For those living under a rock, 33 year-old singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is a global superstar and one of the most influential artists of the decade. Another big name in the industry, Travis Kelce, is a tight-end on the Kansas City Chiefs the Super Bowl winner last year. These two stars have formed an intimate friendship with Taylor Swift showing up at Chiefs’ games, but neither have confirmed the rumors of them dating. Here’s a short recap of how they met and what to know.
These two celebrities have always spoken fondly of each other and seem to be closely knit. In an interview with ESPN, Kelce praised Swift’s work ethic and dedication to her craft. “She’s one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met,” he said. Swift also praises his abilities saying in an interview with Rolling Stone, “[He’s] one of the most talented athletes I’ve ever seen” and went to one of his games in 2019.
More recently, Kelce attended an Eras Tour concert and gave her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it. “I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs she sings … She doesn’t meet anybody, or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal,” Kelce said on an episode of the “New Heights” podcast he does.
Two months later, Swift was seen sitting with his mom watching his game at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chicago Bears. After this game, she attended 5 consecutive Chiefs games in a row. This caused a big stir on Tiktok, Instagram, and every big social media platform. Fans speculate whether or not they’re dating and have created ship names in support of this duo. However, both Swift and Kelce have been clear that their relationship is purely a friendship.
Some data supports the buzz around the melding of two seperate fanbases. Kelce gained more followers after Swift’s appearance than after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. According to data analyzing by Average being, the NFL gains an average of 13,000 followers every time Swift goes to a Chief’s game. Since Swift attended the Chiefs game, there was a 400% increase in Kelce jersey sales and 24.3 million people watched his game, making it the No. 1 game of week three.
With this couple seems to be the rage, the NFL recognizes the effect of Taylor Swift. They have changed their bios on separate platforms to “NFL (Taylor’s Version)” and “Chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties”. Some believe NFL is giving Swift too much attention. Kelce says, “I think it’s fun when they show who’s at the game because it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere. But at the same time, they’re overdoing it a little bit.” Many football fans dislike the media coverage on Taylor Swift rather than on football stats, but the growth of the NFL platform is undeniable. The amount of positivity surrounding this two superstars is off the charts. Whether Swift and Kelce are dating or not, only great things have come of their relationship.
In the whirlwind of publicity, Swift and Kelce have remained close and continue to support each other. Kelce recently purchased a 6 million dollar house in Kansas City with a more secluded location. Many people believe this is so Swift’s and Kelce’s relationship can bloom, but no statements have been released from either of them.
Even if they’re not dating, Kelce playing performance has improved significantly with the points he’s putting up. After Kelce’s amazing game against the Chargers, Chief’s head coach Andy Reid said, “Taylor Swift can stay around all she wants.”
