Marilyn and DeMaggio. Posh Spice and Beckham. Shakira and Pique. Gisele and Brady. Some of the most iconic couples in recent memory have involved a pop culture icon and her athlete partner: unlikely pairings at first glance, but connected through their understanding of personal fame. It seems we may have a new addition to this list with the recent rumours swirling around Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
How serious this relationship might be, or the line it might straddle between publicity stunt and genuine courtship, is outside of my personal interest. What I find more fascinating is how Swift and Kelce’s public flirtation has made a concrete impact on the sport of American football itself.
It began in July, when Kelce revealed on his podcast that he had attended Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour with a homemade friendship bracelet, as many Swifties have done. He lamented being unable to give his bracelet to Taylor herself, as it included his number. That professional football players are attending the Eras tour and participating in its fan culture speaks to the overwhelming reach of Ms. Swift herself.
Yet things escalated with Taylor was seen in Travis Kelce’s family box attending a Chiefs game on September 24, standing next to his mother Donna Kelce and cheering raucously as Travis scored a touchdown (he does so quite frequently, being one of the best players in the league). The encounter has led to countless memes and opinion pieces as Kelce confirmed he invited Taylor to attend. Crucially, this has also led to perhaps the biggest individual fanbase in the world looking up what exactly the NFL is and how it works.
The impact has been astronomical. Sportswear brand Fanatics told National Public Radio that Kelce’s jersey sales have spiked by 400 percent since that fateful September game. The following Chiefs game against the New York Jets was the most-watched football game of the year after the Super Bowl, according to a press release by NBC. More than 29 million people tuned in to catch a glimpse of Taylor and her celebrity-studded friend group rooting on the Chiefs.
The entire situation has illustrated Taylor’s supreme power as one of the greatest tastemakers of her era. Travis Kelce is worth watching, and so people are tuning in. Yet it also provides a unique intersection between the traditionally feminine cultures of pop music, celebrity, and ‘shipping’ with the masculine – often downright patriarchal – world of American football.
This gives the NFL a unique opportunity to market its product to a key demographic, often ignored by them: young women. Yet it might also work in the other direction, with young women forcing the NFL to acquiesce to their demands. The NFL has long been criticized for its handling of domestic violence and sexual assault allegations. Its female cheerleaders have been involved in embittered legal fights over sexual harassment, exploitation and minimum wage violations. Last year Deshaun Watson was signed to one of the biggest contracts in league history, despite having more than twenty sexual assault accusations against him, and he continues to show up to work as a star quarterback.
What might it look like if these young women, in addition to spending their money on NFL products and tuning in to watch its games, demanded more of the league in general? What if the NFL was forced to make concrete changes to its deeply-rooted misogynistic culture as a result of this surge in interest from a new generation of female fans? And what if all of this was, in part, because of Taylor Swift?
Perhaps Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are a public relations stunt. Perhaps their relationship fizzles out in a few months. Perhaps this becomes a blip on our pop culture radar, one of those memes included in our end-of-decade recaps. Yet it might also signify a longer-term change in the fandom of American football: more personal, more pop-culture driven, and perhaps more feminist as well. One can only hope.
“Taylor Swift The Eras Tour The Folklore Set Era (53108930417)” by Paolo V is licensed under CC BY 2.0.