Who is the most famous person in the NFL (National Football League)? Many American football fans will throw out the names of Patrick Mahomes, or even Nick Bosa. But that’s not what the powerful league will tell you, which for a little over three weeks has only had one name on its lips: Taylor Swift, aka “Tay Tay” to the fans.
One of the biggest stars on the planet today could give another dimension to American football because of his new boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce. America has always loved romances between the world of sport and entertainment: from Marilyn Monroe and baseball player Joe Di Maggio in the 50s, to Tom Brady and top model Gisele Bündchen or even Russell Wilson and singer Ciara these Last 15 years.
The story between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce has taken circuitous paths that nourish the storytelling that Americans are so fond of. This player, both dominant on the field and whimsical off it, had tried an approach without success during a concert of the star via the famous bracelets of Taylor Swift fans, on which he had written his telephone number, as he told it himself in his weekly podcast with his brother, also an NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Finally the “tight end” – his position on the field – managed to meet the ex-country singer through mutual acquaintances. Chiefs coach Andy Reid even had fun implying that he could have been the couple’s matchmaker during a post-match press conference.
From the start of the regular season, rumors of a love affair rustled in the corridors of NFL stadiums, but the new queen of pop only made their romance official on September 24, by appearing in the VIP boxes of the NFL stadium. Kansas City, alongside the mother of the winner of the 2020 and 2023 Super Bowls. A real earthquake.
Taylor Swift freaks out the statistics
Since then, the NFL has instructed League cameramen to no longer release “Tay-Tay” during his appearances in the stands. They even include it in the statistics, like here where the league calmly explains on the air that the Chiefs are at 2 wins and zero losses when the singer of “Shake It Off” is in the stands.
Why such an interest ? Quite simply, because Taylor Swift is a cash machine. Like her records and sold-out concerts, the Taylor Swift effect is immediate. For three weeks, the NFL audiences have never been so good across the Atlantic. Sales of Kelce’s jerseys exploded by nearly 400% in the days following the formalization of this romantic relationship.
The phenomenon is such that on social networks, for the past 15 days, a “trend” has featured American women making fun of their companion by affirming that it is Taylor Swift who “put her on the world map »Travis Kelce. Which has the gift of annoying American football fans, but has further made the player gain popularity.
And as is often the case in these cases, it doesn’t take long for the comedians to take up the subject. Thus, the NFL’s obsession with Taylor Swift was treated to her segment on the famous comedy show “Saturday Night Live” last weekend. And who appears there in their own role? Travis Kelce himself!
There is no doubt that this relationship, which the celebrity press draws heavily on, will still be talked about between now and the Super Bowl. If the Kansas City Chiefs ever participate, it could be a huge jackpot for an already multi-billion dollar league.
