Will Taylor Swift be at the Vikings-Chiefs game in Minneapolis this Sunday?
Taylor Swift might soon grace Minneapolis once again, this time for a football game. Specifically, the match-up between the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
The Grammy-winning songstress has been to two consecutive Chiefs games in the past two weeks — victories over the Chicago Bears and New York Jets — so people are speculating she’ll make it out to a third. This is presumably in support of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, 34, with whom she’s rumored to be romantically involved.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told TMZ the city would welcome Swift back after her two, sold-out concerts last June.
“If Taylor chooses to come back to Minneapolis [sometimes known as Swiftieapolis] this weekend, we’ll be Ready For It,” said Frey, according to TMZ. “It’s possible she will have to console Travis Kelce after the Vikings beat the Chiefs, but there are plenty of great spots across town for them to go on a date and lift their spirits!”
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MPR News tried to get confirmation of Swift’s attendance, but did not receive replies to Instagram DMs to Kelce or Swift, nor hear back from their representatives, the Chiefs or U.S. Bank Stadium as of Thursday evening. The Vikings declined to comment.
Sunday’s game was already highly anticipated, according to sports people (in this case Eric Nelson and Wally Langfellow, hosts of the 10,000 Takes sports talk show). The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions and are 7-5 with the Vikings in the regular season. Resale ticket prices averaged near $100 more than other upcoming games at U.S. Bank Stadium as of Thursday afternoon.
But it’s clear Swift’s presence is boosting interest in football among people who typically have other weekend hobbies. NBC apparently had Swift on screen 17 times during the broadcast of the Chiefs-Jets game last Sunday, resulting in its most watched Sunday show since the Super Bowl, with an average audience of near 27 million people.
Citing preliminary Nielsen data, the network reports the biggest viewership gains were among girls and women.
Kelce somewhat pushed back on the extra attention on Wednesday’s episode of “New Heights,” a podcast he hosts with his brother.
“I think it's fun when they show who all is at the game,” Kelce said. “I think it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere, brings a little bit more to what you're watching. But at the same time, I think they're overdoing it a little bit for sure. Especially my situation.”
No word yet on if his words will impact coverage for Swifties hoping to catch her on screen, if not in person, but the NFL doesn’t seem pressed.
In a statement to People magazine, the NFL wrote: “The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time, as it’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport.”