The Swift Syllabus
Ongoing education about the singer’s many intersecting universes.
The Swift Syllabus
Ongoing education about the singer’s many intersecting universes.
Now that the lavender (or should we say red?) haze has dissipated, it’s clear: Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce, or at least doing something approximating it. After weeks of rumors and some goading from Kelce himself, Swift appeared at the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears on September 24, sitting with Kelce’s mom, Donna, in a box. Swift then left the game with Kelce, and he reportedly bought out a Kansas City restaurant (the Prime Social rooftop, definitely not a fake place) to hang out with her and the team afterward. They might have been “quietly hanging out” before, as The Messenger first reported, but things are getting loud now.
Dating an athlete is uncharted territory for Swift, who has previously stuck with actors and musicians. That means it’s also uncharted territory for Swifties, who probably haven’t thought this much about sports since Swift sang about dating high-school football players on Fearless. Conveniently, I’m not only a music writer but also a Chiefs fan. Let’s dig into what you need to know for this next chapter of Swift’s dating life.
Talk about being at the right place at the right time! Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce leaving Arrowhead together after the game. #Bears #ChiefsKingdom #NFL pic.twitter.com/wrMoDszOme
— Jarrett Payton (@paytonsun) September 25, 2023Who is this guy?
View this post on InstagramMeet Travis Michael Kelce, No. 87 on the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Son of Ed and Donna Kelce. Like Swift, he was born in 1989. (If you’re up for some numerology, his birthday is October 5 — the same day as Swift’s grandmother Marjorie.) He’s from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, which is just one state over from Pennsylvania — more of a hometown boy than a London boy. He went to college at the University of Cincinnati, where he played football and majored in exploratory studies (in other words, undecided). He was drafted by Kansas City in 2013 and has played for the team ever since. In 2016, he signed a $46 million contract extension and another $57 million one in 2020. He lives in the tony Briarcliff West neighborhood of Kansas City. His older brother, Jason — with whom Travis co-hosts a podcast called New Heights — plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, Swift’s own favorite team. The Chiefs beat them in the most recent Super Bowl, 38-35.
What position does he play?
Kelce is a tight end — and no, that’s not just a dirty joke he’s saving for Swift. Tight ends are versatile offensive players who can both block onrushing defenders and receive passes. In other words, during some plays, he’s one of the guys pushing defensive players away from his ball-carrying teammates; other times, he’s catching the ball and scoring touchdowns. Like this one, which Taylor enjoyed:
TRAVIS KELCE TOUCHDOWN
TAYLOR SWIFT SAID “LET’S F—KING GO” pic.twitter.com/NYI4aRkEM7
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 24, 2023Kelce is exceedingly good at being a tight end. He’s already among the best players in the history of the position. He won two Super Bowls, he set the record for most receiving yards ever by a tight end (1,416, that’s a lot) in 2020, and earlier this season his peers ranked him the fifth-best player in the NFL. He’s downright Swift-like in being on top of his game.
He sounds tall.
Yeah, he’s 6-foot-5 — same height as Calvin Harris.
What’s he like off the field?
He’s got a reputation as a work-hard, play-hard kind of guy. (It’s a tight-end thing. Remember Gronk? Gronk was a tight end.) He has been in the tabloids for his share of partying, but he also loves a nice round of golf. As Swifties have already figured out, he has his own sense of style and he appreciates music — he made the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)” his theme song, and he put on a music festival with Machine Gun Kelly and Rick Ross. But arguably his best quality is his sense of humor. When he hosted Saturday Night Live earlier this year, he played a lovable oaf of a Straight Male Friend, a weird as hell American Girl doll collector, and a trainer putting a beating on the Please Don’t Destroy guys.
Whom has he dated before Taylor Swift?
Technically, over 50 women. Back in 2016, Kelce starred in Catching Kelce, a dating show for E! in which one contestant from each state vied for his heart. In the end, he chose Kentucky’s Maya Benberry, but they were together for only a few months. More recently, Kelce dated Kayla Nicole, a sports reporter and influencer. They were together off and on since 2017, most recently splitting in May of last year. (Rumors swirled after their splits that Kelce was a cheater or a cheapskate; he has denied all of it.)
Wait, does he have any other controversies?
Not really! Yeah, you can exhale. He was suspended from college football for a year for smoking weed, but everybody agrees that was stupid.
Who else do I need to know on the Chiefs?
The team’s most important player on the field is quarterback Patrick Mahomes. (Watch the Netflix series Quarterback for more on him.) Following Sunday’s game, Mahomes, a two-time NFL MVP, said he “felt a bit of pressure” to throw a touchdown pass to Kelce once he knew Swift was in attendance. He’s Kelce’s work bestie.
There’s also Andy Reid, the Chiefs’ head coach. Before he got to Kansas City in 2013, he coached the Eagles from 1999 to 2012. (Remember, you know the Eagles.) He became the fourth-most-winning NFL coach of all time after that September 24 game. He really has met the Swift family, but as good of a coach as he is, he probably didn’t set up Kelce and Swift.
Sidebar: It’s 2023 and they’re still called the Chiefs?
The football team in Washington, D.C., now known as the Commanders might have ditched its racist name in 2020, but Kansas City is still holding on for dear life. The Chiefs have long claimed the name honors Native Americans, but Native American groups continue to say, no, it’s offensive. The team leans into it with an array of questionable choices during games, including a drum-beating ceremony and a tomahawk-chop celebration.
Will Kelce reach the Super Bowl again this season?
Check back in January. It may feel as if you’ve been hearing about these relationship rumors for months, but we’re only a few weeks into the NFL season. The Chiefs are almost certainly going to make the playoffs, but they have stiff competition from other teams in their conference such as the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens. None of them will have Swift on their side, though.
And will they play the Eagles again?
Mark your calendars because the Chiefs face the birds on November 20 in a Super Bowl rematch. That’s just a day after Swift finishes a run of Eras Tour shows in Rio de Janeiro. If she decides to attend, surely Mama Kelce can hook her up with a split Chiefs-Eagles jersey.
When can I see Kelce … and Taylor? … next?
Lucky for you and everyone else, the Chiefs play on Sunday Night Football this weekend (October 1 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock) against the Jets in New York (well, New Jersey). The table couldn’t be better set for a prime-time Swift spotting. (Call it “Welcome to New York (Taylor’s Version)” promo.) Unluckily for you and everyone else, the Jets are one of the most rudderless teams in football right now. But their unwatchability means those cutaway shots to Swift in a suite will be all the more welcome.
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A Swiftie’s Guide to Travis Kelce and Football in GeneralncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t8HLrayrnV6YvK57wKuropucmny4tM5moKxlpKeut7XSZqKepJOaerWt2KWmq2WjrLanwI2hq6ak