![[One-sentence description of what this media is: "A photo of a vaccine site on USC campus" or "Gif of dancing banana". Important for accessibility/people who use screen readers.]](https://uscannenberg-uscannenberg-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/XAIXLJX25NG6ZPF5PWAXWM3YSQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=c13bb57af3122a83ae32b7653227f11c568b23dd2508ad867a2398f613ccaa92&width=3500&height=1968)
Although the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Chicago Bears on Sunday with a blowout of 42-10, Taylor Swift’s presence was the trending topic of the game.
Swifties tuned into the game following internet speculation that the popstar and Chiefs’ star tight end, Travis Kelce, were dating. The rumors have only continued to grow as Swift was seen sitting next to Kelce’s mother, cheering on the Chiefs and leaving the stadium with Kelce after the game.
Fox Sports announced that the game was the most-watched telecast this week on any network, bringing in a total of 24.3 million viewers. Part of the high ratings come from women in three different age demographics ranging from 12-17, 18-34 and 18-49.
Some long-term Swift fans will be making sure to watch this year’s football season in light of her supposed relationship with Kelce.
“I think my dad is actually very excited about this because now I’ll be watching football with him when I didn’t used to before,” said Arya Tandon, a junior majoring in cognitive science.
Jarod Mendoza, a materials engineering master’s student, believes that Swift fans will find football more appealing now that she’s attended a game; as a football fan, he isn’t interested in diving into her music.
“I mean, I can only name like three of her songs, I’m not really a fan,” Mendoza said. “This doesn’t make me want to listen to her more.”
Despite the differences in opinion, the Swift effect has already benefited the football star. A spokesperson from the sportswear and merchandising company, Fanatics, told The Associated Press that Kelce’s jersey skyrocketed in sales on Sunday with “a nearly 400% spike in sales throughout the Fanatics network of sites, including NFLShop.com.”
This connection dates back to July when Kelce revealed on his podcast “New Heights” that he wanted to give Swift a friendship bracelet containing his phone number on the Kansas City stop of her Eras Tour. However, Kelce said he was denied so that Swift could save her voice. Last week, he confirmed on the Pat McAfee Show that he invited Swift to come and watch him play.
“I told her that ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead, and see which one’s a little more lit,’” Kelce said.
Although the two are not confirmed to be in a relationship, Swift showing up to future games could continue to unite the fan bases and boost their respective careers.