While pop megastar Taylor Swift can presumably do no wrong when it comes to her own fanbase, which will never stop obsessing over her Eras Tour secret song list while rewatching the tour on streaming, the same cannot be said for heartbroken fans and snide critics of the Kansas City Chiefs. The reigning Super Bowl champs suffered a somewhat shocking loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in a Christmas Day NFL outing, and fans were quick to blame the loss on Swift’s interview-hogging relationship with Travis Kelce.
Anyone watching the early afternoon game on CBS was treated to/forced to watch Taylor Swift’s arrival at Arrowhead Stadium alongside Santa Claus, as well as occasional shots of her in the box, celebrating and jeering accordingly. But another Sunday of missed opportunities and botched moments on the field caused the pitchforks to come out, with many aimed directly at the award-winner’s ongoing romance, such as the tweet below.
Travis Kelce ever since he started dating Taylor Swift pic.twitter.com/vcExqccORWDecember 25, 2023
The NFLMemes X account wasn’t keeping mum on the issue either, sharing its own take on Travis Kelce’s supposed athletic arc regarding his extracurricular choices.
Travis Kelce ever since he started dating Taylor Swift pic.twitter.com/f1yTAVWaR8December 25, 2023
The holiday contest certainly wasn’t a standout game for Travis Kelce in any respect, as he came out of the day with just 44 yards on 5 receptions, and at least one dropped pass that plenty of viewers took note of. The frustration was palpable on the sidelines, far from Taylor Swift’s toothy grins and her “87” Santa hat, and was perhaps most suitably highlighted by Kelce’s helmet-throwing outburst, which inspired comments such as the one below.
Taylor Swift has broken Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are a warning for America in 2024. pic.twitter.com/8gYuFNmqPVDecember 25, 2023
And who doesn't appreciate Tobey Maguire's much-memed scene from Brothers also being used to try and blame an entire football team's losing effort on the shoulders of a romantic coupling?
Patrick Mahomes to Taylor Swift after she stole all of Travis Kelce’s talent pic.twitter.com/M1lGuo4yhdDecember 25, 2023
To the surprise of perhaps no one, even polarizing sports analyst Skip Bayless shared his thoughts on the matter, saying on X:
Feels like it's about time to call Taylor Swift a distraction. What do you think, Patrick? Andy? How about you, Travis?
Naturally, NFL commentators Tony Romo and Jim Nantz weren't completely immune to commenting on Taylor Swift's presence, with the latter even jokingly calling back to Romo's romance with Jessica Simpson, which was highly criticized by fans at the time for being part of the reason why his Dallas Cowboys didn't go the distance. Romo wasn't exactly quick to share in the mirth however. Here's how their exchange went, as sparked by the former quarterback's miswording:
- Tony Romo: His wife loves it. I mean, girlfriend.
- Jim Nantz: You’ve been down that road with that before.
Beloved enough to spark Taylor Swift nights on The Voice and Dancing with the Stars' recent seasons, the pop star will no doubt continue drawing millions of rabid fans to all of her upcoming music and other projects. (Although I'm now wondering if that rumored Deadpool 3 cameo will be a blessing or a disaster if it comes true.) But does she actually have enough "power," as it were, to affect football games?
For all the social media comments that were quick to take shots at Swift and Kelce's relationship, there were plenty of people slamming the idea of blaming a musician for a football team's failures, which was summed up concisely and without hyperbolic emotionalizing in this tweet:
I don’t understand the take that Travis Kelce is “distracted” by Taylor Swift. Kelce is 2nd among TEs in receiving yards & 3rd in catches. He missed Week 1 & has played through multiple injuries. Yes, he’s had some drops this year. He’s had drop-issues before dating Swift.
Now bring on the theories about "You're Losing Me" actually being written from the perspective of a Kansas City Chiefs game, and that it's not about her ex Joe Alwyn at all.
