Isaac Rochell, a professional soccer player looking for a team, watched the National Football League’s opening weekend game on TV with his young daughter as he waited for his agent’s call in September. His wife needed a babysitter.
Allison Kucharczyk, Rochell’s wife and an online influencer with more than 3 million TikTok followers, is closer to the action than ever before thanks to her partnership with NBC Sports. She was crisscrossing the continent on a private jet with other content creators to document the raucous tailgates, concession food and stadium environment of NFL games in Kansas City, Missouri. 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 levels of her sport but never became famous. Rochell said that when they are together in public, people sometimes ask for Kucharczyk’s autograph instead of his own.
“It doesn’t hurt my pride. I’m happy for her, but it was just crazy,” said Rochell, a defensive lineman who played for four NFL teams in seven seasons.
As the NFL and its media partners reach more female viewers, they are increasingly working with players’ wives and girlfriends. (Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s partnership was inevitable last season.) They hope that potential fans, uninterested in sports jargon and players bashing each other on the field, will instead respond to clothing ensembles and extravagant experiences in luxury suites. I hope you can.
“When women see me talking about the NFL, they finally say, ‘Wow, you might be interested in this other than statistics,’” Kucharczyk, 29, said. “I think there’s a place for everyone in sports..”
She added, “You don’t have to be famous for people to invest 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 struggled to remain on the team’s roster for several seasons, he was also regularly active on social media channels. Project volunteering. He proposed to Kucharczyk, whom he met at a college party while recording a Chargers podcast in 2020.
“Spend five minutes with Allison and Isaac and you see their chemistry and how genuine they are,” said Jason Lavine, Chargers’ senior vice president of brand creative and content. “Those types of relationships are what you want to highlight in your feed.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, the couple has been posting regularly on TikTok. Rochell took viewers behind the scenes of the NFL routine, including the buffet-style food players eat the night before a game. Many of Kucharczyk’s posts showed the less glamorous aspects of Rochell’s nomadic career, including living apart each time he switched teams and packing up to move cities (Indianapolis, Cleveland, Las Vegas).
Kucharczyk, who worked as an interior designer, told her followers that she sobbed when the Las Vegas Raiders released Rochelle in November 2023, just weeks before her due date while she was nine months pregnant. Kucharczyk acknowledges that there are financial resources that may not be available to everyone, and she says the online community she has fostered has helped her in moments of confusion.
“I think sharing makes you feel less lonely.” she said
As the couple’s social presence grew, the NFL took notice. The league called Rochell “Mr. Kuch” plaque and Kucharczyk was the red carpet correspondent for last year’s Super Bowl event. The couple also participated in a voter registration campaign with former President Barack Obama.
“The next generation of content creators understand how two people can be successful and what they need to do to support each other,” said Ian Trombetta, NFL senior vice president of social, influencer and content marketing.
British tabloids coined the acronym ‘WAG’ (Wives and Girlfriends) to refer to the partners of footballers 20 years ago, and several famous footballers have had equally famous spouses. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen was Tom Brady’s public advocate until their 13-year marriage ended in 2022, while singer Ciara married quarterback Russell Wilson in 2016.
But it was Swift and Kelce’s relationship that sparked a new level of interest.
Kristin Juszczyk, the 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 safety Jonathan Owens). Fox Sports taped a segment this season with Alix Earle, a TikTok influencer with 7 million followers who is dating Miami Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios. And this month, Netflix will launch the “WAGs to Riches” series, which follows significant figures in athletes and celebrities, including Keeta Hill, the wife of Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.
Rochell hasn’t received that call from his agent, but he’s still training in hopes that an NFL team will sign him. Even after he retires, the league said it will continue to work with the couple.
“It’s actually easier because we have more time.” Trombetta said with a smile.
