Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you a Taylor Swift fan, a Chiefs fan or a conspiracy theorist looking to learn more? We’re here to help.
You’ve seen a plethora of blog posts and think pieces speculating about how to define the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. But perhaps there is an additional angle to consider, so buckle up.
Even if the NFL is “overdoing it” with coverage of the relationship, odds are high that you probably haven’t thought about it from this perspective yet.
Here is what we know about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce... so far.
A quick refresher: This whole saga began in July when the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said he made a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it for Swift.
Then a month and a half later, The Messenger reported that the two were “privately hanging out” together. Swift has since attended two consecutive Chiefs victories.
One game was in Kansas City (where she even cleaned up the Kelce family suite) and she seemed to enjoy herself, especially when the tight end scored.
The next was in New Jersey the following week. That game in East Rutherford, New Jersey was a star-studded event and included Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman and others.
Whether or not Swift and Kelce are dating, a lot of people are benefitting from this story
Whatever is happening probably isn’t a plot to take down the Chiefs to avenge Swift’s hometown Eagles after Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LVII loss against Kansas City. Still, some folks at least remain open to the possibility that at least some aspects of this are a stunt.
Swift didn’t “put Kelce on the map” with this news story. But it’s undeniable that Kelce has gained a lot already. He has recently seen a substantial uptick in his jersey sales, his Instagram following and his podcast ratings.
The NFL has benefited from this recent trend with increased ratings, too, and leaned all the way in during the process. Relative to the previous three-week average, viewership among women reportedly increased by 2 million to watch NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
Is there possibly another reason Swift wanted to go to the Jets game?
She certainly doesn’t need the fame. Throughout her career, Swift has sold more than 200 million albums, has won 12 Grammy Awards and regularly sells out stadiums around the world.
Despite an exceptional career, there is one area where she could dramatically improve her marks: Her carbon footprint.
Some, including this TikTok user, believe her latest visit to MetLife Stadium might have helped distract from the ongoing issue (via Vulture):
“As fans and haters (journalists) continue to monitor her contribution to the ongoing climate crisis, and the chances of someone of her star power cutting down on private flying remain just as likely as Harry Styles featuring on 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — nice in theory but won’t happen — why wouldn’t she play up an outing with more populist appeal and just as much SEO juice? Forget how Taylor Swift went from New York to Kansas City and back to New Jersey so fast (jets) — all that matters is whom she saw play on Sunday (Jets)!”
Well then… the plot thickens.
What exactly is Taylor's carbon footprint?
We know that Swift has owned multiple private jets. We also know that there is a massively negative climate impact from flying private.
Last year, according to Yard, the pop star was named the celebrity with the worst overall CO2 emissions from private jets. In fact, her total annual flight emissions are reportedly 1,184.8 times more than the average person’s total annual emissions.
A spokesperson for Swift said the claim was “blatantly incorrect” because the pop star regularly loans her private jet out to other individuals.
But this is a negative mark Swift potentially could be trying to fix, especially when considering that she reportedly sold one of her private jets and her spokesperson said she purchased “more than double” the carbon credits needed to offset all tour travel in 2023.
Reminder: This is still just an unproven conspiracy.
Or perhaps there is nothing suspect, involving private jets or otherwise, happening. Swift reportedly finds Kelce “charming” and Kelce’s brother, Jason, said the relationship is “100 percent” true. Maybe there is nothing to unpack aside from a legitimate romance after all.
