Earlier this week, Travis Kelce went from sports superstar to pop culture megastar when he was linked to a rumored relationship with pop star Taylor Swift.
And with the All-Pro tight end making his 2023 debut on Sunday after missing Week 1 with a knee injury, CBS play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle couldn’t help but make a reference to the alleged romance.
“Kelce finds the Blank Space for the score,” Eagle exclaimed as the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught a third quarter touchdown to give his team a 14-6 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
"Kelce finds the Blank Space for the score." – Ian Eagle after this Travis Kelce touchdown
We see what you did there… pic.twitter.com/kVGwtTAUIA
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 17, 2023
For the uninitiated, Blank Space was a single on Swift’s 2014 album, 1989. In addition to being nominated for three Grammy Awards, the song won “Song of the Year” at the 2015 American Music Awards.
This wasn’t the only time that Eagle managed to fit a music reference into his broadcast on Sunday. After Jaguars safety Andre Cisco intercepted Patrick Mahomes in the second quarter, Eagle went even deeper into the archives, paying homage to Sisqo’s 1999 hit single.
“Cisco, dancing to the Thong Song,” Eagle said as the Syracuse product celebrated.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1703476421132275963
As for Kelce, his relationship with Swift has remained unconfirmed, but also hasn’t been denied. After The Messenger reported that “Taylor and Travis have been quietly hanging out,” Kelce’s brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, addressed the rumored relationship while speaking with the Amazon Prime panel following Philadelphia’s win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football.
“I’ve seen these rumors. I cannot comment,” the older Kelce said. “I don’t really know what’s going on there, but I know Travis is having fun and we’ll see what happens with whoever he ends up with.”
https://twitter.com/NFLonPrime/status/1702531808137798076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1702531808137798076%7Ctwgr%5E9e0a627dd6cd012b36a5762aa6fd67aa788831f9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fembed%3Furl%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FNFLonPrime2Fstatus2F1702531808137798076id%3Dmntl-sc-block_1-0-9-iframeoptions%3De303DdocId%3D7970260
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.