February 08, 2024 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | By Beatrice Roussell
On Sunday, Jan. 28, the Kansas City Chiefs secured their spot in the 2024 Super Bowl after beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10. Following the Chief’s victory, the San Francisco 49ers took the win against the Detroit Lions – answering the question of who would star in the LVII Super Bowl.
The biggest dilemma professional football now faces is whether Taylor Swift, musical legend and current girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs tight-end, Travis Kelce, would be able to attend the game given her Eras Tour performance in Tokyo on Saturday Feb. 10. Thankfully, Japanese Standard Time is 17 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, giving her approximately enough time in theory to make it to Las Vegas to watch her boyfriend play in his fourth Super Bowl.
Swift attended her 12th Chiefs game last Sunday, where she watched Kelce catch the first touchdown of the game, breaking the record for most career receptions in the playoffs, with a total of 156 receptions. Actresses Cara Delevingne and Keleigh Teller joined her for this game in a suite at the M&T Bank Stadium, along with Kylie Kelce, Travis’s brother, Jason Kelce’s wife.
Throughout the season, she has been accompanied by a number of other big stars, including Sophie Turner, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and the renowned Brittany Mahomes. The friendship that sprouted between Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes this season is argued to have produced an even better duo than Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Evidence can be found on Brittany Mahomes’ Instagram, where she and Swift were #twinningandwinning at the first playoff game in matching custom jersey jackets. This begs the questions: who will Swift sit with during the Super Bowl? What will she wear? Will she make a surprise appearance during the half-time show or let Kelce have his special day?
Swifties around the country wait with bated breath as they join Super Bowl watch parties to see her featured throughout the game. She was only shown four times during the last NFL game, and most Swifties, including myself, are hoping for more screen time at the upcoming event. However, while this is the final game of the 2024 season, the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story is unlikely to come to an end. Three days after the game, I place a high bet that there will be high coverage of the couple’s Valentine’s Day plans in excruciating detail.
All jokes aside, Taylor Swift has managed to bring a fresh wave of fans to the NFL, thereby integrating two incredibly different fanbases to diversify the NFL audience. She has also generated an estimated $331 million for the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL since her first appearance early this season.
While many complain about her infiltration into football, one must concede that a few seconds of Swift on television is a small price to pay for the support and financial gain she has brought to the sport.
To all the lifelong football fans let this cultural shift be an exciting time of welcoming all new fans to the sport– even if it is for Taylor Swift and not your favorite team.