(Opinion) Why I want Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to break up
In the world of sports, fans cherish the moments of pure athleticism, last-second touchdowns, and underdog victories. It's a space where the outside world momentarily takes a back seat, and the thrill of competition reigns supreme. However, recently something unusual has been happening off the field that has left many sports fans, myself included, questioning the blurred lines between sports and showbiz. The relationship between Taylor Swift and Chiefs' star tight end, Travis Kelce, has become a distraction that's impossible for fans to ignore.
Taylor first began going to Chiefs games for the team’s week three matchup against the Chicago Bears. When Travis Kelce scored a touchdown in the third quarter, coverage immediately shifted away from the game to cut to Taylor’s reaction which would become one of the most talked-about moments of the week despite having nothing to do with the action on the field or the Chiefs’ dominant week three performance.
Week four’s contest between the Chiefs and Jets on Sunday Night Football was even worse. The entire week, sports media had built up Taylor’s first appearance on primetime football so much that one would think they were having a concert rather than playing a football game. The actual matchup which saw the Jets stand their ground despite being eight-point underdogs, was once again overshadowed by the media’s obsession with Taylor Swift. The coverage by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) frequently cut from the game to Taylor Swift sitting in the press box even as the Chiefs managed to hold on to win the game 23-20, though the score was seemingly an afterthought in the eyes of sports media.
After the game, official NFL social media accounts changed their banners and bios to images of Taylor Swift and a caption reading, “Chiefs are 2-0 as swifties”. This came as a slap in the face to many fans watching the game who saw this as the NFL showing favoritism, especially after several questionable holding calls allowed the Chiefs to escape New York with a win. Even Travis Kelce said that the constant coverage of his relationship with Swift was “overdoing it”.
It’s hard to blame the NFL for its coverage of the relationship (although I will do so anyway) as the impact it has had on the game has been profound. Sunday night’s Chiefs-Jets game became the most-watched game since last year’s Super Bowl with 29.4 million viewers. Until audiences tune out, there’s no incentive for the NFL to change its coverage, which is why I will be boycotting Chiefs games for the rest of the season (with the exception of week 10’s Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles) until Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce hopefully break up and, for the sake of my sanity, never ever ever get back together.
By Noah Tetreault