Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

Taylor Swift is a fan and suddenly, so is everyone else. Travis Kelce jersey sales jump nearly 400%

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Travis Kelce jersey sales are spiking after his rumoured love interest Taylor Swift made a guest appearance at the Kansas City Chiefs game on Sunday.

According to a report by the NFL’s e-commerce partner, Fanatics, the NFL tight end is looking at a 400 per cent increase in purchases. “Yesterday, Travis Kelce was one of the top five selling NFL players and saw a nearly 400 per cent spike in sales throughout the Fanatics network of sites, including NFLShop.com,” Fanatics told People.

The steep increase in sales came shortly after the “Anti-Hero” singer was spotted in the Kelce family suite during the Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears – making the player’s jersey number 87 the new “22.”

Fans inside the stadium and watching at home were stunned to see the Grammy winner waving her hands in the air alongside Kelce’s mother at Arrowhead Stadium. Following the Chief’s sweeping 31-point win, the athlete and “Enchanted” creator were caught leaving the arena together, with Kelce donning a blue and white splatter paint denim get-up.

Sports anchor Jarred Payton filmed the two A-listers exiting together, publishing the footage which has now been viewed over 12m times. And though Payton may not have recognised the subtle nod Kelce gave to Swift with his outfit, internet sleuths were quick to point out how his KidSuper Studios set was an ode to her forthcoming album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) set to be released on 27 October.

An eagle-eyed fan on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote: “Travis Kelce wore a ‘1989 Bedroom Painting’ matching set piece tonight leaving Arrowhead Stadium with Taylor Swift, very timely for #1989TaylorsVersion.”

Before Kelce was seen in the Brooklyn-based menswear label’s matching jacket and pants, their website had both items labelled as “Bedroom Painting Jacket” and “Bedroom Painting Pants.” But when viewers connected the print to the 33-year-old artist’s album, KidSuper Studios updated the items online to be called “1989 Bedroom Painting.”

As you can imagine, the game-goers lined up outside the Kelce family suite waiting to catch a glimpse of Swift leaving to go meet up with the Chiefs player. However, when the popstar went from inside the box to walking out of Arrowhead with Kelce without going past them, spectators guessed she was secretly carried out.

One viral TikTok theory suggested Swift had climbed inside a tall popcorn machine to be wheeled out without anyone noticing. The video exposed the tall silver box being pushed by a stadium employee as gathered fans shouted: “That’s her! She’s in there.”

Die-hard “Swifties” wouldn’t put it past the performing artist since she’s been known to hide inside equipment carriers to make her grand entrance on stage a complete surprise. Yet, no confirmation has been made whether Swift put herself in the popcorn machine.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.