The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions for the second straight year. In 2024, they will look to become the first team to win three NFL titles in a row since the 1965-67 Green Bay Packers. Given the popularity of the NFL around the world and the emphasis on big markets, it is quite ironic that the NFL’s two smallest markets could be the only teams in league history to accomplish such a feat (so far, the Packers are the only team to have done it, and they have done it twice, also accomplishing the feat in 1929-31).
Of course, the success of the Chiefs has made them one of the most talked about sports franchises in the country. Head coach Andy Reid and three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes each joined exclusive clubs in NFL history when Kansas City won their third Super Bowl in five years earlier this month. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also became the first NFL coordinator to win four Super Bowls (he won one previously with the New York Giants).
And yet, much of the talk surrounding the team during the season, NFL playoffs, and now after the Super Bowl centers around tight end Travis Kelce and his girlfriend, popstar Taylor Swift.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift Brought New Fans to the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL in General
While there were (and are) many fans upset by the amount of publicity and attention the Chiefs, Kelce, and specifically Swift received during the season, the positive effect her presence/ties to the league through her relationship cannot be denied.
Throughout the Chiefs’ playoff run, numerous television viewership records were broken. Over 55 million people tuned into the AFC Championship Game, and over 210 million tuned in to watch the Super Bowl. Both were all-time records.
Kelce’s jersey became one of the most popular jerseys bought and sold in the league, and the NFL raked in an extra $331+ million due to the Swift Effect.
The Kansas City Chiefs Welcomed Taylor Swift to Their Family
Despite all of the benefits of having Swift associated with the them, Chiefs players and coaches knew that the criticism from some fans and media was loud. As much as some may have worried that Swift was a distraction, the Chiefs proved them wrong by, literally, winning the whole thing.
Still, they knew that they would need to support her just as much as she supported them from the luxury box she often shared with Kelce’s parents and members of Mahomes’ family. In a recent interview, Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt said:
“She affected the team in a positive way. It wasn’t in a negative way. Everybody was excited and Travis was happy. So when my player, a brother, is happy beside me, that helps me and that encourages me and so Travis came in there a different man. So, she helped us.
“There were so many people that were hating the fact that she was being shown on the TV that, you know what? You’re part of our family because you’re now with Travis. So, therefore, you’re our little sister…You’re part of our family.”
While those are great sentiments from Merritt, he himself may not be part of that family for long. He recently interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator job.
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