Taylor Swift Fans Are Suddenly Trying to Understand Football
It's official: Taylor Swift has a new man in her life, as the singer more-or-less confirmed that she's dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce by showing up to his game on Sunday. And what that meant was a lot of Taylor Swift fans inadvertently tuned into the broadcast hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol, who was seen cheering alongside Kelce's mother Donna in a private suite.
But unfortunately, this was quite possibly also the first NFL game for many Swifties who found the rules of football to be perplexing, to say the least. And many turned to social media to make sense of it all, in a situation that can best be summed up as "the blind leading the blind."
"FOOTBALL EXPLAINER FOR THOSE CONFUSED," all-caps offered one fan on X, formerly Twitter. "You have 4 tries (downs) to go 10 yards, if you do you keep the ball and the cycle repeats, and if you don’t the other team gets it. You can score touchdowns for 6 points or kick a field goal for 3 ... that's basically all you need to know."
FOOTBALL EXPLAINER FOR THOSE CONFUSED
— shannon (is celebrating 1989 tv! ????) (@holygroundsound) September 24, 2023
you have 4 tries (downs) to go 10 yards, if you do you keep the ball and the cycle repeats, and if you don’t the other team gets it
you can score touchdowns for 6 points or kick a field goal for 3
thats basically all you need to know
Now, while that may sound straightforward enough, the post raised more questions than it provided answers.
"The Swifties are on one today," quipped Rolling Stone senior entertainment editor Marlow Stern, along with screenshots of confused replies to the original tweet. "Okay ... What's a down?? is it like dropping the ball?" asked one fan, while another asked if you "throw the ball or run with it?" Another fan wasn't having any of it, deadpanning simply: "What does this mean."
the swifties are on one today ???? pic.twitter.com/MUrZLVcN4E
— Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) September 24, 2023
At any rate, assuming this thing between Swift and Kelce, both 33, has legs, they had better get up to speed quick. According to Entertainment Tonight, the pair were said to have been "affectionate" with each other at an afterparty at a popular Kansas City restaurant following the game.
"Travis bought out the restaurant for his family and team," the eyewitness claimed. "Taylor arrived, wearing a denim dress, and was seen snacking, having some cocktails and dancing alongside Travis. The two were very affectionate with one another but kept things fun and lighthearted. Travis' teammates also showed up to the afterparty, as well as his mom and dad, Donna and Ed."