We were both young (or whatever age you currently are) when we first saw Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift together. You close your eyes, and the flashback to last week starts when on the 24th of September, Swift was spotted cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs against the Chicago Bears.
You’re standing there, on your phone, screaming, because you really, really care.
For the few of you that have no idea what I’m referring to, the little- known ‘indie’ singer appears to have a new man by the name of Travis Kelce, a fearless and formidable NFL player. He’s pretty good and he’s pretty famous, but since the rumour of his romance with Swift started, his reputation – as well as the sporting world’s reputation – has grown amongst women, and revenue has skyrocketed.
But first, a quick history lesson.
With news more shocking than Swift announcing the old Taylor was “dead”, it was announced in April that Swift had broken up with her boyfriend of six years, English actor Joe Alwyn. Leaving a trail of teardrops on her guitar, Swift then briefly dated lead singer of the 1975, Matty Healy (or whatever that was).
Little did Swift know that her “Romeo”, in this case a burly football player who kinda looks like Travis Bickle, would soon say “hello.”
In July, Kelce attended Swift’s Eras Tour, where he planned to give her a friendship bracelet with her name on it (honestly mate, major respect). While this was him trying, Swift never received the bracelet or his digits. Kelce was undeterred, fully determined to get her attention and replace Alwyn in her affections.
In early September, it was reported that Swift had welcomed Kelce to New York and had been spending time with him. On the 21st of that month, Kelce announced he had invited Swift to one of his games.
And well… you know the rest. And if you don’t, simply log onto TikTok to fill in the blanks.
@taylorswiftly13 she looks like a proud mamma #taylorswift #traviskelce
♬ Original Mii Channel Theme – VideoGameOST
By the 24th of September, Kelce and Swift were spotted leaving the stadium together in a getaway car and swiftly (sorry) riding into the night. A love story of Shakespearean proportions, even by Swift’s standards.
And it turns out, it’s not only been a love story for the couple (allegedly), but also for sport itself.
Since their rumoured romance first sparked up, the “Taylor Swift Effect” has come into full swing. And while Swift is no stranger to breaking records (first female artist in Spotify history to reach 100 million monthly listeners, a tour with a projected gross of $2.2billion in North American ticket sales alone, generating an economy bigger than 50 countries… I could go on), none of it has yet come in sports.
Sales for Kelce’s jersey have skyrocketed by nearly 400%. TikTok has been set alight by Swifties determined to learn more about NFL. Many people have even been posting American Football explainers for fans who were watching the game solely to catch a glimpse of Swift. My friend, for example, doesn’t know the difference between Tom Brady and Dusty Martin but now knows the age, height, and birthplace of Travis Kelce. Swift is that powerful.
StubHub, a ticket resale platform, has said that there has been a “three times increase in ticket sales for Chief’s home games” since Swift was spotted. Former NFL player Jarrett Payton even compared having Swift in the building to the Super Bowl in terms of excited “energy levels.”
@kelleylorraine_ It was way too easy to get him going with this😂 #marriedlife #couplecomedy #taylorswift #traviskelce
♬ original sound – kelleylorraine_
Swift’s impact echoes Lionel Messi’s recent seismic impact in US soccer, when his move to Inter Miami brought out everyone from Kim Kardashian to LeBron James, but he was actually involved in the sport on the pitch.
In addition to this, Kelce’s podcast, New Heights With Jason and Travis Kelce, has also climbed to number one and number two respectively in Apple and Spotify rankings. The game Kelce played in also drew 24.3 million viewers, the weekend’s most watched NFL game. The viewership ratings also reflected an 8% increase in females between the ages of 12-17.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYDzkLRRAlU&pp=ygUZdGF5bG9yIHN3aWZ0IHRyYXZpcyBrZWxjZQ%3D%3D
While it’s not yet confirmed that the girl “on the bleachers” and Kelce are officially dating, it appears to be a love story between Swifties and American football. For now.
And with Swift arriving on Australian shores early next year, one can only imagine what she could do for Aussie Rules Football if she finds a connection with a humble AFL (or AFLW) player. Sorry Travis, you seem swell, but our national sport needs to experience the ‘Taylor Swift Effect’ for itself.
