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Karma Is The Guy On The Chiefs 

Somewhere along the way, while rooting for her boyfriend, Taylor Swift found herself caught in the crossfire of Brads, Chads & MAGA bros 

I want the 49ers to win the Super Bowl. But not because I hold an incongruent grudge against Taylor Swift.

First, let’s get the obvious out of the way, yes, I am a Swiftie, but before I discovered Tay, I was an NFL fan, faithful to the bay. I, however, unlike most “Brads & Chads,” don’t think one affects the other. 

Why are the Brads & Chads getting all hot and bothered? They claim Taylor is diverting focus from the games, getting “too much” airtime. However, thanks to data analyst Jason Pauley, we know this is BS. During the AFC championship telecast, Taylor was on air a total of 44 seconds, which is just 0.39% (!) of the total game telecast, which was three hours and nine minutes long.

Yet, I don’t see them complaining about the NFL’s repetitive commercials. The average game includes 20 commercial breaks containing more than 100 ads, taking up about an hour, one-third of the game, according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal.

I have a feeling this goes beyond airtime. Men just don’t want successful women to be happy. And when the most influential pop star of our generation stepped on their field, “their territory,” they began to feel threatened.

Taylor IS The Man

After Taylor’s first appearance at a Chiefs game, I was scrolling through my feed on TikTok and found it very amusing how hardcore NFL bros were being taunted by their Swiftie girlfriends, on the fact that Taylor put Travis Kelce on the map. And while I know that Kelce is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, I also know that Taylor is more powerful than any NFL player in history. So, fellow Brads & Chads, stop trying to deny it.

To put it into numbers, let’s compare her net worth to some of the top 10 richest NFL players ever:

Net worth 
Taylor Swift 1.1 billion 
Roger Staubach $600 million 
Tom Brady $300 million
Peyton Manning $250 million 
John Madden $200 million 
Aaron Rodgers $200 million 
Eli Manning $170 million 

In addition, during the time Taylor has been publicly going out with Kelce, she has generated an equivalent brand value of $331.5 million for the Chiefs and the NFL, according to Apex Marketing Group.

Instead of Gratitude TS Encountered Misogyny

She has been booed at the games like she’s the one playing, she has been slutshamed for her relationship with Kelce and has had fake AI porn done to her. Yet, men still have the audacity to say that she is the one benefiting from the, mind you, very brief airtime she has received at games.

In her interview as Time’s Person of the Year, Ms. Swift clapped back against the haters: “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and p***ing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”

I admire Taylor’s restraint because if I were her, I would go ape wall on everyone. Kind of like Reneé Rapp during a viral interview, where she verbally annihilated “Buddy,” the “a**hole” bus tour driver who was mean to her mom and friends.

“If you’re watching this, I can’t stand you, and I hope your business burns. You are so disrespectful and so misogynistic. I hate you,” Rapp said. Well, the same goes for the Brads & the Chads of the world.

Getting back on track, Taylor is also being scrutinized for her carbon emissions, with people criticizing her private jet trips to attend every Chiefs game. For example, for the Super Bowl, she will be traveling from Tokyo, where she is on tour. That’s 19,400 miles (30,500 kilometers) in just under two weeks.

While we are not here to defend pollution, it is worthwhile to point out that if this was anything other than misogyny, her famous counterparts – Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Leonardo DiCaprio – would be in the trenches with her.

Jeff Colgan, professor of political science at Brown University, pointed out to AP News, that it is striking how “Ms. Swift gets so much of the outrage when private jet customers are overwhelmingly men over 50.”

“The focus really should be on a broader class of people,” he concluded. Shoutout to Colgan for backing me up.

Pretty sure, that if Musk started going out with Kelce, he would be praised and treated like a god for making the NFL so much money – that is if they could get over the homophobic factor, but that is an article for another day.

Not only that, but if Musk was the one dating “The guy on the Chiefs” all the MAGA bros would be kissing his feet, and not coming up with crazy conspiracy theories about his relationship.

Republicans were perfectly fine when Taylor was “America’s sweetheart” as long as she stayed in her lane, now they are somehow convinced her NFL Super Bowl appearance is a Democratic plot to reelect President Biden. 

Here is their latest conspiracy theory: The NFL rigged the season, specifically rigging the Super Bowl so that the Chiefs could win. Then when Taylor goes on the field to celebrate with her boyfriend, they will both announce that they endorse Joe Biden. 

Guys, let’s be honest, when has a MAGA theory ever been anything other than crazy? Remember when QAnon swore that John F. Kennedy Jr., who has been dead for over 20 years, would reappear in Dallas, to become former President Donald Trump’s VP?

Trump has also done his part to feed into the narrative, saying that no amount of A-list celebrity endorsements will save Biden. He has also claimed that he is “more popular” than Swift and that he has more committed fans than she does, according to a source from Rolling Stone.

Trump is a sore loser and sharing the spotlight must be hard for him. He is the same guy who continues to claim the 2020 elections were stolen and has not been happy with Taylor since 2018 when she broke her political silence to endorse two Tennessee Democrats. “I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now,” Trump said at the time. I am willing to bet he likes it even less now.

You Need To Calm Down

The saddest part of all this is that if they could look beyond the misogyny and political beliefs, everyone could see how Taylor attending the games has helped bridge the gender barrier in the NFL.

While women and girls have always made up a part of the NFL fandom, there is no question that Swift has played a role in increasing viewership.

A recent WaPo piece shed light on the multitude of dads who were also grateful for this sudden shared interest with their teenage daughters. It has opened doors for more bonding experiences.

“If it’s a way for me to connect closer with my daughter, I’ll take every advantage I can,” Le, a New England Patriots supporter, told WaPo.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, why can’t Taylor support her boyfriend without hell raining down on her?

Since the start of her career, Taylor has been scrutinized for her love life in areas men get praised for. However, instead of cowering and hiding, she has continuously shed light on what women have to go through day after day; the pressure, the fear, and the effort.

As her fan, I see her as an example of strength and resilience and like to see her happy. She has earned it. Let’s not forget, it’s Taylor Swift’s world and we are all just living in it.

I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker. If I was a man,” Taylor Swift on her track “The Man.”

Jovanka Palacios
Jovanka Palacios
Jovanka Palacios, a Mexican-American Politics Reporter and Managing Editor at RA's Gun Violence Watch, unveils the Capitol's inner workings. Focused on Public Education and Gun Policies, she passionately advocates for informed dialogue, delivering concise, impactful insights into the intricate political landscape.

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