Taylor Swift was attending high profile football games long before she began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. As has been well documented, Swift will be at the Super Bowl this Sunday in Las Vegas, supporting her boyfriend and his team. Just as she has done all season long.
Her attending the big game will be part of a larger political “psy-op,” according to some conspiracy nuts on the fringe of the American political landscape.
But alas, we’ve laughed at that narrative enough already.
Let’s instead flash back to September 5, 2010, when Swift, along with her friend and fellow pop superstar Selena Gomez, attended Notre Dame football’s 23-12 season opening win over Purdue.
Austin, the brother of Taylor Swift, was a freshman at Notre Dame at the time.
Taylor initially requested to sit in the student section with her brother, but she was moved (along with Gomez of course) to the sidelines, for obvious security reasons, during the game.
Swift and Gomez have a friendship that has been well-documented through various public appearances, social media interactions, and mutual support for each other’s music and personal milestones.
Or at least that is what my nieces tell me.
Fun fact about being a college football journalist- most schools let you leave the press box early, to go on the sidelines for the final six minutes of the game. This is done for the purpose of getting expedited access to the post game media opportunities.
And I was on hand in South Bend that day, as this Fighting Irish win over the Boilermakers was very historic for the program.
It was the very first game of the Brian Kelly era. It also marked the only time that I have ever been in very close proximity to Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. (Hence I was able to persuade a photographer friend/cohort to get me the pics that you see in this post)
You can ask all my nieces about this.
I may have told them this story before, once or twice, okay three, four, most likely many more, times: “Back in ’10..when I was covering the Irish home opener, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez…..(Grandpa/Abe Simpson voice).”
And although this anecdote is 14 years old, it is still “news.” After all, a very large portion of Swift’s fanbase weren’t even alive when this game took place, so it’s definitely news to them.
These days the Swifties are more powerful than ever, as their icon sits on the highest throne of American pop culture.
People are even planning Taylor Swift themes for their Super Bowl parties this year. She has a presence everywhere, even in local minor league hockey franchises.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.