Taylor Swift Shows Up Just In Time for Fantasy Football
by Jules Hasler
Image courtesy of Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Taylor Swift’s Eagles jersey is hanging from the door, as she swapped it out to root for the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend. Swift made an appearance at the Chiefs game this past Sunday, watching from Travis Kelce’s box with his mother. With rumors and hopes of a relationship between the two building over the past couple months, NFL boyfriends and their Swiftie girlfriends finally have a reason to watch Sunday afternoon football together.
Kelce attended The Eras Tour in July at his home stadium, Arrowhead, with the goal of giving Swift a friendship bracelet beaded with his phone number. Later on his podcast, “New Heights,” he expressed the disappointment he felt that Swift saves her voice before and after shows because he wanted to talk to her. In the following weeks, Kelce, his teammates, and his brother received varying questions begging for updates on the relationship. On ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show, Kelce said, “I threw the ball in her court and told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.’”
Clearly, Swift caught the ball Kelce threw, and countless videos are circulating of her cheering on the Chiefs. Decked out in the Chiefs colors of red, gold, and white, the sporty look has never seemed better.
Image courtesy of Jason Hanna/Getty Images
After the game, Swift and Kelce left together, with him sporting a blue and white denim set that the brand, KidSuper Studios, quickly renamed the “1989 Bedroom Painting Set” before news could even strike about the outfit. The two drove off in Kelce’s convertible to hit the town in Kansas City. After paying for everyone’s meal in the Prime Social Rooftop, the two were able to dine alone, staying out until 2 a.m. in true 1989 style.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) is Swift’s next re-recorded album, set to release October 27.
Already, Swift’s impact in the NFL is notable. Many post-game interviews of Kelce’s teammates discussed her attendance, and sportscaster Rich Eisen included virtually every song reference he could think of in a report on Kelce. People have already started talking about the Chiefs v.s. Eagles game, as Swift is historically an Eagles fan. The NFL Twitter even changed their cover photo to an enthusiastic picture of Swift at the game, with their profile momentarily labeled as “NFL (Taylor’s Version).”
Furthermore, a picture of Swift “eating a piece of chicken with ketchup and seemingly ranch” sparked Hidden Valley Ranch to change their name on Twitter to “Seemingly Ranch,” and a quick scroll through their posts from the past 24 hours show that their social media manager is clearly a fan.
The 33-year-old tight end has seen over a 400% increase in jersey sales and 276% increase in Instagram followers since the game.
What does this suggest about the upcoming season of the NFL? My brother and I have been trying to answer this question for the past two days. Over 24 million people viewed the game, signifying a 63% increase in viewership from women ages 25-49. It was the most watched game of the week. Swift received double the amount of screen time as Kelce during his own game, and given the speedy uproar over everything from style to chicken fingers, it would be likely to see an influx of Swifties at Chiefs games.
Ticket sales just since Sunday’s game have already surpassed total sales from the beginning of the season. With Swift’s next show not for another six weeks and her apparent inability to rest, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her in Chiefs attire again soon. The crossover between Swift’s fan base of more than half of U.S. adults and the average 17 million viewers per game – over 100 million for the Super Bowl – the possibilities are truly endless and unexpected.
Swift’s concert film of The Eras Tour is set to release worldwide on October 13. I’d bet Kelce has a ticket to the premiere.