The biggest entertainment franchise in the world came to MetLife Stadium Sunday night.
And she was there to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the New York Jets.
The pro-sports and pop-culture worlds continued to collide this week as millions wondered if Taylor Swift would attend Sunday Night Football to watch her new beau, future hall-of-fame tight end Travis Kelce.
The mere suggestion of Swift visiting the Meadowlands was enough for StubHub to see a 175 percent jump in ticket sales for the game; prices jumped to an average of $245. Sales of Kelce merchandise skyrocketed nearly 400 percent. And NBC, which broadcasts Sunday Night Football, was cleverly using “Welcome To New York,” one of Swift’s songs, in promos for the game.
Even though the game took place in New Jersey. Sigh.
Swift was indeed in attendance Sunday, arriving shortly before kickoff with a gaggle of famous pals. But was the scene any different than a typical Jets game? Not really. For all the manic Swift talk leading up to the game, tailgates housing obvious Swifties were relatively scant. It was a shockingly red crowd, but that was due to all the Chiefs fans (poor lowly Jets).
Still, there were some signs of Swiftie mania. Here are five ridiculous things that happened when Taylor Swift came to MetLife Stadium for the first time since her world-beating Eras Tour in May.
1. Taylor attends a tailgate … kind of
Hours before the game, on the outskirts of an outer MetLife parking lot, there was someone that looked like Taylor Swift. Upon approaching, it became clear it was Taylor Swift. Well, a cardboard cut out of her, wearing a red dress adorned with a Chiefs logo.
The cutout belonged to Nicholas D’onofrio, a Jets fan and Connecticut native. His friend works at a print shop up in Connecticut, and brought the Swift cutout to their tailgate as a joke.
D’onofrio said he was indifferent about Swift being there, though he found it embarrassing that Jets tickets started selling faster once word got out she would be in attendance.
2. Friendship bracelets!
One of the signatures of Swift’s Eras Tour is the friendship bracelets Swifties make to trade before and during concerts, many with beaded little messages and references to Swift songs. Maria DiMartino and her daughter, Dakota Williamson, both fans of Taylor Swift and the Chiefs, figured they could bring the tradition back for Sunday’s game.
When DiMartino’s TikTok showcasing the bracelets went viral before the game, they went into overdrive making more — staying up until 2 a.m. the night before the game.
“We had to make more because we felt like more people would want them,” DiMartino, a Bayville native, said. “We didn’t but we couldn’t make them fast enough.”
The Swiftie duo also brought a massive cutout of Kelce’s head, as well as a hand-drawn sign that said “87 is Swift.”
3. Who put who on the map?
One of the funniest trends to arise from Swift and Kelce’s romance is Swift fans insisting to their football-loving boyfriends that the singer put the tight end “on the map.” While Swift is obviously among the most famous humans on the planet, Kelce is considered one of the best tight ends of all time — a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
Makayla Pepper, a 24-year-old Vineland native, likes Taylor Swift. But she loves the Chiefs even more.
“I like [them dating], but I don’t like that everybody thinks that he’s only known for Taylor Swift,” Pepper said.
Pepper is supportive of the couple, though she hopes it doesn’t affect the Chiefs on the field.
And if they do break up?
“I think that it’ll just be a really good song,” Pepper said. “And then he’ll be mad and he’ll play a really good game.”
4. Kelce conspiracy theories
A.K. Webster lives in Belmar now, but she grew up in Kansas City. So it’s no surprise that after attending the Eras Tour in May, she was back at MetLife to cheer on her beloved Chiefs. She even bought a special outfit for the occasion, a Travis Kelce-themed eras T-shirt.
But she thinks Swift might be getting too much credit.
“Everyone’s talking about how the Jets tickets are skyrocketing because Taylor Swift might be at the game,” Webster said. I think the tickets were already doing better because the Chiefs were going to be at MetLife and, you know, Patrick Mahomes.”
The Chiefs are indeed the highest profile team to come to MetLife and face the Jets this year — the defending Super Bowl champs — so Swift can’t get all the credit. But Webster wondered if the NFL and Swift are working together, and she has some theories.
“The fact that [New England Patriots coach] Bill Belichick and [Chiefs coach] Andy Reid are talking about Taylor Swift and Travis, to me, is very bizarre,” Webster said. “I think that might just be young love. But, the fact that the NFL is talking about it to this length?”
5. No Swift on the video boards?
Okay, let’s move inside the stadium, where Taylor Swift was featured heavily in NBC’s broadcast throughout the night, shown in a suite along with celebrity friends Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner and Hugh Jackman. But the stadium didn’t show Swift on the video boards once. There were multiple celebrity showcases, highlighted by actor Jeremy Strong (“Succession”), but neither of them featured Swift. Perhaps she was considered an opponent, as she was there in support of the Chiefs?
Whatever the reason, it was bizarre. The world’s biggest pop star was at MetLife Stadium, and the home team ignored it.
And then they lost a heartbreaker in front of the whole country. Classic Jets.
Story by Jeremy Schneider, NJ.com.