An A-list pop star and a football player for the Kansas City Chiefs may seem like the ultimate power couple. While she sells out stadiums, so does he, and as he comes home with another Super Bowl win, she comes home with another Grammy.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have become the most well-known celebrity couple since they were first pictured holding hands in September. Photos and comments about their fascinating relationship have become an inescapable part of the internet.
Both football and music fans have posted their views about the relationship on many social media platforms. While there are haters and supporters of every famous couple, there is something evidently different about the responses of each fanbase.
Taylor Swift fans (Swifties) have excitedly gawked over the Swift-Kelce relationship from the beginning. Kelce’s appearances at “The Eras Tour” have been widely celebrated.
Fans commented, “This man is a legend” and “He’s one of us!! He’s a Swiftie too” on videos of Kelce dancing at concerts. At every concert he attends, videos of him reacting to lyrics and dance moves go viral.
At one concert, Swift changed the popular lyric, “Karma is the guy on the screen coming straight home to me,” from her song “Karma” to “Karma is the guy on the “Chiefs” coming straight home to me,” referring to Kelce.
This lyric change became a conversation topic on every news channel, noting that Travis Kelce’s involvement in Taylor Swift concerts is adorable to watch.
While Kelce was immediately accepted into Taylor Swift’s world, Swift didn’t have the same experience when she started supporting her boyfriend at football games.
Some football viewers enjoy her presence at Kelce’s games. A few Kansas City Chiefs fans even bring posters that say, “KELCE is SWIFT to the endzone” or “I’m a swiftie.”
That said, most football fans disapprove of Swift’s sudden game attendance. In a video of Swift enjoying the game with the audience, posted by ESPN on TikTok, people commented, “Taylor Swift sucks,” “Garbage” and “Nobody cares.” Most comments contain slurs, throw-up emojis, or derogatory terms directed toward the singer.
When the Kansas City Chiefs played the Baltimore Ravens to see what team would make it to the Super Bowl, Swift was met with angry audience members when she arrived. When leaving the stadium, people yelled, “You’re ruining football” at Swift, to which she replied, “I didn’t do anything.”
At another game, when the Chiefs played the New England Patriots, the jumbotron jumped to Swift for a few seconds, and the crowd began booing her. Ironically, under the broadcast of her shrugging and uncomfortably waiting for the booing to stop, a quote from her read, “Gillette Stadium is the most joyful place on Earth.”
Most people are mad at Taylor Swift because she is shown on the jumbotron occasionally. People don’t acknowledge that Swift has no control over when or how often the camera flips to her.
As she said in her Time interview for Person of the Year 2023, “I’m just there to support Travis, I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Rob Hyland, who has covered a few football games that Swift has attended, said, “It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, let’s, let’s show her this many times.’ It was, ‘Hey, when appropriate, let’s remind the audience that she’s there.'”
Taylor Swift’s coverage at football games has been the butt of many jokes. During the Golden Globes, host Jo Koy said, “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift”.
While Swift has been villainized and laughed at for attending football games to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce has been praised for his efforts to be there for Swift’s performances.
There is a blatant double standard when it comes to the presentation of Swift and Kelce.
It is unfair that Swift has to deal with backlash about something she can’t control. People are mad at her for doing the exact same thing that Kelce does – the only difference is that she is a woman.
One theory for the level of hate towards Swift is that most football fans don’t like that a successful woman is now inspiring other girls to watch football and is gaining attention in the male-dominated sport.
NBC reported that 2 million more women ages 18-24 watched the Chiefs football game after Swift was first spotted.
Even with the negative comments towards Taylor Swift, she still attends the games she pleases and stands her ground as both Travis Kelce’s girlfriend and a football fan.