Super Bowl – one term, many emotions. When the NFL champion is crowned in the final, America will be watching TV. And this time there will probably be even more fans watching than usual. They may not care so much about the sport as it is about Taylor Swift. The hype surrounding the pop icon, who is in a relationship with Chiefs professional Travis Kelce, reached absurd proportions before the final.
The most important question before this year’s Super Bowl between defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers is not who will win. And not who will win the election for “Most Valuable Player” (MVP), but whether Taylor Swift will make it to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in time for the start of the game. Because the pop icon is giving a concert in Tokyo the evening before.
Now this attention would be entirely understandable if the 34-year-old, who received the “Best Album of the Year” award for the fourth time at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, were to appear in the prestigious halftime show. Or if she sang the national anthem before the start of the game, which is also considered a kind of accolade. But this Taylor Alison Swift will neither sing nor dance, but will simply sit in the arena as a fan – like almost 62,000 other people.
One fan among 62,000 in the stadium – Taylor Swift.
Fans calculate flight times from Tokyo to Las Vegas
But the sheer presence of this petite woman is enough to steal the headlines from the muscle-bound men before their season highlight – and to push the sporting aspect of what is, after all, the largest one-day sporting event in the world into the background. The Super Bowl becomes the “Swift Bowl.”
The fact that such a spectacle is being made about the American, that fans have been calculating flight times from Tokyo to Las Vegas for days, that absurd bets are sometimes made and that even NFL Commissioner Roger Gondell spoke highly of her at the start of this Super Bowl week on Monday, All of this would have been unthinkable at the start of the season.
Swift in the stadium – or not?
But then on September 24th, Swift sat in a Chiefs box for the first time at Kansas City’s home game against the Chicago Bears. The reason for this was the man with the number 87 in the hosts’ jersey. Travis Kelce, tight end. Your lover. Since that Sunday, Chiefs games are no longer just about how many touchdown passes star quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw or how many yards Kelce ran with the football, but also whether Swift is in the stadium – or not.
Japanese embassy gets involved
And this Super Bowl LVIII will be no different. Swift is giving four concerts in Tokyo from Wednesday to Saturday. Whether she will then make it to Las Vegas in time for the NFL finale has long since taken on the characteristics of a state visit. Even the Japanese embassy is involved and has now assured that Swift will arrive before the start of the game “comfortably despite the 12-hour flight and the 17-hour time difference” when she leaves on Saturday after her performance ends.
Private jet parking fully booked in Las Vegas – where should Taylor land?
It could be a little more complicated for you to find a place to park your private jet in Las Vegas. There are four airports for private planes in the greater area of the gambling metropolis. But their 475 parking spaces are all fully booked. It has now become known that Swift could at least land – but her jet would probably have to park at another airport outside of Las Vegas. “CBSSports” spoke of what was probably the “biggest first world problem” that has ever existed.
The Super Bowl is not only the most important sports finale of the year in America, but also the most watched television event. And: It is no longer just an experience for football fans, but has become a kind of compulsory TV for all levels of society. Whether it’s a game, halftime show or commercial clips – there’s something for everyone.
“Swifties” now follow NFL
Last year, 115.1 million fans, more than ever, watched the Chiefs’ Super Bowl triumph against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s quite possible that even more will tune in this time – because of Taylor Swift, of course. She has around 279 million followers on Instagram. And many of these “Swifties,” as their fans are called, are lured in front of their televisions to watch American football.
The number of 12 to 17 year old girls has increased by 53 percent. There was a 24 percent increase in the 18 to 24 age group and 34 percent more women over 35 are now watching the NFL. “She’s brought a lot of new faces to our game. It’s nice to see the Swifties and our Chiefs fans come together,” Kelce said Monday in Las Vegas.
“Dynamo” Swift as an advertising medium for the NFL
According to the website Marketwatch, the NFL’s brand value had already increased by $122 million in October due to Swift. “People are talking about football now who weren’t talking about it yesterday,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He referred to Swift as a “dynamo.” Whatever she touches, people will follow her. “We are fortunate and welcome it,” Goodell said.
When it comes to bets, everything revolves around the music megastar. What will she wear? How long and when will Swift be seen during the live broadcast – during the national anthem or during the halftime show? And of course you can also bet on whether Travis Kelce will propose to her after the game – or whether the couple will jointly announce that Swift is pregnant. There are seemingly no limits to fantasies on America’s Sunday of superlatives.
What does the lucky number 13 mean for the Super Bowl?
Which brings us to 13. This is Taylor Swift’s lucky number. She was born on December 13, 1989. She celebrated her 13th birthday on Friday the 13th. Whenever she received an award, she sat in seat number 13, row 13 or block 13, Swift told MTV News, adding: “Basically “It’s always a good thing in my life when the number 13 appears.”
What does all of this mean for this Super Bowl? Well, that’s a matter of opinion. It is the 58th final – and five plus eight equals 13. Adding four and nine from the 49ers club name also leads to this total – as does the final date, February 11th. And, of course, it will be the 13th Chiefs match Swift will watch live. So is Kansas City already confirmed as champions? Perhaps. However, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy’s shirt number is, well, what? Exactly. The 13th