Baby, let the games begin: Taylor Swift may have found a new Lover in Chiefs star Travis Kelce

The pop culture news that has taken over the country in just a span of two weeks has merged two audiences that have never coexisted before: Swifties and NFL fans.

Taylor Swift performed for three sold out stadium shows in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in May, and on Sunday, she attended the same stadium to cheer on a new flame who some fans know all too well.

Swift was initially spotted at the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium on September 24, where she seemingly confirmed rumors that she and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce are officially dating— a development that spiked his jersey sales by 400% according to NFLshop.com representatives. To top that, the ticket sales for the Chiefs’ game against the New York Jets on Sunday were boosted by 175% on StubHub, according to CBS.

This is Kelce’s 11th season in the NFL and he has been regarded by some, like CBS Sports and Fox Sports, to be one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.

The Chiefs’ tight end and Swift were first linked after Kelce shared his attempt to get Swift’s attention during her Eras Tour stop in Kansas City on his podcast, “New Heights,” that he hosts with his brother, NFL Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. According to Travis Kelce, he intended to give Swift a friendship bracelet, a popular cultural phenomenon that takes place at Taylor Swift concerts, with his phone number on it.

Despite this failed attempt, Kelce was successful in inviting Swift to a Chiefs game. “I threw the ball in her [Swift’s] court. I told her ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead,” Kelce said on the Pat McAffee Show. And thus the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce obsession began.

“Looking at it from an outsider’s perspective, it’s kind of one of those things where you feel like he’s trying to date up, you know?” said Baltej Miglni, a junior studying international relations and global economy. He would not describe himself as a Swifie, rather a regular follower of the NFL. He spoke about Kelce’s previous partner, model and influencer Kayla Nicole, saying that he broke up with her after “making it big” in the NFL. Kelce dated Nicole on and off from 2017 to 2022, according to Sports News.

Nicholas Torre, a freshman and chemistry major, expressed his thoughts on the subject, saying “It’s hilarious that people are making jokes about it.” While he does not care for Swift’s music and is more of an NFL fan, he said “It should be highlighted that Taylor Swift put Travis Kelce on the map. Let’s be honest, football is an American sport, Taylor Swift is an internationally recognized celebrity.”

When it came to the NFL’s increase in numbers due to Swifties, Torre said “whether or not Swifties is the prime demographic that they’re trying to attract, probably not. But more butts in seats is always a good thing as far as the NFL is concerned.”

Some of the butts in seats included Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Hugh Jackman, just a few celebrities that attended the game with Swift on Sunday.

Not everyone is “enchanted” by the songstress’ presence at the games though.  Ashley Wieland, a junior majoring in human biology and a big NFL fan, expressed her concerns over the Swift fascination. “The fact that the tickets have gone up due to her presence at the games kind of sucks because those fans that have wanted to be there for so long can’t go if they can’t afford it,” Wieland said.

Still, some Taylor Swift fans are gushing over the blooming relationship.

“It’s cute how there are couples who can kind of bond over this—if the boyfriend is watching football on Sunday and the girlfriend just didn’t previously care. I’ve seen on TikTok how a lot of people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, now I want to watch football with my boyfriend,’” said Kayla Minei, a Sophomore who has been a Swift fan since the debut of her second album, “Fearless.”

Only time will tell if Kelce will be the 1.