Taylor Swift's NFL era: Pop star again watches Chiefs, Kelce amid
romance rumors
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[October 02, 2023]
By Joseph Ax and Gabriella Borter
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Pop megastar Taylor Swift was just a spectator on
Sunday at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, where she performed three
sold-out concerts in May for more than 217,000 fans, but she was still
the star of the show as she watched her rumored beau, Kansas City Chiefs
tight end Travis Kelce, face the New York Jets.
With several celebrity friends joining her - including actors Ryan
Reynolds, Blake Lively and Hugh Jackman - the singer saw the defending
champion Chiefs eke out a 23-20 victory.
Swift's attendance at the Chiefs' last two games - last week, she joined
Kelce's mom, Donna, in Missouri to watch the Chiefs beat the Bears - has
sent the National Football League's ticket sales and television
viewership soaring.
NBC's cameras did not show Swift quite as often as last week's broadcast
did, but viewers got plenty of glimpses of her high above the field in a
luxury suite. As the Chiefs scored the first touchdown of the game -
running back Isaiah Pacheco, not Kelce, crossed the goal line - the
network panned to Swift hugging companions in celebration.
Unlike last week, when she sported a red-and-white Chiefs jacket in
Missouri, Swift - who lives in New York City - wore a black top and
leather jacket in the more hostile environs of the Jets home stadium.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/02/images/ads/current/ldn_sda_NILA_012823.png)
"Sunday Night Football" is already the country's most-watched primetime
show, but anticipation for Sunday's game reached a fever pitch as
Swift's cultlike fanbase, known as "Swifties," eagerly awaited her
appearance.
Jets ticket sales for their game against the Chiefs soared, with sales
in a single day more than doubling the previous record for this season,
according to StubHub, a ticket resale platform. Sunday's game was the
second-highest selling game of the NFL season after the season opener,
Stubhub said.
The cheapest nosebleed seat tickets for Sunday's game in East
Rutherford, New Jersey, were going for $81 on Sunday afternoon, while
resale tickets at the lower level cost close to $9,000.
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![](../images/100223PIX/ent_c.25.jpg)
Oct 1, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Taylor Swift talks
with friends while arriving at MetLife Stadium before the game
between the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory
Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/02/images/ads/current/napa_lda_FILTERSALE_090623.png) Swift, 33, has sold out football
stadiums across the United States over the last several months as
she embarked on the domestic leg of her international,
record-breaking Eras Tour.
Advertisements for the upcoming Eras concert film, opening in
theaters next month, ran on NBC ahead of the game broadcast.
Gambling sites offered several Swift-themed bets before kickoff;
FanDuel users could bet against Kelce scoring a touchdown, a wager
titled the "FriENDZONE."
Ahead of Sunday's game, Sunday Night Football on NBC posted a
promotional video on X with Swift's song "Welcome to New York"
playing in the background and the caption, "Taylor Made for Sunday
Night."
Viewership for the Chiefs' Sept. 24 game, when Swift first attended,
spiked 63% week-over-week among women ages 18-49, Swift's prime fan
demographic.
Swift and Kelce have played coy on the nature of their relationship.
Kelce spoke briefly about Swift this week when his brother, Jason,
who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, jokingly asked him on their
podcast: "How's it feel that Taylor Swift has finally put you on the
map?"
"Shout out to Taylor for coming through and seeing me rock the
stage," said Kelce, who described her as looking "amazing" and
dubbed Swift's enthusiasm during the game and the excitement of
Chiefs fans at seeing her there as "absolutely hysterical."
(Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York and Gabriella Borter in
Washington; Additional reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing
by Lisa Shumaker, Stephen Coates and Gerry Doyle)
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