Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce teased the idea of purchasing and relaunching the 'Backyard Sports' video game franchise in the latest episode of his 'New Heights' podcast alongside his brother and co-host, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, released on Wednesday (January 31).
"I've secretly been looking into seeing if anybody holds the rights to 'Backyard Football' or/and 'Backyard Baseball' 'cause I want to buy it and get this things going again," Jason said. "That was the best game ever. It was so electric. Can you imagine playing 'Backyard Football' right now on your phone? 'Cause you can do that whole thing on your phone. It wasn't that complicated of a game."
"1,000%, it was not that complicated," Travis responded.
The 'Backyard Sports' series was initially launched for Macintosh and Microsoft Windows computers in the late 1990s and early 2000s before later being released on multiple video game consoles. The game allowed users to chose from original characters and kid versions of professional athletes in a backyard setting.
The final 'Backyard Sports: Basketball' game was released in 2015 and Humongous Entertainment, the series' developer, said it no longer owned the rights to the franchise in 2019.
Kelce, 36, addressed retirement speculation while speaking with the Philadelphia Inquirer's Olivia Reiner during the AFC Championship Game -- which he attended in support of Travis -- and acknowledged that he still hasn't decided on retirement but plans to continue being "involved" in the Eagles organization either way.
"I don’t know what’s going to happen for me. But I do know, I still want to be involved in the organization and still want to be a part of it, regardless of what the decision is. Because I don’t want to ever feel like I’m on the outside looking in on these achievements and these accolades and these opportunities that largely represent entire cities and fan bases and organizations. It’s too good a feeling to pass up,” Kelce said.
Earlier this month, Jason addressed reports that he plans to retire during an episode of his and Travis' 'New Heights' podcast, clarifying that he did address his teammates after the Eagles' Wild Card Round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but hadn't yet made an official decision on his future.
“I didn’t announce what I was doing on purpose, despite, I guess, what’s been leaked to the media,” he said “… I just don’t think you’re in a position after a game like that to really make that decision, I just don’t, there’s too much emotion in the moment, there’s too much going down in the moment to really fully grasp that decision.”
“When it’s time to officially announce what’s happening in the future, it’ll be done in a way that’s definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals that have meant a lot to me and what has led to the career I’ve had, and I don’t think it would be respectful or even accurate to be able to do that right after a game like that,” he added. “Frustrated, I guess, at everything that’s happening, but in the future there will be something said, I guess, but I did address the team and pretty much said the same thing I just said to you, which is I got belief in every single one of you guys, cherish the moments you have in this league, I think it’s kind of the way it went down.”
Kelce spent his entire career with the Eagles and is one of the most celebrated players in franchise history. The former University of Cincinnati standout was a member of Philadelphia's Super Bowl LI team and is a six-time first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection, having started in all 193 games he's played.
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