It’s been seven years since the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51.
After that, except for the occasionally cute commercial, in my home, the Super Bowl became a game that will not be watched, freeing up more of my time for college football and the Atlanta United League Soccer franchise, which also got its start in 2017.
Like the Super Bowl itself, regardless of your nation of residence, demographics, etc., you would have to be hospitalized or in a coma to be unaware of the hype around the coming Super Bowl match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ersthis Sunday in Las Vegas, as well as the even hotter topic of the budding romance between Chiefs tight end Travis Kelceand singer, songwriter, and multi-Grammy winning artist Taylor Swift.
Ms. Swift has been a regular at Chiefs games and in the owners’ suite this season. She of course does not control the game cameras, aimed at her reactions when Kelce scores big plays or if the Chief’s fortunes change or reverse course on the field each game.
But her cameos in the stands and off-the-field visibility with Kelce are driving young women to pay attention to the NFL, and certainly this Super Bowl match in Lost Wages.
This Chiefs team won the big game in 2022 over the Philadelphia Eagles, they won the Super Bowl in 2020, and they are the defending AFC League champions from 2023 heading into this game.
Hardly underdog material.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is the youngest player to ever win both a league MVP award and a Super Bowl title, as well as the first player this century to win those twin accolades in the same season.
As the father of two daughters, one 16, and one just turned 32, it is unusual to find them interested in the same fashions, trends, or musical artists.
Not true with Taylor Swift. My girls are both“Swifties.” Barclay attended the Eras Tourstop in Atlanta and raved about the three-plus-hour show. Almost every visit with Olivia includes multiple versions of her style of karaoke, singing over Swift’s vocals, and belting out her singles.
The entrepreneur/ artist songwriter was frustrated that for years major labels and music library copyright holders would not even take a meeting with her to discuss selling her back the rights and royalties to her songs, written much earlier in her career.
Instead of whining or complaining, Swift simply activated her global fan base to no longer purchase or download the original songs, CDs, or albums, re-recording them all, with slightly updated lyrics or instrumentation, and making each title AGAIN her own. That’s the middle finger while smiling, singing, and also playing the guitar.
And yet, those of the MAGA-land of neverending conspiracy theories believe that after Swift performs at half-time and the Chiefs win a “rigged” game, the talented songbird will then sing a love ballad for White House incumbent Joe Biden and endorse his candidacy in 2024. And even better, that this is all part of a secret Psy-op organized by the Deep State to ensure a Biden win.
That also will not be a “first,” as Swift endorsed Biden during the 2020 campaign. In 2018, Swift broke her long-standing stance to not discuss politics in opposing then U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee’s GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate.
Blackburn won that race and serves today in the U.S. Senate. Trump fans also denigrate Kelce’s appearance in a Pfizer ad promoting a double dose vaccine of the flu and COVID-19 boosters, as then recommended by the CDC.
I guess former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the One America News Network, and activistLaura Loomerstill believe those vaccines carry a secret “marker” chip or perhaps the “mark of the beast,” in addition to lowering flu and COVID transmission rates.
I have no horse or team in this race, but I will join with the millions of Swift fans hoping for a swift win by Kansas City.
I will mention that kicker Harrison Butker, the Chief’s kicker with Atlanta family ties, is also part of that winning formula and the Chief’s secret sauce.
And I will note that this fall when Swift encouraged her 272 million Instagram followers to register and then vote, the direct link to the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization Vote.org registered almost 32,000 young voters who came straight from that Swift page in just days.
You go, girl!