While the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays gave fans a compelling World Series, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce was not impressed. On the “New Heights” podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Jason openly questioned why the series was even a topic of discussion.
He vented his frustration about what he sees as a massive spending imbalance in baseball, sparking a firestorm of criticism from fans who felt he disrespected the sport and its champions.
Why Did Jason Kelce Criticize the World Series and Major League Baseball?
While Travis Kelce praised the Dodgers and Blue Jays for an entertaining and competitive series, his brother Jason questioned the matchup’s relevance and took a shot at what he believes is an unfair system in MLB. His comments were captured in a clip that quickly spread online.
“So you’re telling me I’m supposed to get excited about a Canadian baseball team and a team that just spends more money than everybody else?” Kelce said. “Who the f**k cares about either? … That’s why baseball sucks. It’s the dumbest thing in the world. … The team that spends the most money wins. It was all meaningless s**t before it happened.”
However, baseball fans quickly pointed out the inaccuracies in his claim. Based on the previous season’s payroll data, the New York Mets and New York Yankees both had higher payrolls than the Dodgers and Blue Jays. Critics argued that he was oversimplifying the game and unfairly dismissing two teams that had earned their spot in the championship.
In response to the growing criticism, Kelce posted a series of comments on X, formerly Twitter, to clarify his position. He insisted that his remarks were not a direct attack on the Dodgers or their players but were instead aimed at the league’s financial structure.
“I don’t even hate the dodgers specifically, I’d do the same thing if I was in their position,” Kelce wrote. “I love Freddy Freeman and think Shohei Ohtani is remarkable. I just hate a system that allows for such inequality in competitive fairness across an entire league. And them winning two years in a row is just a gross reminder of that. A lot of this honestly is just deep rooted hatred for the Yankees growing up.”
Additionally, he advocated for a higher revenue-sharing model, arguing it would help smaller-market teams stay competitive. Kelce noted that the net worth of many owners is tied up in their teams, which limits their ability to spend beyond what the organization generates in revenue.
Kelce also took a moment to address his comments about Canada.
“Guys, I love Canada,” he said. “I have been bamboozled by our social team that failed to show the whole story. How could I not love poutine, maple syrup, and beavers!! I was actually rooting for the Blue Jays in the World Series that I didn’t care about. Seriously, Canada is the best, I was just talking s**t about not being personally invested of caring that the team that spent the most money and built a super team won the World Series, that’s it.”
The Dodgers, who feature a star-studded lineup with players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, have one of the highest payrolls in baseball and have now won two consecutive championships.