Taylor Swift Super Bowl fan theories, ranked by how crazy they are
From Taylor Swift's attendance to a possible Travis Kelce engagement, here are the craziest Super Bowl theories
If you’ve been following any of our extensive coverage of Taylor Swift (some of you probably wish you weren’t!), you will be familiar with the refrain: no one can be normal about Taylor Swift. In the past year, rabid conjecture about her life and career has picked up from all sides, fans and foes alike. Her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has fanned the flames, and Kelce’s team making it into the Super Bowl has become its own behemoth of Swift speculation.
Below, we rank the craziest theories pertaining to Swift and the Super Bowl, ranked from the most likely to the most insane:
#6: That she’s going to the Super Bowl at all
It seems pretty likely that Taylor Swift will attend the Super Bowl, but it’s still not a guarantee at this point. (Sorry Swifties!) The singer is currently bringing the Eras Tour to Japan, and even though everyone from The West Wing to the Japanese Embassy has chimed in to explain exactly how she could make it work going from the stage in Tokyo to a box in Las Vegas, it would still be a lot of work. Plus, the Associated Press says that the private plane parking spots are completely booked at all the surrounding airports, so unless she’s already reserved a spot, she’s out of luck. (And frankly, she doesn’t need her name linked to any more private jet news right now.)
Even Kelce seemed uncertain that his girlfriend would be in the stands, telling reporters at a press conference on Wednesday (via TMZ), “The Super Bowl, we’ll worry about if she can make it.” Still, there’s a strong possibility that she’ll be there, so this theory ranks as not crazy at all.
#5: That the NFL will pay for her suite
Does it count as a fan theory if it’s coming from someone who’s not necessarily a fan? Former quarterback and current sports commentator Boomer Esiason said on his CBS Sports radio show Boomer And Gio that he believes Swift could be looking for some money from the NFL to attend the show, given all the talk around the singer increasing the league’s ratings. “You gotta know that her people are in touch with the NFL. And her people are probably saying, ‘If you want her at the game, you gotta pay for the jet coming back from Tokyo—and she needs her own suite,’” he theorized. “I’m telling you, man. This is business, man. This is all about business. How many times are we, CBS, going to show her? And are we going to show an arrival shot? … What’s interesting is if the NFL does pay for all of this stuff, you know, it could be like okay, ‘We’ll take care of all of that, but we want to be able to shoot you as you get to the stadium, whatever.’ You would think.”
Esiason clarified that this is his own personal theory, not from insider knowledge of the NFL, but it has a ring of sense. Though Swift could afford these things on her own, transportation and seating is a multi-million dollar affair. And given that she’s reportedly brought a new audience to the league, she may be looking for a you-scratch-my-back type of deal. The NFL already did something similar by pushing TV networks to air commercials for the Eras Tour during games for free. It wouldn’t be completely far-fetched for the organization to at least offer her a discount.
That said, Travis Kelce’s mother Donna told Today she thinks she’s going to be sitting in the stands, which indicates that there’s no pop star paying for her pricey seat. (Maybe that’s because Swift isn’t going to be able to make it, in re: the above section.)
This theory is just slightly kooky, but it is plausible.
#4: That she’s going to join Usher for the halftime show
In recent years, lots of Super Bowl Halftime Show performers have brought out surprise special guests, so it’s fair to assume that Usher might do so. And, since Taylor Swift is the biggest pop star in the world, and probably will be in attendance, one might extrapolate that she’d be a perfect special guest. Plus, she has performed with Usher before, adding fuel to the fire of fans’ desire to see Swift up on that stage.
@marcpenna In my wildest dreams tbh. #2024halfitimeshow #superbowl #superbowlhalftimeshow #kelce #taylorswift #usher #kansascitychiefs @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation @Usher Raymond ♬ Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris) – Usher
There’s a bunch of reasons why this one is pretty unlikely. First, she’s already turned down the Halftime Show multiple times—if she wanted to be up there, she would be! Second, if she does make it to the game, she won’t have any time to rehearse beforehand, and she probably wouldn’t be in the best performing shape after all the travel. Third, it would be taking the spotlight away from her boyfriend a little bit. So while it makes sense that someone would theorize this, we’re tipping more into insane territory here.
