While waiting for a call from his agent in September, Isaac Rochell, a professional football player looking for a team, watched the opening weekend games of the National Football League on television with his daughter. His wife needed a sitter.
Allison Kucharczyk, Rochell’s wife and an online influencer with more than three million TikTok followers, was closer to the venue than thanks to a partnership with NBC Sports. He crossed continents on a private jet with other content creators to document a weekend of noisy tailgates, concession food and stadium environments at NFL games in Kansas City, Mo. Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Detroit.
By documenting her lifestyle as the wife of a professional athlete, Kucharczyk became more famous than Rochell, who reached the highest level of his sport but never became a household name. When they’re together in public, Rochell said, 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 increasingly align themselves with the players’ wives and girlfriends. (Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s collaboration was inescapable last season.) They’re hoping that prospective fans who don’t care about sports jargon and players hitting each other on the court could respond to outfits and eye-popping experiences. in luxury suites.
“When women see me sharing about the NFL, they end up saying, ‘Wow, I can actually be interested in this other than the stats,'” Kucharczyk, 29, said. “I think there is a place for everyone in sports.”
He added, “You don’t have to be a big name for people to invest in your story.”
Rochell, 29, played college football at Notre Dame and was a seventh-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. While he struggled to stay on teams’ rosters for several seasons, he was also active on their social media channels, regularly volunteering for projects. He proposed to Kucharczyk, whom he met at a college party while they were taping a Chargers podcast in 2020.
“If you spend five minutes with Allison and Isaac together, you see their chemistry and how genuine they are,” said Jason Lavine, Chargers senior vice president of creative and brand content. “That type of relationship is something you want to highlight in your feed.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, the couple posted regularly on TikTok. Rochell took viewers behind the scenes of the NFL routine, including the buffet food the players eat the night before games. Many of Kucharczyk’s posts featured the less glamorous side of Rochell’s nomadic career, such as living apart and working to move cities — Indianapolis, Cleveland, Las Vegas — whenever he switched teams.
While nine months pregnant, Kucharczyk, who had worked as an interior decorator, told fans she cried when the Las Vegas Raiders released Rochell in November 2023, weeks before her due date. Kucharczyk, who acknowledges they have financial resources not available to everyone, says the online community she’s cultivated has helped her through their chaotic times.
“I think sharing makes me feel less alone,” she said.
As the couple’s social presence grew, the NFL took notice. The league sent Rochelle a jersey with “Mr. Kuch” 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 both can be successful and what they need to do to support each other,” said Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s senior vice president of social media, influencer and content marketing. .
British tabloids coined the acronym ‘WAG’ (wives and girlfriends) two decades ago to refer to the partners of footballers, and several famous footballers have had equally famous wives. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen was a public supporter of 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, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, launched a clothing line this month after designing outerwear for Swift and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles (who is married to Chicago Bears’ Jonathan Owens). Fox Sports taped a segment this season with Alix Earle, a TikTok influencer with seven million followers, who is dating Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios. And this month, Netflix will release a series, “WAGs to Riches,” that follows the significant others of athletes and entertainers, including Keeta Hill, wife of Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Rochell never got that call from his agent, but he still works out in hopes that an NFL team will sign him. Even if he has to retire, the league said it will continue to work with the pair.
“It’s actually easier because he’ll have more time,” Trumpetta said with a laugh.
