Unless you live under a rock or don’t have social media, I am positive you have heard about the new budding romance between pop star, Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce. The two were spotted walking out of Travis’ game against the Chicago Bears on September 24 and “slid off in the getaway car” according to Travis. Fans went wild when pictures and videos surfaced of Taylor cheering on the team with Travis’ mom sitting beside her. Rumors arose saying the two were texting and spending time together when Travis very openly revealed that he attended The Eras Tour in July with the sole intent of meeting Taylor. Kelce even made her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it, but he never ended up gifting it to her. He mentioned all of this on his podcast “New Heights”, which he co-hosts with his brother Jason Kelce, another NFL star who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I am so disgustingly invested in this couple it’s insane. I’ve never been this invested in my life. Imagine this in book form.” – “BookTok” TikTok influencer, Larissa Cambusano.
However, not everyone on social media is on board with this relationship. Some are questioning the romance’s genuinity, while many others speculate if this is simply just a publicity stunt. Taylor Swift’s fans, also known as the Swifties, are absolutely loving the idea of this new relationship and hope the couple will be endgame.
Some of Swift and Kelce’s spectators who criticize the romance’s validity are impressed with the rapid success and attention the pair have garnered. Since Taylor’s first and only appearance at a Chiefs game (which was this past Sunday, September 24), Travis Kelce has gained 383,000 Instagram followers, more than what he gained after winning last year’s Super Bowl. Furthermore, roughly 24.3 million people tuned into the Chiefs’ most recent game and Kelce’s jersey sales have increased by 400%, now ranking him among the top five best-selling jerseys in the NFL. He has also experienced a rise in female viewers ages 18-49 by 63%.
“Travis Kelce has had a lot of big catches in his career but this would be the biggest.” – Bill Belichick, General Manager of the New England Patriots.
PR stunt or not, this budding romance is definitely grabbing all types of attention. As a Taylor Swift fan and lover of football, part of me hopes this relationship is real. The pictures I’ve seen circulating online are so cute, and it’s safe to say that neither of them needs the attention that PR stunts bring. It would be hard to deny that this could potentially be one of the best PR stunts of the decade. Who knows, maybe this is the “Love Story” Taylor has always wanted and maybe Travis is the new “King of My [her] Heart”. With all that said I wish the best for both Taylor and Travis, couple or not.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, baby”- Travis Kelce.
References
Twitter. (n.d.). Twitter. https://twitter.com/FOS
Larry on Tiktok. TikTok. (n.d.). https://www.tiktok.com/@larryreads/video/7282516002779188522
Bleacherreport on TikTok. TikTok. (n.d.-a). https://www.tiktok.com/@bleacherreport/video/7283253835164929326
YouTube. (2023b, September 27). Eagles stay unbeaten, Travis’ “Biggest catch” and New Football Eras | EP 55. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89VJaoEwvkE