It’s back-to-school time for students at the Taylor Swift Academy of Pop Culture, and homework assignments are already pouring in.
Last week, Swifties were tasked with completing 33 million Google word scrambles to reveal titles of her upcoming vault tracks. This week Swift is schooling her pupils on the NFL. Rumors about the singer’s ambiguous relationship with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce were fanned Sunday when Swift was spotted rooting for the Chiefs at their game against the Chicago Bears. Since her appearance at Arrowhead Stadium, Swifties have been busy studying up on the mechanics of the gridiron game.
Advertisement
“Okay, so what’s a down?” one new football follower asked on X, formerly known as Twitter. Others inquired about field goals and whether or not players are supposed to “throw the ball or run with it?”
FOOTBALL EXPLAINER FOR THOSE CONFUSED
— shannon (is celebrating 1989 tv! 🩵) (@holygroundsound) September 24, 2023
you have 4 tries (downs) to go 10 yards, if you do you keep the ball and the cycle repeats, and if you don’t the other team gets it
you can score touchdowns for 6 points or kick a field goal for 3
thats basically all you need to know
On TikTok, an entire trend has emerged with Swifties goading their significant others with claims that Kelce was unheard of before his association with Swift. In one video, captioned “Somewhat triggered by what I said,” one woman tries to convince the man sitting next to her on the couch that the “1989″ singer put Kelce “on the map.”
“The news about Taylor Swift and Kelce is going crazy right now,” she can be heard saying. “But I think it’s so cool because she’s gonna help put him on the map.”
@taraalthaus Somewhat triggered by what I said #taylorswift #traviskelce
♬ original sound - Tara Althaus
Incredulous, the man replies: “He’s Travis Kelce. The guy’s like the best tight end in football, maybe ever.”
In another video, another woman praised Swift for putting Kelce on “the national radar.” Her boyfriend, off-screen, replied forcefully: “He’s been on the national radar. He’s one of the best players in the NFL.”
“I’ve never heard his name before an announcer yelled ‘He found the blank space,’” the poster said, laughing. (For all you football fans just learning about Taylor Swift: “Blank Space” is a song title.)
Advertisement
And though Kelce — a star of this year’s Super Bowl and widely considered to be one of the best tight ends in football history — may have no trouble staying relevant in football circles, it’s true that anything Swift touches turns to gold. (Or at least trends online.) Swift may not have put Kelce on the map, but she certainly made him a meme.
@charlottepla Torturing him right after his yoga class too #traviskelce #taylorswift #fyp #nfl #football
♬ original sound - Charlotte
@kaitsense As Bill Belichick said: “She’d be the biggest catch of his career” 🏈 🪩 🎤 #traviskelce #taylorswift #kansascitychiefs #romance #erastour
♬ original sound - Kaitlin S
@ragcityyy The way he talked at me #taylorswift #traviskelce #traviskelceandtaylorswift
♬ original sound - rachel
Emma Glassman-Hughes can be reached at emma.glassmanhughes@globe.com. Follow her @eglassmanhughes.