Hey, Cotton Has a Kelce Connection, Too!
April 29, 2025 
Jason Kelce with cotton grower Andrew Bissett (Photo: Underdog Apparel – William Rainey)
Let’s tip a cap to Jason Kelce.
Yes, that Jason Kelce. All-Pro center and Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles. Big brother to Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce…and thus, a personal friend of Taylor Swift. Now retired from his playing days, he’s become his own corporation of sorts, including broadcasting, podcasting, social media, and his own YouTube channel…not to mention endorsements.
He seems to be everywhere with an Everyman approach and curiosity on multiple topics. And (unless you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan), he’s extremely likeable.
So, you may ask, what does he have to do with cotton?
As part of his post-retirement activities, Kelce started an apparel company (Underdog Apparel) to raise funds to help children in need in Philadelphia. He’s working with garment manufacturer American Giant and, as he put it, simply wanted to know where his company’s t-shirts and other cotton items were coming from. So, camera crew in tow, he headed to North Carolina for a hands-on education in the farm-to-finished product supply chain.
The result is a fascinating and entertaining 26-minute YouTube segment that highlights an important element of U.S. cotton’s story, as well as some of its challenges. Kelce rode the picker with cotton grower Andrew Bissett. He learned about ginning at Enfield Cotton Ginnery. He saw the spinning process at Parkdale Mills, and finally, the quality and expertise of the cut and sew operation at Eagle Sportwear.
It’s a story that most of us in the cotton industry are very familiar with. But Kelce has the platform and reach to help take that story to our ultimate customer audience.
Consider this: Kelce has 92,800+ subscribers to his YouTube channel. This video – titled “How To Make a T-Shirt/Cotton Sourced in America” — had more than 93,500 views (as of mid-March) in the first two months it was posted, with more than 350 highly favorable comments from viewers.
Coincidentally, in some ways, Kelce’s presentation complements and mirrors Cotton Incorporated’s latest marketing program — The Fabric of Now — that utilizes newer media and social influencers to bring cotton’s durability, breathability, and natural comfort messages to today’s target consumers. And in today’s competitive and economic environment, cotton needs all the help we can get.
In summing up his video, Kelce left a strong message for his viewers:
“I’m not naïve. I know not every single article of clothing is going to be made in the U.S. But I do think it’s important to be conscious as a consumer to know where our products are from and what goes into making them. I think it’s important that we support local economies, communities, farmers, and gin workers.
“We saw a story about people who are involved in every step of this process. I think that sometimes when you go to buy a shirt, there’s not a face behind it. I like all of the faces I met. And now I get to wear this [holding up a cotton hoodie] and think about all of those people.”
Thanks, Jason. Come back to visit anytime.
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