TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship has taken over the world. After the international pop star was spotted at the Kansas City Chiefs game to watch the star tight end on Sept. 24, their romance is all anyone can talk about.
While the two’s pairing might have come as a surprise to some, Swift’s beloved fan base, “Swifties,” welcomed Kelce with open arms – so much so that his popularity began to soar.
Within 24 hours of Swift’s shocking appearance at the Chiefs-Bears contest, Kelce amassed roughly 300,000 new Instagram followers, a 400 percent increase in merchandise sales, and one of the NFL’s top-five selling jerseys, according to Joe Pompliano.
It’s not all that surprising that Kelce’s jersey sales would be growing due to his relationship with Swift, but one surprising thing is seeing the eight-time Pro Bowler’s merch at stores in Tampa.
That’s right – red Chief’s t-shirts with Kelce’s No. 87 were placed front and center at Dick’s Sporting Goods in the Tampa area, which would be normal if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Kansas City this year – however, they don’t.
Could this be a sign that Swift will announce another performance in Tampa? Probably not, as the “Cruel Summer” singer announced she’d be playing in Miami on her second U.S. leg of “The Eras Tour.” Or are Kelce’s shirts placed at the front of Dick’s simply to appease Swifties? Either way, it was a surprising sight to see in Tampa.
Ahead of the Chiefs’ Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager posted on social media that Arrowhead Stadium is preparing for Swift to be in the house.
“Interrupt this 🏈 with news that folks in KC are preparing for Taylor Swift to be in the house at Arrowhead for today’s game. Carry on,” Schrager wrote.
The 12-time Grammy-award-winning artist performed three sold shows at Raymond James Stadium in April this year for her record-breaking “Eras Tour.” It was her first time performing in Tampa since her “Reputation Tour” in 2018.