Pat McAfee, Taylor Swift and Colin Cowherd Pat McAfee, Taylor Swift and Colin Cowherd
Pop CultureBy Ben Axelrod on

Of all of the unique subplots to emerge from Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce, one of the best has been the “Swifties” supporting the Kansas City Chiefs tight end by teaching themselves about football.

And with the Chiefs set to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII next week, there has already been no shortage of Kelce-related content for them to consume, which has also led to newfound fascinations with Pat McAfee and Colin Cowherd.

On Monday, McAfee endeared himself to Swifties by making an impassioned defense of the “Shake It Off” singer’s connection to the Chiefs, which has somehow become controversial.

“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?” the NFL punter-turned-media mogul said on 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.”

On Wednesday, McAfee only strengthened his connection with the Swift universe by having Kelce himself as a guest on his show.

“We’re just two people in a relationship supporting each other and having fun with it,” the All-Pro tight end told McAfee of his relationship with Swift. “It’s nothing more than that. No matter how much the world wants to paint the picture and make us the enemy, we just have fun with it.”

Predictably, the Swifties loved Kelce’s appearance, as every piece of information about the world’s most famous relationship is highly coveted in their universe. They also took a liking to McAfee, with some even proclaiming him to be an honorary Swiftie and a high-ranking member of something called “Tayvis Nation.”

 

But wait, there’s more.

As it turns out, McAfee isn’t the only sports media personality to have captured the attention of “Tayvis Nation.” In an even less expected development, they have also grown fond of Cowherd, who, like McAfee, took the bold stance of defending Swift’s right to watch her boyfriend play football despite her super celebrity status.

“There’s a lot of really weird, lonely, insecure men out there,” the Fox Sports Radio host said on Tuesday’s episode of The Herd. “The fact that a pop star — the world’s biggest pop star — is dating a star tight end who had one of his greatest games ever, and the network puts them on the air briefly, then it bothers you, what does that say about your life?”

On the one side, you have Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Pat McAfee and Colin Cowherd. On the other? “Dads, Brads and Chads” and conspiracy theorists everywhere. What a perfect way to wrap up the first month of 2024.

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.

View all posts by Ben Axelrod