Only fifteen seconds. That’s the flash of time that passed before the first question about Taylor Swift was unchecked. On the stage, Travis Kelce smiles. And responds with unfeigned enthusiasm. A few days before the Super Bowl, scheduled for Sunday, February 11, in Las Vegas (Nevada), the American football player from the Kansas City Chiefs participated in the traditional media day. Faced with the 49ers from San Francisco, he could win a third title in five years – an achievement -, but most of the first questions at this press conference, with its good-natured atmosphere, focused on his partner, a global pop star.
Because, thanks to his highly publicized romance with Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce has moved into a new dimension for several months, that of celebrities. So much so that we no longer know if Chiefs number 87 is an American football player, incidentally Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, or the other way around.
The person concerned gives the lie. Taylor “has attracted new people to the sport and it’s nice to experience that. She’s part of the Chiefs kingdom now and it’s nice to see her enjoying football knowing that it’s a bit new in her life.” explains the player. During the season, each appearance of the singer at Chiefs games constituted a happening that the cameras of the television channels did not miss.
Far from being a second knife
Before his meeting with Taylor Swift, in the summer of 2023, Travis Kelce’s personality and good nature already made him a popular figure in the United States. He appears in advertisementsparticipates in televised charity events and even hosted the famous entertainment show “Saturday Night Live”.
The buzz around the couple would almost make you forget that Kelce is far from being a second knife in the prestigious American Football League (NFL). His main role as a tight end is to catch passes from the quarterback – considered the team’s playmaker – to gain ground, in the hope of scoring touchdowns., the equivalent of a rugby try. And in this game, he too is at the top of the charts.
After ten years of career, Travis Kelce, 34, is ranked fifth in his position in NFL history in the number of touchdowns scored (77) and fourth in the number of yards gained (11,328) in the regular season. He could climb further in the hierarchy since the receivers ahead of him are no longer active. His association with quarterback Patrick Mahomes is also part of the league record books. Including the three touchdowns scored this season in the playoffs by Kelce on a pass from Mahomes, the duo reached a total of 17 touchdowns in the playoff games (in six seasons played together). This is already more than the fourteen achievements of the legendary Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, who nevertheless played eleven years together.
You have 55% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.