By Michaela Cleary, Contributing Writer
There are not many things that could excite football fans and pop culture fanatics, like the rumored romance of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and pop superstar Taylor Swift.
For the last few weeks, National Football League (NFL) fans and Swifties (the name of the Taylor Swift fanbase) have been eagerly following this story.
Kelce first made his interest in Swift known on his podcast, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce”, which he co-hosts with his older brother Jason Kelce.
When asked about his recent attendance at Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert, Kelce shared, “I wanted to give Taylor Swift [a friendship bracelet] with my number on it.”
“Your number, as in 87, or your phone number?” asked Jason. Travis replied, “You know which one,” as he smiled and winked.
This comment immediately sent fans into a tizzy, as they promptly started to support the idea of this new couple. One of these fans resides here on campus at Saint Leo.
Doriann Pina, a senior majoring in biomedical sciences, shared her thoughts on this exciting news.
“I am so thrilled about this,” Pina stated. “I am not the biggest Taylor Swift fan, but I absolutely love Travis. They would make such a cute couple.”
Travis Kelce was first drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2013 after playing football for The University of Cincinnati. While being on the Chiefs, Kelce has been the recipient of many prestigious awards. He is an eight-time Pro Bowl winner, four-time All-Pro Team winner, and a two-time Super Bowl winner.
This impressive resume can only be matched by someone like Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift has been dominating the music industry this past year, as she has been on her highly anticipated “Eras Tour”, which is a collection of all her albums to date. She has also received many accolades for her work and contribution to music. She has won 12 Grammy Awards, 23 Video Music Awards, and 40 American Music Awards.
On Sunday, September 24, Swift was spotted with Kelce’s mother, attending the Kansas City Chiefs versus Chicago Bears game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. This only fueled the rumors of their budding romance.
According to an article by CBS Sports, since Swift’s attendance at the Chiefs’ game, ticket sales have rocketed. In less than 24 hours, more game tickets were sold than from the start of the season. It was also reported that this was the most-watched football game of the week.
Despite many people being incredibly excited about this rumored love, there are some people who are skeptical. Janet Segovia, a senior at Saint Leo majoring in criminal justice, brings up a great point.
“The NFL is mostly known within the bounds of the United States, but many people probably already knew of Travis; however, Taylor enjoys widespread international recognition. Since Taylor is known internationally, their romance could give Kelce more publicity and fame,” Segovia shares.
This begs the question: Is their romance true love or a mastermind publicity stunt?
