Rochell, 29, played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. While struggling to remain on the team's roster for several seasons, he was also regularly active on the team's social media channels. Volunteering for projects. He proposed to Kucharczyk, whom he met at a college party, while he was recording a Chargers podcast in 2020.
“If you spend five minutes with Allison and Isaac, you can see their chemistry and how genuine they are,” said Jason Lavin, Chargers' senior vice president of brand creative and content. “Those are the kinds of relationships you want to highlight in your feed.”
The couple posted regularly on TikTok during the coronavirus pandemic. Rochel took viewers behind the scenes of NFL routines, including the buffet-style meals players eat the night before a game. Many of Kucharczyk's posts showed the less glamorous aspects of Rochel's nomadic lifestyle, such as living apart each time he changed teams and packing up to move between cities like Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Las Vegas. .
Kucharczyk, who worked as an interior designer, told her followers that she sobbed when the Las Vegas Raiders released Rochel in November 2023, weeks before her due date, when she was nine months pregnant. Kucharczyk acknowledges that there are financial resources not available to everyone, but says the online community she has cultivated has helped her get through turbulent times.
“I think sharing makes you feel less alone,” she said.
As the couple's social profile grew, the NFL took notice. The league gave Rochelle a “Mr. Kuch” nameplate and Mr. Kuchczyk served as a red carpet correspondent at last year's Super Bowl event. The couple also participated in voter registration campaigns with former President Barack Obama.
Ian Trombetta, NFL Senior Vice President of Social, Influencer and Content Marketing, said, “The next generation of content creators is asking themselves how they can help each other succeed and what they need to do to support each other. I understand that.”
Twenty years ago, British tabloids coined the acronym “WAG” (Wives and Girlfriends) to refer to the partners of footballers, and several famous footballers had equally famous spouses. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen publicly defended Tom Brady before ending their 13-year marriage in 2022, and singer Ciara married quarterback Russell Wilson in 2016.
But it was Swift and Kelsey's relationship that sparked a new level of interest.
Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, went on to design outerwear for Swift and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles (wife of Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens). , launched a clothing line this month. This season, Fox Sports recorded a segment with Alix Earle, a TikTok influencer with 7 million followers who is dating Miami Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios. And this month, Netflix will release “WAGs to Riches,” a series that follows the loved ones of athletes and entertainers, including Keita Hill, wife of Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.
Rochell received no such call from his agent, but continues to train in hopes that an NFL team will sign him. The league said it would continue to work with the couple even if he had to retire.
“It's actually easier because he has more time,” Trombetta said with a laugh.
