While waiting for a call from his agent in September, Isaac Rochell, a professional football player looking for a team, watched the opening games of the National Football League on television with his young daughter. His wife needed a babysitter.
Allison Kucharczyk, Rochell's wife and an online influencer with more than three million TikTok followers, was closer to the field than him thanks to a partnership with NBC Sports. She crossed continents on a private jet with other content creators to document a weekend of rowdy tailgates, concession food, and stadium environments at NFL games in Kansas City, Missouri; São Paulo, Brazil; and Detroit.
By documenting her lifestyle as the wife of a professional athlete, Kucharczyk has become better known than Rochell, who reached the highest levels of his sport but never became a household name. When people are together in public, Rochell says, people sometimes ask for Kucharczyk's autograph instead of his.
“It doesn't hurt my ego — I'm excited for her — but it was crazy,” said Rochell, a defensive lineman who has played for four NFL teams in seven seasons.
As the NFL and its media partners attract more female viewers, they are increasingly joining the ranks of players' wives and girlfriends. (Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's collaboration was inevitable last season.) They hope that potential fans who aren't interested in sports jargon and players abusing each other on the field will instead respond to clothing ensembles and glamorous experiences in luxury suites.
“When women see me talking about the NFL, they finally say, 'Wow, I could actually be interested in this other than statistics,'” said Kucharczyk, 29. “I think there's a place for everyone in sports.”
She added, “You don't have to be a big name to get people invested in your story.”
Rochell, 29, played college football at Notre Dame and was a seventh-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. While he fought to stay on teams' rosters for several seasons, he was also regularly active on their social media channels. volunteering for projects. He proposed to Kucharczyk, whom he met at a college party while they were recording a Chargers podcast in 2020.
“If you spend five minutes with Allison and Isaac, you see their chemistry and how genuine they are,” said Jason Lavine, the Chargers' senior vice president of brand creation and content. “Those types of relationships are something you want to highlight in your feed.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, the couple regularly posted on TikTok. Rochell took viewers behind the scenes of NFL routines, including the buffet food players eat the night before the game. Many of Kucharczyk's posts showed the less glamorous side of Rochell's nomadic career, such as living apart and packing up to move to cities — Indianapolis, Cleveland, Las Vegas — whenever he changed teams.
While nine months pregnant, Kucharczyk, who had been working as an interior designer, told followers that she sobbed when the Las Vegas Raiders released Rochell in November 2023, weeks before her due date. Kucharczyk, who acknowledges that they have financial resources that are not available to everyone, says the online community she founded has helped her through their chaotic moments.
“I think sharing it makes me feel less alone,” she said.
As the couple's social presence grew, the NFL took notice. The league sent Rochell a jersey with a “Mr. Kuch” nameplate and Kucharczyk was a red carpet correspondent at a Super Bowl event last year. The couple also participated in a voter registration drive with former President Barack Obama.
“In this next generation of content creators, they understand how they can both be successful and what they need to do to support each other,” said Ian Trombetta, the NFL's senior vice president of social, influencer and content marketing.
British tabloids coined the acronym 'WAG' (wives and girlfriends) 20 years ago to refer to footballers' partners, and several famous footballers have had equally famous husbands. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen was a public advocate for Tom Brady before their 13-year marriage ended in 2022, and singer Ciara married quarterback Russell Wilson in 2016.
But it was Swift's relationship with Kelce that sparked a new level of interest.
Kristin Juszczyk, the wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, started a clothing line this month after designing outerwear for Swift and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles (who is married to Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens). Fox Sports has taped a segment this season with Alix Earle, a TikTok influencer with seven million followers who is dating Miami Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios. And this month, Netflix is releasing a series, “WAGs to Riches,” that follows the significant others of athletes and entertainers, including Keeta Hill, the wife of Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.
Rochell never got that call from his agent, but he is still training in hopes that an NFL team will sign him. Even if he has to retire, the league says it will continue to work with the couple.
“It's actually easier because he has more time,” Trombetta said, laughing.
