As you may have heard at some point in the last five months, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is dating pop music superstar Taylor Swift.
And with the Chiefs set to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, America’s sweethearts figure to be front and center — even more than usual — for the next two weeks.
But even before Kansas City’s victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, Kelce’s relationship with Swift has been the subject of criticism from some football fans who have grown tired of the media’s infatuation with “Traylor.” Don’t, however, put Pat McAfee in that category, as the former NFL punter has made it clear where he stands on the “Shake it Off” singer’s connection to “The Shield.”
“The most successful woman on Earth right now happens to be dating the greatest tight end of all time who’s on the current dynasty. Why’s everybody so mad about it?” McAfee said on Monday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show. “I’m sick of people being mad about it. What are we even talking about?… I don’t fully understand it. Now, at the beginning, I could see it. ‘Oh, she’s releasing a movie? Oh, he’s in 14 commercials? Oh, we’re getting worked right now?’… but did you see them after the game yesterday? They’re in actual love! I’m so happy the world got to see that.”
McAfee went on to point out how Swift has embraced her newfound football fandom, including her postgame interactions with Tony Romo and Andy Reid on Sunday.
“Taylor’s a part of the football world now,” McAfee said. “This is good news, not bad news. But many people are going to say, ‘How many times is CBS going to show Taylor Swift at that Super Bowl?’ Well, she is a global phenomenon. She’s selling out stadiums in all these countries, in which it’s the first game they’re watching every single year. I assume they’re going to show Taylor a lot.”
"The most successful woman on earth right now happens to be dating the greatest tight end of all time… Why is everybody so mad about it? I'm sick of people being mad about it… Taylor (Swift) is a part of the football world now. This is good news, not bad news." – Pat McAfee pic.twitter.com/UPIvtanwBy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 29, 2024
And yet, even if CBS’ broadcast shows Swift more often than usual, is that really going to change anybody’s enjoyment of the game? After all, the Super Bowl has repeatedly appealed to a more mainstream audience than your traditional football broadcast. Why should anyone be upset that this particular celebrity happens to be dating one of the best players on the field?
Nevertheless, the two-week build to the Super Bowl will surely feature no shortage of bad-faith arguments, misogynistic attacks, and even conspiracy theories regarding Swift’s presence at the game. Are you ready for it?
