Written by Theressa Jabbour

You may have heard about the new hot topic of conversation in the pop culture world, Taylor Swift’s relationship with American football player Travis Kelce, Dear Reader. You also may have heard about the newfound popularity of the Kansas City Chiefs, thanks to Taylor Swift’s fans’ interest in this relationship. Call It What You Want, but this unexpected Love Story crossover between the music and football world has left more than one head turning since Swift was first seen attending a game this past September. Never in his Wildest Dreams did the Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid think he would attribute his player Travis Kelce’s good performance during this season to the relationship. And that’s not the only thing in the football world that has been positively influenced by this affair. The Chiefs’ marketing team can take a break and Say Don’t Go to Taylor because her appearances at their games have caused a spike in Travis Kelce merchandise. Back in September, Fanatics, an official NFL merchandise shop, reported a “nearly 400% spike in sales”, according to the Associated Press. In a similar vein, the Week 4 game between the Chiefs and New York Jets in October averaged 27 million viewers, according to a press release by NBC, which is 22% more viewers than last year. Much of this increased attention can be attributed to Taylor Swift and her Red Cardigan, believes NBC.

Swifites, it seems, have welcomed the football world with open arms. As seen on various social media platforms, Sparks Fly as many of Swift’s fans have taken it upon themselves to watch Chiefs games, and they are not being quiet about it. BuzzFeed compiled a list of interactions from all corners of the internet to showcase this new craze. Grey’s Anatomy star and Swiftie Camilla Luddington jumped on this trend recently, posting a skit on Instagram that shows her being questioned by her husband about her new obsession with the Kansas City Chiefs. So, if, like her, the only thing you know about the Chiefs is that the K is for Kansas, this article has got you covered. Here are the top five things you need to know about the Kansas City Chiefs.

1- The History

The team was first conceived as the Dallas Texans by Lamar Hunt in 1959 as a founding member of the American Football League (AFL), before relocating to Kansas City, Missouri in 1963 and taking its name. Having won three AFL Championships, and the AFL-NFL World Championship Game in 1970, the newly named Kansas City Chiefs joined the National Football League (NFL) after a merger with its rival, the AFL, that same year. However, despite their previous success, the Chiefs had a streak of bad luck during the playoffs for decades. But since current head coach Andy Reid’s arrival in 2013, they have been brought back to fighting form, making it to the playoffs in nine out of ten seasons.

2- The Team

The team is made up of chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, the son of the original founder, president Mike Donovan, in his 15th season with the Chiefs, head coach Andy Reid, who has three Super Bowl Championships under his belt, general manager Brett Veach, who has been with the team for seven seasons, as well as various members of the coaching staff, each responsible for one aspect of the team.

3- The Players

The team has 99 players, divided between different positions. There are 52 active players, of which two are quarterbacks, three are running backs, six are wide receivers, three are tight ends, nine are offensive linemen, 11 are defensive linemen, six are linebackers, nine are defensive backs, and three are special teams. Some famous players include quarterback Patrick Mahhomes, in his seventh season and the youngest player ever to win both the Super Bowl Championship and a league MVP award, and the aforementioned tight end Travis Kelce, whose friendly rivalry with his brother Jason, centre for the Philadelphia Eagles, culminated in a face off at the Super Bowl earlier this year.

4- The Super Bowl

Participating in the AFL, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Championship in 1962, 1966, and 1969, all under the leadership of head coach Hank Stram, who was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1987. In the NFL, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl Championship in 1969, under Hank Stram, and in 2019 and 2022, under Andy Reid. The most recent iteration, the 57th, was hosted at the University of Phoenix Stadium. It featured a close game between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, with a final score of 38-35. The first quarter saw the Eagles and Chiefs each score one touchdown, and the second saw the Eagles score two touchdowns and a field goal, while the Chiefs scored just one. The third quarter featured a touchdown from the Chiefs and a field goal from the Eagles, leaving the Eagles ahead in points, and the fourth quarter had one touchdown from the Eagles and two touchdowns and a field goal from the Chiefs, which ultimately earned them the 2022 Super Bowl win.

The rivalry between Travis and his brother may be going strong on the field, but off the field, there is no Bad Blood between them. Perhaps the most surprising event to come out of this Super Bowl is the popularity of Travis and Jason Kelce’s mother, Donna. As the first mother in history to have two sons play on opposite teams in a Super Bowl, she had to get creative with her outfit. In an interview with GQ Sports, she spills the details on her now-famous half-Eagles and half-Chiefs custom-made football jersey, which earned itself a display in the Pro Football Today Gallery at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Her story, and that of her sons, made its rounds in the media in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, with the matriarch and her sons being propelled to national prominence outside of the football world. If you’d like to hear more about this endearing story or the non-stop brotherly rivalry, you can check out the podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.

5- The 104th NFL Season

Their 2023 season has been off to a great start, beginning on September 7th, 2023 and ending in January 2024. So far this season, they have won several games, high off the back of their Super Bowl win, but lost in Weeks 1, 8 and 11. Last Monday saw the team face off against their Super Bowl rivals, losing against the Philadelphia Eagles with a score of 21-17. This past Sunday, they played the Las Vegas Raiders. Upcoming games in December include competing versus the Green Bay Packers on the 3rd, the Buffalo Bills on the 10th, the New England Patriots on the 18th, the Las Vegas Raiders on the 25th, and the Cincinnati Bengals on the 31st, with a yet-to-be-announced game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

If this crash course has piqued your interest, you’ll surely want to leave a Blank Space in your calendar for the Super Bowl LVIII, scheduled for February 11th, 2024, in Las Vegas. It was All Too Well when the Kansas City Chiefs won last year, and they are certainly still in contention this year. You can catch their games on CTV, TSN, RSN, and DAZN, and keep watching to see if they can defend their 2022 Super Bowl win this season, and if Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship will be End Game.

All About the Kansas City Chiefs … Ready For It?

1- The History

2- The Team

3- The Players

4- The Super Bowl

5- The 104th NFL Season

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