Sunday Night Football (Taylor’s Version)

The Relationship of a Pop Star Icon and Super Bowl Champion 

When Super Bowl-winning football players and pop-star icons meet, sparks fly. Travis Kelce, an eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro selection, and two-time Superbowl champion has been in the spotlight recently for being seen alongside award-winning artist Taylor Swift, who is a three-time IFPI Global Artist of the Year and has earned forty American Music Awards, twenty-nine Billboard Music Awards, and twelve Grammy Awards. The two have taken the internet by storm, as almost every news outlet from the BBC to Harper’s Bazaar to ESPN has reported on their possible romance. As of right now, they are the couple that the world has their eyes on.

Their relationship comes as a surprise to many, as Taylor Swift, a serial celebrity dater, has never actually dated a professional athlete, especially none of Travis Kelce’s caliber. The Kelce and Swift romance began months ago, even before the NFL preseason, when Kelce had his eyes on other things, far from football. Kelce made the first move in the relationship by attending the Eras Tour concert in Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium on July 8th. While at the concert, Kelce attempted to give Taylor his phone number by writing it on a friendship bracelet, with the hope of being noticed by the pop superstar. Despite Kelce’s valiant first effort at meeting Taylor, their paths unfortunately never crossed. As weeks passed and training camp began for the Chiefs, Kelce went on to talk about his Eras Tour experience during an episode of New Heights, a podcast hosted by himself and his older brother Jason, a center for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Kelce brothers poked fun at Travis’ failed attempt and seemingly nothing else transpired between the two celebrities. As September came around, rumors started to surface that Travis and Taylor were hanging out in New York City around Taylor’s home. Fans began to show interest in this unique pairing, Swifties being absolutely enthralled about a possible burgeoning relationship.

While Taylor is used to being the center of attention during her stadium concert––a single woman at the very center of thousands of people––this NFL season has proven that she does not need to be on the main stage to take the spotlight. Viewing the game from an elevated, remote suite, Swift has been spotted attending Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium. On September 24th, in a game against the Chicago Bears, Swift accepted an invitation to Travis Kelce’s personal box, mingling with Kelce’s mother and the rest of his family––talk about a hard launch! Later that night, after Kelce assisted the Chiefs in their win with a touchdown, the two were seen leaving the game together and even later having a particularly romantic dinner date in the city. The next week against the Jets, Swift again showed up to support her new partner, but this time she brought some celebrity guests with her. Seated in a MetLife suite, Swift’s close friend Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds joined in on the fun; also in attendance was Brittany Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes’ wife. Both Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have continued to embrace the spotlight, indulging both football and music fans by appearing together in an SNL skit after Taylor attended Travis’ game in Kansas City against the Broncos, her third stadium appearance.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's relationship has not just sparked a possible love interest, but it has also allowed both to harness completely different audiences. Since the dating rumors began, Travis Kelce has gained over 1.5 million followers on Instagram, most of them being Swifties. Furthermore, since Kelce and Swift began spending time together publically, the NFL itself has seen a spike in numbers in the past month. The October 1st Chiefs and Jets game was the most watched Sunday football game since the Superbowl, attaining an average of 27 million viewers, with a whopping 22% increase in viewing relative to their previous week three matchup. The NFL even reported that 53% more teen girls are watching football compared to last season; furthermore, there has been a 24% increase among female viewers between the ages of 18 and 24 and a 34% increase in female viewers above 35. In short, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have begun to bridge the gap between their two audiences, bringing football fans and Swifties together, each enjoying some classic American entertainment.

As long as this power couple continues their relationship and, more importantly, continues to publicize it, it seems that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s popularity will grow even larger. Although there are many theories that say their pairing is simply a marketing stunt, fans are hopeful that this relationship is real and will live on. If nothing else, after dating Joe Alwyn for six years, Taylor Swift realizes that, with Travis Kelce by her side, “tonight's the night when [she] forget[s] about the heartbreaks.”

Ryan Wolff