The action might have been on the gridiron during Sunday night’s NFL game, but NBC didn’t waste any opportunity to put the spotlight on the Kansas City Chiefs’ most famous fan up in the suites.
Taylor Swift was at her second consecutive NFL game Sunday, once again cheering on Kansas, amid rumors that she and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have started up a romance.
NBC cameras caught her in a suite alongside other famous faces, including Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner and filmmaker Shawn Levy. She was seen celebrating and cheering as the Chiefs scored a touchdown against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in the first quarter, among other moments.
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In addition, NBC aired trailers for her upcoming concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which opens Oct. 13, and cut to footage of Times Square, where video highlights of Swift’s Eras Tour was showing on one of the giant screens.
Announcers Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth also mentioned her upcoming film during their on-air commentary at the end of the third quarter, where the score was tied at 20-20. Tirico noted that the Chiefs had been leading early on. “This game was 17 to nothing, and Cris and I were going over our Taylor Swift lyrics and song titles, and he was gonna talk about watching the documentary,. Sorry Taylor, the game broke down in front of us,” he said, noting the tied score as the camera showed a subdued Swift in the suite. (The Chiefs ended up winning by a score of 23-20.) The announcers later commented on the fact that Swift and Kelce left last week’s game in a convertible with the top down.
Sideline reporter Melissa Stark also noted during the broadcast that “the Taylor effect is real,” citing the fact that Kelce gained nearly 900,000 new followers on Instagram in the past week while sales of his jersey spiked 400 percent at the Fanatics retail site.
Meanwhile, NBC corporate sibling Peacock, which streamed the game, posted a video of Taylor cheering:
The NFL also got in on the action, posting images of Swift at the game.
A few days before the game, NBC used Swift’s song “Welcome to New York” in a promo for the game. The caption on the X (formerly Twitter) post read: “Taylor Made for Sunday Night.”
Also airing during the game was one of the State Farm ads that Kelce appears in alongside teammate Patrick Mahomes and Jake From State Farm (actor Kevin Miles) — who, incidentally, was seen at Sunday’s Philadelphia Eagles game sitting next to Kelce’s mom, Donna, whose other son, Jason Kelce, plays for the Eagles. Donna later showed up in the same suite with Swift at MetLife Stadium, having switched her Eagles jersey for a Chiefs jersey.
Travis and his mom also appear in a Pfizer ad promoting this season’s COVID-19 and flu shots, which also played during the broadcast.
Swift was at last Sunday’s Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, where she was spotted in a suite alongside Kelce’s mom. Unlike last week’s game, where Swift wore red — the color of the Chiefs — the singer arrived Sunday night in a long-sleeve black top, black jacket, denim shorts and black boots.
Swift and Kelce have not confirmed the rumors they are dating. However, Kelce said Swift “looked amazing” on his New Heights With Jason and Travis Kelce podcast last week, and briefly talked about her showing up for the game.
“Everybody was talking about her and in a great light,” he said. “And on top of that, you know, the day went perfect for Chiefs fans. Of course, we script it all, ladies and gentlemen.”
Swift is currently on a break from her Eras Tour, which resumes Nov. 9 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Kelce had tried — unsuccessfully — to give Swift a friendship bracelet when her Eras Tour hit Kansas City. She also performed three concerts at MetLife Stadium in May.
A spokesperson for StubHub, a resale ticket marketplace, said last week that “since Swift’s appearance at the Chiefs game Sunday, the Jets have sold more tickets for their game against the Chiefs in a single day since the season started — by more than double,” according to Town & Country magazine.
Incidentally, Swift, a Philadelphia native, told fans at a Philly concert earlier this year that she is an Eagles fan.
Eagle-eyed fans might’ve also noticed another connection that tied the pair together during Sunday night’s game in New York City. During the game, Swift was photographed holding and sipping on a bottle of ZenWTR, the premium alkaline water, a brand that is described as a leading beverage in a bottle made from 100 percent recycled and certified ocean-bound plastic. ZenWTR, a favored brand of stars like Courteney Cox and Khloe Kardashian, even shared the shot of Swift sipping from one of their bottles. So, what’s the connection? It was announced in September 2022 that Kelce had joined the roster of athlete and celebrity investors.
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