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Tory Barron, ESPN Editor
All’s well that ends well for Taylor Swift to end up at Super Bowl LVIII.
After much speculation over whether Swift could make it to Las Vegas on Sunday — following the singer-songwriter’s Eras Tour concert stop in Tokyo on Saturday — she arrived at Allegiant Stadium in time to support her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
It’s amazing what a sizable time zone difference (and a private jet) can do.
Taylor Swift is here with Ice Spice and Blake Lively! #SBLVIII pic.twitter.com/0x4XIDRupW
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2024
If the global superstar is jet-lagged, she’s not letting it show. During the first half, Swift embraced her video board moment by chugging a beverage, seemingly beer, in the bleachers (read: suite).
Icon. @TaylorSwift13#SBLVIII pic.twitter.com/G0FzHIyiLB
— NFL (@NFL) February 12, 2024
While cynics were likely surprised by Swift’s travel heroics, her fans considered her attendance at the San Francisco 49ers-Chiefs showdown to be a foregone conclusion thanks to the number 13. Huh?
For those uneducated in the Swift-verse, No. 13 is the global superstar’s lucky number. Sunday just so happens to mark Swift’s 13th appearance at one of Kelce’s games. There’s also the fact that this is Super Bowl 58 and, well, five plus eight equals 13. The Chiefs are playing the 49ers, and we probably don’t have to point out that four plus nine equals 13, too, but who are we to deprive you of additional conspiracy fodder?
Now that you’re thoroughly convinced that the planets and the fates and the stars aligned for the Grammys’ newly minted four-time Album of the Year winner to be in Vegas, let’s discuss why her presence could bode well for Kansas City. Entering Sunday, the Chiefs boast a 9-3 record when Swift is in attendance.
Kelce has averaged roughly six catches and 78.8 yards per game when she is in the building, an uptick from his 50 yards per game when the singer-songwriter isn’t present. The two-time Super Bowl champion had a huge performance with Swift looking on during the AFC Championship Game, hauling in 11 catches and 116 yards to go with a touchdown.
As much as we applaud Swift’s commitment to her love story, after Sunday we hope the chair of “The Tortured Poets Department” can get some rest. Who has time to release new music amid a world tour? But we digress.
