Showing emotion has long been equated with weakness for men, particularly in sports, and there are some Americans doubling down on the idea that being an unfeeling “alpha male” is a selling point. Kelce and his younger brother Travis have flipped that notion on its head with their unabashed willingness to be open with their feelings, and the message is a powerful one — for boys and young men, especially.And none of it diminishes you in the least.

“For me, the Kelce brothers represent a kind of authenticity around masculinity and manhood that is a really important counterpoint to the cartoon version of the strong men that exists in so many parts of our culture,” said Cheryl Cooky, a professor at Purdue University who studies the intersection of gender, sport and culture.”The Kelce brothers demonstrate there are other ways of being a man.

The fact they have the kind of popularity and audience they have indicates there’s pretty large segment of our society that wants to see that and is supportive of that.”