Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, November 5 at their international game in Frankfurt, Germany, Travis Kelce made Chiefs franchise history by breaking Tony Gonzalez’s record for most receiving yards. While the Chiefs clinched their win at Deutsche Bank Park with a 21-14 victory over the Dolphins, one notable star was not in attendance. After having attended four of the Kansas City Chiefs games this season, Taylor Swift was unable to attend the Germany game this past Sunday.
This international game came as a result of the NFL’s International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) initiative that was established in 2022, where NFL teams could be selected to freely market their teams in certain countries. Additionally, the league requires every NFL team to play an international game every 8 years to help promote the sport on an international level and widen the appeal in untapped markets. As part of the NFL’s IHMA initiative, the Chiefs have global marketing rights in Germany, hence why they opted for their game against the Dolphins to take place in Frankfurt.
Since their alleged relationship began, the acclaimed singer has attended four of Kelce’s games and has been widely considered his good luck charm. Throughout the four games that Swift was in attendance, the Chiefs tight end averaged 8.5 catches, 0.5 touchdowns, and 108 yards per game. When the singer was not in attendance, Kelce averaged 5.8 catches, 0.5 touchdowns, and 41.3 yards per game.
Going into the game against the Dolphins, Kelce was looking to break the Chiefs all-time receiving yards record that Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez held. All the tight end needed to do was secure 14 receiving yards in his game against the Dolphins. While his good luck charm was not in attendance, Kelce ran exactly 14 yards which allowed him to set a new record for the Kansas City franchise. Kelce now holds the all-time receiving yards record for the Chiefs with 10,941 yards. While Taylor Swift could not attend the game, she subtly supported her rumored boyfriend when she liked a People Magazine post about Kelce’s accomplishment.
Taylor Swift subtly congratulated Travis Kelce after he achieved a major career milestone on Sunday when he became the all-time leading receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) November 6, 2023
🔗: https://t.co/cMUfIcCiwk pic.twitter.com/nG2577loEz
While some assumed that there could be trouble in paradise, many believe that Swift was unable to attend Travis’ international game, as the singer is about to resume her Eras Tour. From November 9th through the 11th, the distinguished singer will take the stage in Buenos Aires, Argentina to perform three concerts before the final leg of her 2023 tour. Taylor’s tour will conclude with shows in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil towards the end of November.
Hopefully, Travis will get his good luck charm back following the end of the Eras Tour. Not only has Swift seemingly influenced Kelce’s in-game performance, but she has played a major role in influencing the viewership of the NFL. Following Swift’s first appearance at the Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears, Travis saw a 400% increase in jersey sales, the Kelce brothers’ podcast was ranked #1 on Apple, and Travis had gained over 1.1 million Instagram followers. Additionally, the Chiefs vs. Bears game was the number one watched game with 24.3 million viewers, and the Chiefs sold more tickets in a single day than they had from the start of the 2023-24 season.
It will be interesting to see how Kelce performs in his next game on November 20 where he will face the Eagles and his brother Jason Kelce. November 20 will be a game fans do not want to miss, as the Eagles are currently ranked first in the NFC East with a record of 8-1, and the Chiefs are ranked first in the AFC West with a record of 7-2. Will this “Taylor Swift Effect” continue, or will Kelce be able to clinch a win for the Chiefs despite Swift’s absence?
