Taylor Swift fans, myself included, are going crazy right now, and not just for her music. Her newfound love with Travis Kelce, a football player for the Chiefs, has been extremely well-received by the media. This leads many to wonder whether this relationship is real or if it is just a carefully curated publicity stunt to promote her music and his football career. To answer this question, we have to go way back to the beginning of their relationship.
Lucky for us, we don’t have to go back very far. In July of this year, Kelce expressed his disappointment that he didn’t get to “Shoot his shot with her” and give her some of the bracelets he had made her at one of her concerts. By September, the pair had gone public! Kelce avoided talking about this in an interview with Elle on the 14th, although there was talk that the two were hanging out with each other. The world changed forever on the 24th when Taylor watched Kelce’s game with his mom at her side. Ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic. But seriously, many, including me, were showing a never-before-found interest in sports. I quite literally lept to my feet to run to the screen when Taylor came on. I wasn’t the only one considering, according to ESPN, that game brought in 24.3 million viewers and was the most-watched NFL game that weekend. The ratings showed that there was an 8% jump in viewers, many of those being female. Later on, on November 4th, Swift’s dad and Kelce flew to her concert in Argentina. During the performance, she changed the lyrics of her song “Karma” from, “Karma is the guy on the screen coming straight home to me,” which was a possible nod to her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, to “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me.” Afterward, a video was circulating around the internet of Taylor running into Travis’s arms and kissing him.
Many are saying this relationship looks performative and fake. Both have a lot to gain from this coupling. Travis’s jersey sales jumped up 400% since Taylor saw him play. Skip Bayless, a sports commentator, spoke out this week, saying this relationship looked fake, although she hopes it’s real. As for the kiss in Argentina, he commented, “Because she is such a megastar, obviously she is extremely image conscious. She’s just painfully camera aware — and so she’s always in danger in her life of acting a part when she knows she’s on camera” (ESPN, 2023). All over the world, this relationship has become a phenomenon, even being referenced on SNL. Taylor made a surprise appearance during this episode and watched the skit from the audience. In addition to this, her relationship is discussed all over the media, leaving a sour taste reminiscent of a PR team industry plant. But there’s a possibility this relationship is real, and who are we to stand in the way of a happy couple?
In the past, Taylor Swift was very private about her relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, to the point where he wouldn’t even come with her as her date to events. Maybe this is simply her finally getting to be open about her romantic life now that this relationship has ended. Travis Kelce has also made an effort not to share the private details of their relationship in September, saying he didn’t want to talk about his personal life. This leads one to think if this was a fake relationship for publicity, wouldn’t this take away from the whole point of it?
But in the end, does it matter if this relationship is real? Yes, of course it does! I hope this relationship is real. The two seem sincerely into each other, and Taylor Swift needs to catch a break after so much heartbreak.
References
Bailey, and Alyssa. “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Complete Relationship Timeline.” Elle, 2023, https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a45378530/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-relationship-timeline/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_elm_md_pmx_us_urlx_17925201838&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgaSF-uTGggMV8E1HAR26iQQsEAAYASAAEgLBH_D_BwE.
Lemoncelli, and Jenna. “Skip Bayless Hopes He’s Wrong about ‘fake’ Taylor Swift.” New York Post, 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/11/17/sports/skip-bayless-hopes-hes-wrong-about-fake-taylor-swift/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=message_app.
“Taylor Swift Effect: Travis Kelce Jersey Sales Spike nearly 400%.”, 2023, https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38496220/taylor-swift-effect-travis-kelce-jersey-sales-spike-nearly-400.