Why Travis Kelce may be a ‘victory’ for Six Flags; former Cedar Fair CEO weighs in
Travis Kelce investing in Six Flags may be news “fans of the parks can benefit from,” ponders Matt Ouimet, former CEO of Cedar Fair prior to the theme park company’s merger with Six Flags (and formerly president of Disneyland).
Ouimet, writing on LinkedIn, said Travis Kelce “cannot afford to be associated with parks that do not deliver the experience he will be promoting. His brand is too valuable to bear the burden of social media that features evidence of declining maintenance and poor operating practices, the result of merger-induced cost cutting.”
Earlier this week, Travis Kelce — NFL player, Super Bowl champion, “New Heights” podcast host, and, of course, fiancée of Taylor Swift — along with JANA Partners and two other business executives invested in Six Flags with an approximately 9% ownership stake. JANA representatives hope to meet with the Six Flags board of directors “regarding opportunities to enhance shareholder value and improve the guest experience,” a JANA press release stated.
Image courtesy of JANA Partners
Outimet continued, “If [Kelce’s] role causes the experience across the parks to improve measurably, this will be a come-from-behind victory. If not, it won’t be so easy for him to shake it off,” including a metaphor to Kelce’s football career and a lyric from a Taylor Swift song. See the full transcript of Ouimet’s post below.
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company and Six Flags Entertainment Corporation merged in 2024, forming a conglomerate of 56 theme parks and water parks.
Matt Ouimet frequently posts business musings and reflections on his career as a theme park executive on his LinkedIn profile. He recently shared his thoughts about the ongoing process of Six Flags selecting a new CEO.
Photo by Blake Taylor
Ouimet was CEO and chairman of Cedar Fair from 2012-2017 (according to the Sandusky Register) and remained with its board of directors through 2023. Prior to his Cedar Fair tenure, Ouimet worked with Disney from 1989-2006, and at various points was president of Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line.
Ouimet retired from Cedar Fair just before he would’ve had to vote on the merger with Six Flags. In a LinkedIn post from earlier this year, Ouimet wrote, “I recognized that I wasn’t up to watching talented colleagues being asked to exit in order to achieve the cost synergies that were promised to investors.”
Photo courtesy of Six Flags
In the 15 months since its merge with Cedar Fair, Six Flags has removed park presidents from all locations, reduced its full-time staff by more than 10%, and announced the permanent closure of its park near Washington, D.C., Six Flags America.
The company has also continued announcing and opening new attractions, including Tormenta Rampaging Run (opening at Six Flags Over Texas in 2026), Speedway Stunt Coaster (opening at Six Flags México in 2026), Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare (opening at Kings Island in 2026), and a suite of new attractions themed to “The Conjuring” (which debuted at Carowinds, Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Canada’s Wonderland this Halloween season).
Image courtesy of Six Flags
Below is the transcript of Matt Ouimet’s full post from Oct. 22, 2025, about Travis Kelce. We have corrected grammar errors and misspellings for clarity.
Yesterday an activist investor announced that they had taken a 9% stake in Six Flags, noting that a well-known NFL star (Travis Kelce) was one of their investors in this deal.
By my count, that makes at least three investor groups holding positions in [Six Flags] — all who claim to have the answers that will resurrect Six Flags from its malaise — with the latest one including a six-foot-five, 250-pound tight-end as key to their strategy.
I have a number of thoughts on this, but decided to lead with the following:
There may be something in this announcement that fans of the parks can benefit from.
Travis Kelce cannot afford to be associated with parks that do not deliver the experience he will be promoting. His brand is too valuable to bear the burden of social media that features evidence of declining maintenance and poor operating practices, the result of merger-induced cost cutting. He will need to be able to talk credibly about impressive new attractions and entertainment offerings.
From a marketing standpoint, I would not expect his name to draw any meaningful incremental attendance, but that may not be where he has the biggest impact.
If his role causes the experience across the parks to improve measurably, this will be a come-from-behind victory.
If not, it won’t be so easy for him to shake it off.
#SIXFLAGS
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It doesn’t matter who endorses the parks. They are still mismanaged and a poor customer experience. It’s just lipstick on a pig.