How Travis Kelce's Life Changed After Getting Close To Taylor Swift
Did Taylor Swift put Travis Kelce on the map? That's the word on TikTok, and while many football fans would disagree, she definitely changed his life.
Kelce and Swift's rumored romance first garnered buzz when the Kansas City Chiefs star expressed interest in the "All Too Well" singer. Kelce told the "New Heights" podcast he wanted to give Swift a friendship bracelet, a staple of her Eras Tour — but not just any friendship bracelet. He wanted to give Swift one with his phone number on it. Although said friendship bracelet never found Swift's wrist, the gesture caught her attention.
September 24, 2023, will go down as a memorable day in Swiftie history because the "Karma" singer seemingly confirmed her interest in Kelce after she attended his football game, per Billboard. #Traylor was all anyone could talk about that day! Even the NFL got into the Swift frenzy, constantly cutting to her during the game — especially when Kelce scored a touchdown. Even after the game was over, the couple was all the media could talk about. Their romance continues to occupy center stage, as Swift continues to attend his games and Kelce continues to gush about the superstar. Anyone involved with Swift gets mass media attention and this new rumored romance is on another level! It's safe to say Kelce's life has changed dramatically since Swift swooped into the picture, and here's how.
Travis Kelce's jersey sales skyrocketed
It may not be a "Cardigan," but did you grab your Travis Kelce jersey? Because plenty of newfound fans sure did! If you didn't have the Super Bowl champ's jersey before his rumored romance with Taylor Swift, it might be hard to get your hands on it now.
In late September 2023, the "Love Story" singer attended the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears game, according to ESPN. Repping red and white for the Chiefs, Swift cheered on Travis from the sidelines. Although Swift was not wearing Travis' No. 87, everyone knew she was there for the football player. And what better way to support Swift's reported new relationship than by buying Travis' jersey?
After Swift's appearance, Travis' jersey sales skyrocketed astronomically. Fanatics, a sports retail company, told NPR the tight end's jersey sales increased by 400%! The company revealed, "On Sunday, Travis Kelce was one of the top 5 selling NFL players and saw a nearly 400% spike in sales throughout the Fanatics network of sites, including NFLShop.com." The football star jumped from No. 19 in sales to the top five. Talk about that Swift boost! When Travis' brother, Jason Kelce, filled him in on the jump in sales on "New Heights," Travis was surprised. He said, "Jesus! Damn sounds like the Swifites are also a part of Chiefs kingdom." They definitely are, and as long as this romance continues, Swifties will support Kelce in any way they can.
Travis Kelce became the most searched topic on Wikipedia
You might use Wikipedia for research on projects or schoolwork, but the Swifties are using it to discover more about Taylor Swift's new beau, Travis Kelce. After Swift attended the Kansas City Chiefs game in late September, Kelce found himself trending all over social media... and on Wikipedia, too.
According to the website's Top 25 report for the week of September 24 to September 30, 2023, Kelce landed the top spot in searches. Wikipedia's note on the jump read, "The 2023 NFL season begun, and this Kansas City Chiefs player, fresh off his second Super Bowl ring, is bringing in attention for things outside the turf, as the fact Taylor Swift was seen both watching his game (and cheering on Kelce scoring a touchdown) and leaving in his company led her fandom to go wild." Of course, now if you search Kelce on Wikipedia, you will not only find information on his incredible football career, but also his relationship with the "Karma" singer.
Turns out it wasn't just Wikipedia where the Chief's star was trending. According to the Mid-Continent Public Library, Kelce also landed the top Google search following Swift's attendance at his game. Whether it's Google or Wikipedia, Swifties clearly want to make sure they know everything about the Grammy-winning musician's new man.
Travis Kelce is getting newfound attention
Lights, camera, action! Travis Kelce thought he was used to fame and attention, but his relationship with Taylor Swift has taken it to another level. The Kansas City Chiefs player even noticed the changes, sharing his observations on the "New Heights" podcast. He said, "I notice a few things, paparazzi outside my house, s**t like that." Travis' brother, Jason Kelce, was shocked that paparazzi were staking out the Chiefs star's home since Swift attended his game. Travis shared they have been following him around and yelling his name in hopes of getting the perfect shot.
And it's not just paparazzi who are interested in Travis and Swift's new romance. Those closest to them are equally invested. After the "Karma" singer attended the NFL's stars game in September, the two rented out a restaurant to share with friends and family, per TMZ. Although the couple requested no photos or phones, one of their guests snuck a picture of Swift with her arm around Travis. One of Travis' teammates, Justin Reid, commented on the invasion of privacy via X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, "Whoever takes photos at a private event that specifically states no photography is LAME." Swift brings a new level of attention to Travis' life, and if he continues dating the pop star, the attention will likely only increase.
Travis Kelce's follower count increased
Travis Kelce is in his social media era thanks to Taylor Swift. Swift's attendance at the football player's game had a ripple effect — or more like a tsunami effect — on Kelce's follower count. Before the game, the Chiefs tight end had 2.8 million followers... not too shabby. However, after the game, Kelce saw an increase of 300,000 followers on Instagram alone, per Lainey Gossip. It wasn't just his Instagram account where Swifties clicked the follow button, though. Kelce's follower count grew on every social media platform the football star is on.
According to UPI (via Yahoo Sports), Kelce's TikTok followers increased by more than 570,000 users, and his X account grew by 25,000! Among all three social media platforms, Kelce saw an increase of 1.3 million followers in the days that followed Swift's appearance at the Chiefs game. Swifties want to make sure they don't miss a potential opportunity to catch a glimpse of the superstar on Kelce's social media.
While the football star is gaining mass support from the musician's fan base, he's still a long way away from the Grammy-winning singer. On Instagram alone, Swift has more than 270 million followers. As of this writing, Kelce is just short of 4 million followers on Instagram, but as the romance with Swift continues, we can only imagine that number will increase.