On Sept. 24 the country set its eyes on a promising new love: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s possible relationship, at the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs game. Swift was seen at the event, sitting with the athlete’s mother, Donna Kelce, and even leaving with Travis afterwards.
At first glance, this interaction resembles any other celebrity get together, whereas two famous people are seen in public and the occasional tabloid will sound off some gossip, hoping to stir up some clicks or views.
This is certainly not the first time Swift has been given such attention by the media. Magazines and online publications have made their fair share of revenue from reporting on her relationships with the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Taylor Lautner, or Joe Jonas, so what makes this any different?
For context, let’s explore the most notable part of Swift’s career: She has been in the public eye for nearly two decades and sold 114 million album units worldwide, easily explaining her 32 American Music Awards, 11 Grammys, and 25 Billboard Music Awards.
The international pop sensation tirelessly donates to charity, disaster relief funds, social causes, and even set off a seismometer in Seattle’s Lumen Field using only the power of music and the sheer intensity of her dancing fans.
The other half of this alleged relationship is a media sensation in his own right. Travis Kelce’s decade-long tenure as the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has won him two super bowls, his own reality show, and even a guest-star appearance on Saturday Night Live.
The majority of the population seem to be equally enamored with the power duo, cheering them both on from the sidelines. The most enthralling part of the fandom is easily Taylor Swift’s “Swifties”, who have taken it upon themselves to connect the dots between the pop idol and her new beau.
@romanticiser on Twitter/X made a connection with Kelce’s arrow tattoo and Swift’s song, “The Archer”, where she often makes a ‘bow and arrow’ motion during concerts.
@maflvstaylor made a similar post, highlighting the lyrics to Swift’s famous “Mary’s Song”, which contains the lyrics, “I’ll be eighty-seven; you’ll be eighty nine”. It just so happens that Kelce’s jersey number is 87, while Swift’s birth year, ‘89, is synonymous with her musical catalog.
Taylor’s fans have dove head first into the new obsession, even recently noting that Kelce shares the exact same birthday as Swift’s grandmother Marjorie.
Though the relationship between Swift and Kelce is still unconfirmed, the relationship between Swifties and the NFL has flourished. According to Variety, “Viewership among girls aged 12-17 increased 53 percent from the season-to-date average of the first three weeks of Sunday Night Football.”
Fans of Taylor Swift have been doing some serious reading up on the intricacies of American Football, showing just how much impact a fandom can have. Tiktok has been rife with die hard Swift fans schooling each other on the rules of football with the intensity for which Swifties have been long known.
Betches article “A Swiftie’s Guide to American Football” has been one of the most prominent publications to introduce the ins and outs of the game to fans of the pop artist; writer Fleurine Tideman answers questions like “Why are all these people on the field?”, “Why are they tossing a coin?”, and “Do they just kick the ball?”.
The fandom attention has been going both ways, as the NFL was both praised and criticized for referencing Taylor Swift on their X/Twitter bio.
The participation from the NFL could be a business decision, informed by the aforementioned increase in female viewership, or a genuine appreciation for two superstars and the hope that they will become America’s long-term obsession.
Because this is the internet, you can rest assured that some people are displeased about the attention the NFL is giving to the prolific couple. What seems like a harmless opportunity for playful PR has been, in some fans’ eyes, mindless pandering that is harming this season of football.
@Rich Cimini on Twitter/X commented “The Chiefs/Swifties reference has been removed from the NFL’s IG account. It was a bad look. #nfl”.
Rich, along with many skeptical NFL fans, believe that this attention is the result of a money grab on the league’s part, and may cost long-term viewership from mainstream fans.
Be it optimism or pessimism, it seems that the whole of the internet has been awestruck with the alleged power couple. Perhaps the most apt perspective is that of the famously stoic Patriots General Manager Bill Belichick, who gave his two cents to the Greg Hill Show on Sept. 25.
“I would say that Travis Kelce has had a lot of big catches in his career. This would be the biggest,” said Belichick.
We are left with many questions that only hindsight will tell us. Will Swift and Kelce make it official? Will the NFL benefit long-term from embracing the Swift fandom, and vice versa?
It is possible that this phenomenon will be seen as another chapter in America’s habit of taking on parasocial relationships with its celebrities, for better or worse. As of now, the impact of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce meeting seems to be overwhelmingly positive, and we only hope for the best for them.