Travis Kelce must consider cautionary Cowboys tale in Taylor Swift relationship
With rumours Travis Kelce is dating Taylor Swift, the Kansas City Chiefs star becomes the latest in a long line of NFL stars to crossover into the showbiz world.
They aren’t the first and won’t be the last celebrity power couple, but in the last few weeks, Kelce has already seen the impact Swift’s star power brings. Since reports first emerged that the pair have been ‘hanging out’, speculation has snowballed.
Kelce’s brother, Jason, was even put on the spot after a win for the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football last week, as he was pressed on whether his brother was dating the music icon. He refused to answer before appearing to confirm their romance on another podcast this week, although it appears he may have been joking and the relationship is yet to be officially confirmed.
Travis broke his silence on the reports but remained tight-lipped as he invited Swift to watch him perform at Arrowhead over the coming weeks. But he acknowledged the magnitude of the attention that has come with the claims.
"It's life, baby," Kelce replied when asked if he was frustrated by the speculation. "I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court and I told her 'I've seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead (Stadium), you might have to come see my rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one is a little more lit'. We'll see what happens in the near future.
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"It's hilarious how much traction this has actually got. Right now, it's like an old game in school called 'Telephone' where everybody is whispering in each other's ears and hearing random stuff and no one actually knows what's going on."
If Kelce and Swift do decide to make a go of things, then it will mean Kelce entering a new level of spotlight. Sure, he’s already an NFL superstar, a two-time Super Bowl winner, 8-time Pro Bowler and arguably the best player in his position. But even he’s not used to the limelight that comes with dating Taylor Swift.
Dating Swift would take Kelce into another realm of global fame and attention (Getty Images for MTV)There’s little to suggest Kelce won’t be able to cope with that. But there are plenty of cautionary tales of NFL players who delved into the celebrity world in their love life and saw their on-field exploits simultaneously suffer.
There’s no more famous case than Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who dated Jessica Simpson between 2007 and 2009. Like Kelce and Swift, Romo was a self-confessed fan of Simpson before they met. Whereas Kelce tried to gift Swift a bracelet with his phone number at a concert, Romo had publicly named Simpson as his celebrity crush.
Their year-and-a-half relationship moved quickly before ending on Romo’s 29th birthday. During the time they were together, Romo’s on-field play took a significant hit. So much so that Cowboys fans nicknamed Jessica Simpson ‘Yoko Romo’ and believed she was to blame.
Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson dated between 2007 and 2009 (Getty Images)
Cowboys fans became convinced Simpson was a 'curse' as Romo struggled (Getty Images)“It was just tumultuous,” NFL analyst Skip Bayless later claimed. “It was always one thing after another off-the-field. He had to pay too much attention off-the-field and he was not dedicating himself to the process of playing NFL quarterback.”
The pair tried to deny it had an impact, but there’s no disputing the fact Romo’s dive into the crossover celebrity world coincided with a slump in his performances, whether or not Simpson was to blame. The Cowboys missed the playoffs with Romo having arguably the worst season of his career in 2008.
When the pair split acrimoniously just before the 2009 season, Romo went on to lead the NFC in passing yards and make his third Pro Bowl. Not only that, but he led the Cowboys back to the NFL Playoffs.
Chiefs fans will hope there is no drop-off in Kelce’s form as he deals with the distractions that come with rumoured links to one of the world’s most famous celebrities.
Fans used Romo's relationship with Simpson to try and distract him (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Kelce missed the first game of the season due to a knee injury, then caught four passes for 26 yards and a touchdown in his 2023 NFL season debut in Jacksonville last weekend. After his touchdown catch, the commentator joked he’d found a “blank space” in the end zone in reference to the hit Swift song.
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It’s a prime example of the sort of attention he’ll now generate, not only away from football but also on the field. Romo was regularly taunted by opposing fans using Simpson as an attempt to distract him during games.
Kelce could face similar treatment, and opponents will likely have no shortage of material for trash-talk, either. But his head coach has already warned him to remain focused after he had a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after clashing with an opponent last week.
Whilst currently working through an injury, Kelce must also work through the new-found attention his love life has generated. There’s little to suggest a man of his confidence will have any problems - but Romo is one of the cautionary tales he’ll want to avoid following in the coming months.
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