ST.BREAKING: Jason Kelce & Jalen Hurts Named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential — And It Has Nothing to Do With Rings

🚨 BEYOND THE GRIDIRON: Jason Kelce and Jalen Hurts Shatter the Mold, Named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential for Redefining Modern Manhood and Leadership

NEW YORK CITY — 🚨 BREAKING: Jason Kelce & Jalen Hurts Named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential — And It Has Nothing to Do With Rings.

No victory laps. No stats.

TIME honored something deeper — how they lead, who they lift, and the moments no camera caught.

This wasn’t about trophies.

It was about influence… and why the league feels it everywhere.

When TIME Magazine released its annual “100 Most Influential People” list this morning, the sports world held its breath. Usually, when athletes crack this prestigious roster, it is the result of a record-breaking championship season, a global gold medal, or a multi-billion-dollar brand deal. It is a reward for statistical supremacy.

But this year, TIME looked past the scoreboard. They looked past the Lombardi trophies, the Pro Bowl selections, and the grueling physical spectacle of Sunday afternoons.

Instead, they chose to honor the raw, beating heart of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jason Kelce and Jalen Hurts did not make the list because of how they play football. They made the list because of how they are changing the world while playing it. They represent a monumental shift in the culture of professional sports—a demolition of the toxic, archaic rules of locker-room masculinity, replaced by a devastating combination of radical vulnerability and quiet, unshakeable empowerment.

The Fire: Jason Kelce and the Courage to Break

For decades, the NFL offensive lineman has been a caricature of brute force. They are the nameless, faceless giants who exist only to block, bleed, and suffer in silence.

Jason Kelce took that stereotype and burned it to the ground.

In their citation for Kelce, TIME editors did not mention his Hall of Fame-caliber blocking or the infamous “Tush Push.” They mentioned his tears.

Kelce has shown a generation of young men that true strength does not require emotional starvation. He is a man who screams with primal fury on the field, yet openly weeps when talking about his love for his brother, his daughters, and his teammates. He is unabashedly affectionate. He is relentlessly authentic.

“Jason Kelce made it acceptable for the toughest men on earth to say, ‘I love you, and I am hurting,'” wrote TIME contributor and cultural critic Roxane Gay in the accompanying essay. “In a society that desperately needs healthier models of masculinity, Kelce proved that you can be the ultimate warrior while maintaining the ultimate softness for the people you care about.”

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When Kelce retired, the world didn’t just mourn the loss of a great center. They mourned the exit of a man who treated an entire city like his family. He normalized therapy, he championed underdog charities without demanding a press conference, and he walked through the world with his heart violently, beautifully pinned to his sleeve.

The Ice: Jalen Hurts and the Power of the Silent Lift

If Kelce is the loud, roaring fire, Jalen Hurts is the deep, unbreakable ice.

At just 27 years old, Hurts operates with the stoic wisdom of a man twice his age. But TIME didn’t select him for his passing yards or his calm demeanor in the pocket. They selected him for who he empowers when the helmet comes off.

Jalen Hurts is quietly revolutionizing the business of sports. In a league dominated by a hyper-masculine “old boys’ club” mentality, Hurts built an empire run entirely by women. From his agent, Nicole Lynn, to his media, marketing, and communications team, Hurts intentionally placed brilliant, fiercely capable women in the highest positions of power around him.

He didn’t do it for a PR campaign. He did it because he recognized excellence, and he refused to let systemic barriers dictate his inner circle.

“Jalen Hurts leads by lifting,” the TIME profile reads. “He does not demand the spotlight; he redirects it. He absorbs the blame in defeat and distributes the credit in victory. He is a philosopher in cleats, teaching a masterclass in emotional regulation to a generation of kids who are constantly told to react with anger.”

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Hurts’s famous mantra—“Keep the main thing the main thing”—has transcended football. It has become a cultural touchstone for resilience. When he was benched in college, he didn’t complain; he worked. When he lost the Super Bowl, he didn’t make excuses; he owned it. He has shown the world that true power lies in absolute, unwavering accountability.

The Moments No Camera Caught

What makes this dual selection so breathtaking is the emphasis on the unseen.

The TIME editorial board highlighted the stories that never made SportsCenter. They wrote about the hospital visits Kelce made at 2:00 AM, sitting with families in waiting rooms without a single photographer present. They wrote about the inner-city schools in Philadelphia where Hurts quietly paid for air conditioning units and academic programs, strictly forbidding the school districts from releasing his name to the press.

They highlighted the locker room moments: Kelce putting his arm around a terrified rookie who just blew a coverage, and Hurts pulling a struggling receiver aside to tell him, “I trust you. I’m coming back to you.”

These are the microscopic moments of leadership that build a culture. It is the understanding that you are only as strong as the most broken person in your room, and it is your job to put them back together.

An Echo Throughout the League

The NFL is feeling the ripple effect.

Coaches across the country are using the “Kelce-Hurts Dynamic” as a blueprint for team building. They are realizing that fear is a terrible motivator, and that love—tough, honest, and vulnerable love—is the ultimate performance enhancer.

Players from rival teams celebrated the announcement today. “They changed the temperature of the league,” a rival NFC East defensive captain posted on X (formerly Twitter) this morning. “They made it about the human being inside the jersey. Respect.”

The Legacy of the Unseen

Fifty years from now, the statistics will blur. The records will be broken by younger, faster players. The Super Bowl rings will sit behind glass in museums, gathering dust.

But influence? Influence is immortal.

Jason Kelce and Jalen Hurts have been etched into the TIME 100 not because they mastered a game, but because they elevated the people who watched them play it. They taught us that you can be loud and sensitive. You can be silent and powerful. You can command an army of giants, but still bow your head to serve the smallest among them.

No victory laps. No stats. Just the overwhelming, undeniable impact of two men who decided that being great at football wasn’t enough.

They decided to be great for the world.

Would you like me to create another article covering the reactions from other celebrities and athletes to this TIME 100 announcement, or is there a different breaking news scenario you’d like to explore next?