At this point, if you have a connection to the power couple that is Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, there’s a very high probability that you’ll get asked about them. Well, that’s exactly what happened to the CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, as he was recently asked about how the pop star’s relationship with the team's tight end impacts his organization.
With the release of ESPN’s docuseries The Kingdom on the 2025 TV schedule (you can stream it with a Disney+ subscription if you have the ESPN+ bundle), the team’s CEO Clark Hunt spoke to THR about the Chiefs’ last few years. That, of course, included some questions about Taylor Swift, who made her first public appearance at an NFL game two years ago.
This interview took place right after Swift and Kelce broke the internet when she appeared on his podcast New Heights to announce her album, The Life of a Showgirl. When asked about that and embracing the “unpredictability of how their relationship” impacts the team, Hunt said:
The first thing to mention here is how happy we are for both Travis and Taylor in their relationship. That’s the most important thing.
He went on to comment on how their relationship has helped usher in a new demographic of viewers for the NFL. At the start, some thought the league was overdoing its coverage of Swift. However, there are also countless anecdotes about how dads and daughters have bonded over football because of Taylor Swift.
To that point, Hunt said:
It certainly has opened up an opportunity for us to connect with a new demographic from a fan standpoint. I’m pretty sure that the Chiefs ranked No. 1 among NFL teams in the female demographic. From the time that Taylor started dating Travis, we’ve seen a big shift from approximately 50 percent male and female to now our fanbase in North America is 57 percent female, which is very unique among NFL teams. She clearly has had a big impact.
Over the last two years, many who are in or close to the Chiefs organization have spoken positively about Swift’s impact. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes got real about her bringing more “revenue” and “buzz” to the sport. He’s also commented on Swift attending games and has poked fun at Kelce over it, noting that he didn’t really believe she was coming until he saw her.
Head coach Andy Reid also thinks Swift and Kelce have a “beautiful” relationship.
They’ve both publicly praised her and this relationship on many occasions alongside Travis Kelce’s work on the field. Now, the team’s CEO is doing the same thing. In the interview, he proved that again by emphasizing how well the pop star knows the game now, saying:
I enjoyed seeing the New Heights podcast and hearing her talk about her passion for the team. She’s clearly not a casual fan. She’s gone all in, which is really great. Again, we couldn’t be more happy for their relationship and we’re happy to have Taylor as part of the Chiefs’ kingdom.
Of course, he’s not ignorant of the attention that’s on Swift specifically when she’s at the game. As he said, there’s “always a little bit of a spectacle” off the field when she’s there. However, that’s nowhere near a bad thing, as he explained:
Well, there’s usually a 100 percent focus on what is happening on the field. When Taylor attends a game, there’s always a little bit of a spectacle going on in a suite somewhere in the building, which the networks have done a great job of capturing. But I know our fans really enjoy it and love having her there knowing that she’s such a great Chiefs fan. It does create a different energy when she’s in attendance.
Now, I’m really excited to see how the next NFL season unfolds. I’m sure Taylor Swift will be there. And as we get closer to her album’s release and her relationship with Travis Kelce remains a major topic of conversation, I can’t wait to see how her world and this world of football continue to collide.
While this whole situation has its critics, overall, the discourse has remained pretty positive. And it’s clear that those directly involved with the folks at the center of this relationship are here for their love and the way their relationship impacts their team.
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