Picture this: the manliest man you know, the most Rah-Rah-America, beer and football fanatic, woman-hating guy, just got a notification from his ESPN app about Taylor Swift. Your annoying little brother just turned on the sports channel only to hear song reference after song reference about “that bitch who hates Kanye.” Your ex just heard Bill Belichick call your favorite artist the “biggest catch” of Travis Kelce’s career. Hey Siri, play “I Bet You Think About Me.”
Taylor Swift’s power is not unknown—she caused a literal earthquake—but on Sunday, Sept. 24, she may have made her biggest move yet: She infiltrated the NFL. Long mocked for writing songs about ex-boyfriends, Taylor Allison Swift is currently the biggest news in the National Football League. Sports columns read not about the game, but rather the special guest in attendance. Fathers and daughters everywhere are having the biggest week of their lives.
For the past few weeks it has been speculated that Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was romantically involved with Swift. On a podcast with his brother, Kelce commented that he had hoped to give Swift a friendship bracelet he made when he saw her on tour, but did not get the chance to meet her. Since then, sports media coverage has run wild with Swift references, one commentator stating that Kelce found a “blank space” in the end zone. The NFL TikTok bio currently reads: “9/24/23. Taylor was here.” We do not know if this Swift-Kelce romance is serious, or if it will go anywhere beyond a few casual dates, but that does not matter. The importance of this relationship lies not in its potential fruition, but in its public impact.
Suddenly, people have common ground. Sports lovers and Swifties have something to talk about. A record breaking number of teen girls are tuning in to Sunday football. Hundreds of Kansas City fans are looking up Taylor Swift lyrics for their posters. People are having fun, and it is uniting individuals that previously had no shared interests. Brothers and sisters are connecting like they never had before. The Instagram reels that dads are sending their daughters are out of control. Best of all Twitter, or X, is in its prime.
Swiftie lore has a million dimensions, so the jokes that people have come up with are not only hilarious but creative. @tisivy on X tweeted “finally someone with money and a JOB,” poking fun at the Swiftie bit that Swift’s ex, actor Joe Alwyn, was poor. Another of these jokes, made by @evermoregcv, reads “it’s been YEARS since she dated someone with a car.” Accompanied by images of Swift and Kelce leaving the Chiefs game in his car, @ev3rhaze tweeted: “i just KNOW she’s gonna write a banger song about this exact moment in his car later,” a reference to Swift’s fan-favorite song “Getaway Car.” Additionally, Swift has not dated an American in nearly 10 years, so the internet has taken to joking about the nationality of her potential new man. @titosoatmilk on X tweeted that Swift’s rare American romance was “[Swifties’] fourth of july throw the tea in the harbor.” TikToker Sally Darr Griffin, @sallydarr on X, tweeted: “Men who love football and hate on Taylor Swift are punching walls.” Not only is the media buzz amusing for Swifties, but it is properly humbling all football-loving and Swift-hating men. All this to say, the online discourse has been deeply comical and generally wonderful.
This publicity has not only been good for Swifties, Chiefs fans and chronically online people, but it has also done great things for the NFL. ESPN highlighted a surge in both viewership and merchandise sales after Swift’s appearance at the game on Sunday. According to USA Today, 24.3 million people watched the game on Sept. 24, by far the most-viewed of the weekend. Among those 24.3 million viewers, women made up much of the demographic. Compared to views from a year ago, there was an eight percent increase in female viewers ages 12 to 17. More than that, ESPN notes a 400 percent increase in Kelce jersey sales. I smell a trending couples costume for Halloween.
This past Sunday, Oct. 1, Taylor made another football appearance at the Jets vs. Chiefs game in New York City. This time, she brought with her an entourage of very famous friends, including Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner, Sabrina Carpenter and more. Needless to say, the internet erupted in the same commotion as last Sunday. The excitement continues.
Over the summer, Taylor Swift lit up cities with her magnificent “Eras Tour.” She brought so much joy to her fans and the communities of the places that she toured, and Swifties everywhere mourned the day that the U.S. leg of the tour ended. But ever-generous Swift never rests, living another day to bring content to the realm of pop culture. An often private person, her public appearance at the Chiefs game has caused a national outbreak that only she could induce. In the digital age, there are few things as exciting as when the media electrifies in this way. She does it for us. Thank you Taylor! And Travis, you are cute too. Whether or not this is a publicity stunt, in the words of the Wall Street Journal: “Does it really matter?” A universal source of joy has been gifted to the masses, and we would do well to enjoy this exciting pop-culture moment for what it is.
I couldn’t agree more!