‘In My Chiefs Era’

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The Swifties are in their Super Bowl era.
Ahead of the face-off between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Taylor Swift’s diehard fans — some of whom began watching football to see their favorite pop star on national television — are hawking merchandise for the big game to support the singer’s relationship to the Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Sweatshirts on Etsy read “Go Taylor’s Boyfriend,” “Swiftie Bowl,” “In My Chiefs Era” and “Karma is the Guy on the Chiefs” — a reference to the pop queen’s ‘hit song “Karma.”‘hit song “Karma.”
Initially, Atlanta-based Etsy vendor Hayley Williams was skeptical that her Swift-inspired Super Bowl apparel would sell, but she “was very wrong, she admitted in an interview with The Guardian on Saturday.
In just two weeks, she’s sold 18 sweatshirts reading “Go Taylor’s Boyfriend” for $35 a pop.
Meanwhile, 32-year-old Alessandra Madrid opted for a $46 crewneck with “Swiftie” across the front along with Kelce’s jersey number, 87, telling The Guardian she wanted something that would withstand a possible Chiefs loss on Sunday.
Previous 1 of 7 Next Advertisement Sweatshirts read “Swiftie Bowl” and “Go Taylor’s Boyfriend.” Etsy The influx of merchandise on sites like Etsy is indicative of Swift’s larger influence over her fans. Etsy Advertisement Swifties in their Super Bowl era can snag customized merch online ahead of game day. Etsy Many of the tees and crewnecks are adorned with Kelce’s jersey number. Etsy Swift has bolstered NFL viewership since she began regularly attending games. Etsy Advertisement
“There’s definitely a parasocial aspect to their relationship because they are heavily invested in Taylor’s romantic life,” Lorynn Divita, associate professor of apparel design and merchandizing at Baylor University, told The Guardian. “There’s no element too small for them to chronicle.”
It’s indicative of the iron clad grip Swift has on her fans and, well, everywhere she goes. First, it was the local economies along her tour stops, now even the NFL is getting a boost in views and ushering in a new audience demographic in what has been dubbed the “Taylor Swift Effect.”
“Having the ‘Taylor Swift Effect’ is also positive,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, a father himself to two Gen Z girls, said previously in a press conference. “It creates a buzz, it creates another group of young fans — particularly young women — that are interested.”
“There’s definitely a parasocial aspect to their relationship because they are heavily invested in Taylor’s romantic life,” said Divita. AP
Music fans who were previously uninterested in the sport have seemingly become football fans overnight, not only bolstering viewership but also allowing dads and daughters to bond in a new way.
“It started with, ‘Hey, that’s Taylor, that’s really cool’ to ‘Hey, can you tell me when Travis Kelce scores so I can see Taylor?’ to her actually starting to watch and understand the game,” 49-year-old David Meyers, a single father-of-two based in Tennessee, previously told The Post.
Jamie Voorhies, 47, has witnessed a similar phenomenon with his own 11-year-old daughter, Bre, saying that he’s pleased Swift is such a “role model” for young girls and can pique their interest in football. Now, he told The Post, “she’s watching the plays and not just the commercials.”
Diehard Swifties have began tuning into football games to see their pop star’s beau play all season. AFP via Getty Images
“I got really excited to start watching the games and my dad started to become more open to watching the games even when they weren’t his, like, favorite team,” Bre previously told The Post.
She added: “This has been a really fun time.”
Fans have their fingers crossed Swift makes it to the Super Bowl LVIII to cheer on her beau from the stands as the pop sensation wraps up the Tokyo leg of the Eras Tour, sparking theories online about her travel plans.
On Saturday, the “Bad Blood” singer was seen rushing to her private jet; if she was headed to Las Vegas, she would have to take an hours-long flight and cross several time zones to be present for the game.