Thanks to Travis Kelce, Swifties enter their football era

Swifties' pronouns are USA.
By Elena Cavender  on 
Taylor Swift beaming at the Kansas City Chiefs game on Sept. 24.
She's cheer captain and I'm in the private guest suite. Credit: Getty Images: Jason Hanna / Stringer

Yesterday (Sept. 24), Swifties watched with eagle-eyed precision as Taylor Swift cheered from the VIP section of the Kansas City Chiefs game.

The pop star showed up at the football game after the Chiefs' golden boy and tight end, Travis Kelce, invited her. A source told People: "She thought it was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday," and her fans agree. Swift's appearance came among rumors of a romance between her and the football star ... and after Kelce confessed on his podcast that he made a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it, but he didn't get the opportunity to hand it to Swift at her Eras Tour.

Fearless football era

Between those charming tidbits and an entire football game to tune into — with ample camera pans to Swift to dissect — there was a lot for Swifties to talk about. One fan shared the popular image of President Biden, former President Obama, and Hillary Clinton in the situation room with the caption, "all the girls putting on the chiefs/bears game."

Fans quickly adopted Kelce and the Chiefs. One fan posted a football explainer and another captioned a video of Swift smiling and walking with, "me on my way to watch every single interview Travis Kelce has ever had."

Others joked about their families' surprise at their sudden interest in the game. One claimed her father walked in on her watching the game and "started crying tears of happiness."

Swiftie independence day

Others weren't so focused on the novelty of Swift at the game but on the nationality of the player. For the past 10 years, Swift has exclusively dated British men (to the public's knowledge). Her appearance at Kelce's game marks the end of Swift's London boy era, stirring an upswell of patriotism among fans. "Omfg this is literally our Fourth of July throw tea in the harbor," reads one Tweet (or X post). Another says, "Taylor Swift dating an American footballer is literally like the Declaration of Independence. Free from the shackles of British colonialism!"

On Tumblr, one fan wrote, "Taylor Swift stopped outsourcing her boyfriends. Joe Biden really brought back American jobs." A reply reads, "Build Back Better (Taylor's Version)."

While some are all "USA USA USA CAW CAWWWW", others claim Swift and Kelce to be American royalty.

Miss Americana and the tight end

Perhaps the most entertaining part of any development with Swift is the depth of her lore. Thanks to her vivid and masterful storytelling, there's always a lyric to ascribe to a situation and fans are doing the leg work.

Swift sitting with Kelce's mom brings to mind the lyrics from "All Too Well": "Your mother's telling stories about you on the tee-ball team," which fans edited to "the football team," obviously. Then there are the iconic lines of "Hey Stephen": "You'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team," which caused some discussion. One fan even pulled out "Mary's Song" from the oft-neglected debut album due to its mention of 87, Kelce's number, and 89, the final digits of Swift's forthcoming re-recorded album, 1989, and birth year. Needless to say, fans are having a ball!

And seemingly ranch

The popular updates account @tswifterastour accidentally created the silliest meme from the game. It posted a photo of Swift posing with a fan next to a plate of food with the caption, "Taylor Swift was eating a piece of chicken with ketchup and seemingly ranch." First, the obsession with Swift down to the meal she ate is bizarre, but what the internet found even more bizarre was the phrase, "seemingly ranch."

It was churned out over and over again across X. For example, one user wrote, "We all remember exactly where we were when we learned that Taylor Swift was eating a piece of chicken with ketchup and seemingly ranch."

The grand exit

To top it all off, Kelce and Swift strutted out together and drove off in his convertible into the evening. Talk about a conversation starter.

The pair sure made an impact online. All eyes will be turned to the next Chiefs game.

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Elena Cavender

Elena is a tech reporter and the resident Gen Z expert at Mashable. She covers TikTok and digital trends. She recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in American History. Email her at [email protected] or follow her @ecaviar_.


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