My kids used to watch the Super Bowl for the ads. Now they might pay attention to the game thanks to Taylor Swift.
- My kids are 10 and 13 and love Taylor Swift and her music.
- I've been the only one into sports in my house, finding companionship on group chats.
As the lone male sports fan in our household, I'm used to turning to group chats and social media for companionship while I watch the English Premier League, NFL, or NHL games.
Sports are often on the TV in our NYC apartment, so it's inevitable that my kids — ages 10 and 13 — are exposed to games, but it's just background noise to them. On the rare occasion when I yell at the TV — mostly at the refs — it will earn me an eye roll or two from behind a book or an iPad, at most. They use the term "sportsball" to describe what I'm watching, and not in a complimentary way.
They've watched the Super Bowl before, but mostly for the commercials
As a long-suffering Detroit Lions fan, I'm still mourning their devastating loss in the playoffs. The closest my kids have come to actually rooting for a team has been when they choose to root against my teams, which they think is hilarious. That's how they became Tampa Bay Lightning fans, because the Lightning made a ritual of eliminating my favorite team, the Detroit Red Wings, from the playoffs every year.
Sure, we all watch the Super Bowl together as a family every February while I make a big batch of chili and friends come over, but it's mostly for the commercials, the chili, and their pals. I was hoping this would finally be the year I'd get to pull for a team I actually cared about.
Taylor Swift might actually change that.
They are both Swifties
My kids may not be sports fans, but they are Swifties.
When I ask why, their responses are pretty straightforward — "Her music is amazing. She seems really nice. She's cool and nice and weird."
They can bang out lyrics to her songs on demand. We encourage their fandom: our road trips are loaded with Taylor's playlists, and my Spotify Wrapped is full of Taylor Swift songs that I've never listened to by myself. Although we couldn't get tickets to her Eras tour, they've seen the movie and the Reputation Stadium Tour on Netflix. As an avid vinyl collector, I've bought Taylor Swift records for them, like a numbered Record Store Day release of Speak Now and 1989.
We've watched Chiefs games all season, starting with their opening-day defeat courtesy of my Lions. When the kids discovered that Taylor was dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, they immediately recognized him as "Maauto" from the ubiquitous State Farm commercials during NFL games.
They started getting into football a little bit
They started showing a bit more interest during Chiefs games. I'd make it a point to call out the few times when she was featured on the broadcast, and they peeked out from behind books and iPads with genuine interest. They loved it. They even started asking how many points a touchdown was worth.
"I'm excited to watch the Super Bowl this year because of Taylor Swift. And only because of Taylor Swift," declared my oldest. "If the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, they'll probably show Taylor Swift more. Which makes me happy."
"I mean, it depends. I'm only there to see Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. No one else is important to me," stated my youngest. "Maybe Patrick Mahomes too. You know, because of 'Mahomes' and 'Maauto.''"
I can't say that they are football fans. At least not yet. But they are certainly Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fans — "They are a good match," according to the 10-year-old — and we're all looking forward to rooting for the Chiefs on Super Bowl Sunday. Together.
Maybe next year, I can get them interested in Eminem before the season starts.