Keen observers, or your average Swiftie, has probably noticed something about Kansas City Chiefs broadcasts so far this year. There’s been a dearth of Taylor Swift appearances.
It’s officially the third season in which the global music icon has been in a relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (can you believe it?), and it’s by far the least Swift has been shown since the power couple started dating. For instance, Swift was shown just once during NBC’s recent Sunday Night Football telecast between the Chiefs and Houston Texans.
Why is this the case? Well, there could be a number of reasons.
Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports posits that Swift is “keeping a lower profile” when attending games this season, and intentionally making it more difficult for network cameras to find her.
“There are areas within suites where people like Swift who are keenly aware of TV cameras can avoid them,” Glasspiegel reports. “For example, Hailee Steinfeld, the singer and actress who is married to star Bills quarterback Josh Allen, is never shown at his games.”
Further, the Chiefs and Travis Kelce simply haven’t been as successful this season as we’ve all become accustomed to. And “as a matter of etiquette,” broadcasts tend not to show the significant others of players unless it’s for a positive reason. There’s simply been fewer of those positive moments for Kelce and the Chiefs this season.
Swift also seems to be avoiding road games these days. The pop singer’s last confirmed road appearance came during Week 11 of last season against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Internet rumors have circulated that Swift was not treated well by Bills Mafia during that game, which wouldn’t be surprising after she was booed in January 2024 at Highmark Stadium during a playoff game. For an artist of Swift’s stature, there are obvious security concerns to attending a game in a hostile environment, and it’s possible her team decided it simply wasn’t worth the risk of attending games on the road.
Whatever the case may be, it seems like Team Taylor is making a concerted effort to avoid the NFL limelight this season.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.