Singer Taylor Swift made headlines when she shared an on-field kiss with her boyfriend, American football star Travis Kelce, following his second consecutive Super Bowl win. The championship game attracted millions of viewers and also shone a spotlight on Swift’s relationship with Kelce, bringing the tightly-watched romance to the fore. Together, the two mega stars have become a cultural phenomenon, inspiring memes and generating widespread media coverage. However, their relationship has also faced criticism and the subject of conspiracies, with right-wing critics spinning theories that it was part of a plot to rig the championship game in favor of then-President Joe Biden.
Swift’s presence has been a clear boon for the NFL, drawing a larger audience to American sports. A Seton Hall University poll found that approximately 21% of Americans and 41% of 18-34-year-olds who planned to watch this year’s Super Bowl were influenced by Swift’s presence. Swift, who was fresh off a concert in Tokyo, arrived in Las Vegas just before kick-off and was pictured arriving at the stadium with popular figures such as rapper Ice Spice, singer Lana Del Rey, and actress Blake Lively. The article indicates the couple’s high-profile romance, football season love story, and even political implications, adding to the media frenzy that Swift and Kelce’s relationship has stirred up.