When FOX Sports revealed that Taylor Swift was attending the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, it sent the world of sports and pop culture into a frenzy. There had been rumors over the preceding weeks that Smith had been conversing with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, possibly dating him after he tried to give her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it at one of the shows on her “Eras Tour.”
While no public confirmation has been made regarding whether or not the duo is officially a couple, many fans are assuming that their getaway in a convertible and hosting a private party at a Kansas City restaurant are signs pointing in that direction.
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi were on the call for the “America’s Game of the Week” matchup on FOX Sports and received word a few hours before the game that she would be present. There was little to no discussion about it, however, instead focusing on the game at hand. Once the game turned into a blowout – which Kansas City led 41-0 at one point – producer Richie Zyontz and associate director Rich Russo guided the broadcast and chose to broadcast Swift’s reaction from the suite level.
“I think we played it out naturally,” Burkhardt said in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated. “Obviously, we set it up early and showed it and showed him coming on the field and she was there and her reaction, and I think we went to it maybe one other time. And then in the second half, we couldn’t do it enough. He scored the touchdown, but that’s all I wanted to do was Taylor Swift.”
Burkhardt does not feel that the broadcast overdid its coverage of Swift, working it into the broadcast flow of the game. FOX Sports revealed that the game was the most-watched telecast among any network with an average viewership of 24.3 million viewers. The broadcast also ranked first among all key female demographics and led Kelce to gain 300,000 social media followers and counting and see a 400% increase in merchandise sales. Kelce and his brother host a weekly podcast, New Heights, through Wave Sports + Entertainment and release new episodes on Wednesdays, a moment when they could discuss what happened on Sunday.
After the game, Erin Andrews asked Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes if he felt any added pressure to get Kelce a touchdown. In response, Mahomes revealed that he knew that she was there and indeed felt some pressure to get a pass to the two-time Super Bowl champion tight end.
“We talked about it and then he scored,” Burkhardt said. “It was just so awesome, so that part was evident, but with the fans it was hard because that place is always rocking and crazy.”
Burkhardt shared that one of his favorite Taylor Swift songs is “22,” which comes from the “Red” album. While he does not know when it is the next time the FOX Sports lead announcing team will call a Chiefs game, he hopes to be behind the microphone for a game from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium sometime again this season. The Chiefs will be featured on this week’s edition of Sunday Night Football on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 8:20 p.m. EST/5:20 p.m. PST against the New York Jets.
“I think my line on Sunday was like, ‘The romance America needs,’ and it’s funny because we all love it,” Burkhardt said. “We all love Kelce; he’s the greatest dude ever. It’s fun. Also, I think, like, ‘Okay, Taylor Swift is here,’ but if she was there and you saw her on camera and she was hard to see… but she was jumping up and down watching the game going crazy. It was awesome. That was the best part about it – it wasn’t just that she was there; it was her reactions.”