#3: That Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will get engaged
A lot of fuss has been made about Swift and Kelce’s fairytale Americana romance. Fans are swooning, body language “experts” are observing how in loooooove they seem, and pop culture pundits are weighing in about how this guy seems so much better than her last guy. Given the rom-com trajectory of their public-facing relationship—he shouts her out on his podcast, they start attending each other’s games and concerts, they spend Christmas together, etc.—it’s no wonder that some fans have started speculating that perhaps the perfect happy ending to the story would be if Kelce knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said, “Marry me, Juliet Taylor.” Noted Taylor Swift theorist Boomer Esiason has proposed the couple might even go for a Kay Jeweler sponsorship for the act. Some have gone so far as to place bets on the subject, with Variety reporting that current odds are at Yes +1060/No -3000.
Here’s why this one feels like the most insane we’ve encountered yet. Travis Kelce himself said betting on such a thing is “crazy.” He doesn’t even know if she’s going to be able to make it to the game, so it’s hard to plan for a possible proposal (on top of already planning for a career-defining game). They haven’t been dating for very long. And, in this writer’s opinion, doing a big public proposal on the field after the game would be kind of tacky. Most importantly, a proposal presumably hinges on the Chiefs winning the game, which is not a guaranteed outcome. Unless you buy into one of our final two crazy theories…
#2: That the Chiefs are going to win the Super Bowl for divine Swiftie reasons
If you are a Swiftie or an observer of Swiftieism, you know that numerology is a big part of the pop star’s schtick. Oftentimes Swift herself is peppering her work with meaningful Easter eggs, but sometimes it’s like life is a willow and it bends right to Swift’s wind, creating divine and mystic circumstances that align perfectly with her chosen talismans, like her favorite lucky number 13.
@draftkings Is 13 a sign for Taylor Swift and the Chiefs? #swifties #nfl #superbowl ♬ original sound – DraftKings
The Super Bowl is one of those times, as fans have discovered. The theory, as laid out on the DraftKings podcast GoJo and Golic, involves the fact that if she does attend, it will be Swift’s 13th Chiefs game. Numerically, this is Super Bowl 58 (5 + 8 = 13). It takes place on February 11, a.k.a. 2/11 (2 + 11 = 13). The rival team is the 49ers (4 + 9 = 13). The game is a number one seed vs. a three seed team (13!), and the 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s jersey number is 13. It would seem the universe is aligned to deliver Swift and her team the win.
This theory is insane because it relies heavily on the divine intervention of a watchful universe, one that particularly favors Taylor Swift. But given how well things have gone for her in life, we can’t really count that out.
#1: That the Chiefs are going to win because Joe Biden is rigging it for Taylor Swift
This is once again stretching the definition of a “fan theory,” but the most bonkers theory of all is that Joe Biden and the Democratic establishment will rig the Super Bowl in favor of the Chiefs in exchange for Taylor Swift’s endorsement in the 2024 presidential election. We’ve already written about this one, so it’s not worth giving it too much more airtime. Instead, you can take it from Arnold Schwarzenegger, the ex-governor of California and a longtime Republican, who told Variety the Swift Super Bowl conspiracies don’t surprise him. “Remember, everything is a plant,” he said with a laugh. “COVID was a plant. The vaccine was the plant. Of course, she’s also a plant and the team that wins is a plant. There are agents everywhere. The CIA is operating everything. I can see it very clearly how everything is a plant. It’s entertaining.”
Entertaining, yes, but absolutely nutso. The right-wing conspiracy theorists win this round of craziest Taylor Swift theories, and they had some stiff competition. Thanks to everyone for playing!