Taylor Swift continues to make headlines, but this time for more than her record-breaking Eras Tour. Her relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce is quickly gaining attention–dominating popular media and becoming a topic of controversy among Swifties and NFL fans alike.
American singer-songwriter and award-winning pop star Taylor Swift is beloved around the world. At only 33 years old, she already has numerous accomplishments under her belt, including winning 12 grammys and successfully completing the first leg of her Eras Tour–the highest grossing tour in history. Swift has been making music for 19 years and released her first album at the young age of 16. As she grew up writing music and producing more albums, her fans grew up alongside her. They watched as her musical style evolved and made sure to stay on top of all the important details of her life–especially who she dated. And although the singer’s fandom–referred to as “Swifties”–has expanded considerable amounts in recent years and has reached a wider demographic, Swift’s romantic pursuits still remain a hot topic.
With the number 87 proudly on his back for the last 10 years, Travis Kelce has been a football player for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs since he was first drafted for the team in 2013. He has maintained his position as tight end since he began his football career. In fact, Kelce is regarded as one of the best tight ends of all time and is famously recognized for being a two-time Super Bowl champion and eight time Pro Bowler. But despite all of Kelce’s greatest football achievements, his name has recently been in the news more for being Taylor Swift’s rumored partner than anything else.
As this developing story of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship continues to be a main focus of popular sports news outlets and social media, the clash of 2 large fandoms is inevitable, leaving some people pleased with the unique sports story and some upset that it is gaining media coverage at all. Many MV students have their own opinions on the subject.
Megan Zhang, a junior at Monte Vista, said that she was “not originally” a Travis Kelce fan before his alleged romantic involvement with Swift. However, as a huge Taylor Swift fan, Zhang commented on the presence of this story in sports media.
“I think it’s really cool seeing the NFL honor [Taylor Swift]…I think it’s entertaining.”
Zhang also addressed Tik Tok’s role in spreading the news: “I would rather [see] something cute like this than some random gossip column.”
“I like Travis Kelce as a football player–I don’t like Taylor Swift,” said Monte Vista junior and varsity football player Marino Eleftheriadis. Yet, shockingly, this approval for Kelce and lack of support for Swift doesn’t greatly impact Eleftheriadis’s view on the relationship taking over news.
“I don’t really care that the story is taking over [popular media],” Eleftheriadis said. “I support [their relationship]. The only thing that annoys me is when they make it all about Taylor Swift.”
No matter what your thoughts are on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s budding relationship, it’s no lie that the unexpected dynamic between this famous pop star and football champion has piqued the interest of millions worldwide. Its massive presence in sports media is thus something that can’t be controlled. While the future of these two remains unknown, one thing is definitely for certain: it all happened so Swiftly!
