Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship has been the main talking point for many on Radio Row ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young is the latest to weigh in, giving his thoughts on their relationship during an appearance on the “This is Football” podcast Thursday. Young offered a new perspective, saying that Swift’s presence at Chiefs games “put a burden” on the team early in the season. But now, Young said, their relationship has turned into a “superpower” for the Chiefs, who caught fire in the postseason and are going for Super Bowl No. 3 in the last five seasons.
“Taylor Swift coming to the games and dating Travis [Kelce] put a huge burden on the team,” Young said. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It’s just the nature of the whole thing. It’s a distraction. And you could see the weight of that in the first half of the season. What I saw toward the end of the season is now an ownership of that distraction to where it’s now a superpower.”
Travis Kelce staying focused amid media’s interest in relationship with Taylor Swift
Asked a follow-up by Kevin Clark if Swift being in a stadium suite was a real distraction for the team, Young emphatically answered yes.
“100 percent,” Young said. “When you’re that famous, everyone’s now twitterpated. Players, equipment men, coaches, staff, locker room attendants, everyone’s twitterpated. It creates its own energy and drama and distraction. It’s inevitable. The idea that you didn’t feel that weight on that team is just not a reality.
“I really feel like why they’re coming into this game in a really powerful position is handling that unique challenge. … She’s part of the family now and that’s a powerful place. … I think they’re much more dangerous today, for this Super Bowl, because of that. I thought they were less dangerous in the first half because of that.”
As Young mentioned, any sort of distraction Swift provided seems to be a thing of the past. The Chiefs are a focused bunch, even through the number of questions fired their way by the media this week. Kelce himself acknowledged the media’s interest in his relationship, saying he believes the questions are “fair.”
“I think it’s fair,” Kelce said. “I mean, everybody’s having fun with it. It’s not like you guys are up here teeing off on me left and right. Everybody’s just having a good time with it. So, how could I be upset about it?”
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