Point | The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story is good for all parties

Taylor Swift, right, watches from a suite alongside Travis Kelce's mother, Donna Kelce, inside Arrowhead Stadium during the first half of an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.

This column is part of a point-counterpoint series. To read the opposing side, click here.

The Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift “love story” is polarizing for many. The Swifties have swiftly become NFL fans as some of them learn how the game of football works, while NFL die-hard fans see Swift’s face plastered all across Kansas City Chiefs’ games as she supports her new love interest.

But while some are turned off by the two worlds combining, I think it’s good for all parties involved.

The parallels between the NFL star and the pop music icon are abundant. Swift’s best-selling album to this date is “1989,” which features mainstream songs such as “Blank Space,” “Bad Blood” and “Shake It Off.”

The album’s namesake, 1989, is named after Swift’s birth year. But Kelce was also born in 1989, just two months before Swift.

It doesn’t end there. “1989” released in Oct. 2014 — just a month after Kelce caught his first of 71 and counting career-receiving touchdowns.

Another notable parallel comes with Swift’s 2012 album, “Red.” At the time, “Red” was the fastest-selling digital album ever. Red is also the primary color of the Chiefs — and the Cincinnati Bearcats. Kelce attended Cincinnati and played for the Bearcats from 2008 to 2012.

Outside of the parallels, the NFL is benefiting from the love story. 27 million people tuned into Sunday Night Football between the Jets and the Chiefs, making it the most-watched NFL game since the Super Bowl.

The Swfities love football, and while the NFL — and announcer Cris Collingsworth — milked the Swift references a little much, we can’t blame them for doing so.

Swift is a music icon. While Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the reputation of being the best quarterback in the NFL, Swift has made Kelce the star of the Chiefs seemingly overnight. Kelce’s jersey sales spiked up 400 percent after debuting with Swift.

As long as the Chiefs continue their winning ways, as many expect them to, Swift and Kelce will stay in the headlines.

Kelce is Swift’s new lover, and fans of the NFL should expect to see the couple in the headlines as long as they stay together. The first leg of Swift’s 2023 U.S. Eras tour came to an end a few months ago, but it seems as if the world is entering the Kelce era.

sportsdesk