The T-Swift Effect: New Heights Edition
Graphic by Amelie Lima
It finally happened: Taylor Swift made her first-ever guest appearance on the “New Heights” podcast. Hosted by NFL tight end Travis Kelce and his future Hall of Fame brother, Jason Kelce, sports fans and “Swifties” alike have long awaited this momentous occasion since Taylor and Travis were first seen together in public in September 2023. Travis originally used the podcast to voice his desire to ask out Swift after failing to meet her at her July 2023 Eras Tour performance in Kansas City.
To open the episode, Jason Kelce was perhaps the first person to introduce Taylor Swift by all of her professional accolades alongside his brother’s athletic achievements, including the Chiefs’ wins during her time as Travis’s WAG. The numbers back it up: Swift sold out nearly all 53 shows across 20 NFL stadiums during her Eras tour, generating almost $2 billion in revenue.
Outside her time as an NFL WAG, Swift has spent the past two seasons commuting between games and shows. While some may not see the parallels between a multi-continent tour and a full NFL season, the Eras tour was as much a musical feat as it was a physical one. Swift’s recovery routine resembled one of an athlete, including several techniques that are common in training rooms everywhere: acupuncture and physical therapy. Singing and dancing in high heels for nearly three hours several nights a week, Swift delivered an athletic performance that deserves applause, even if unconventional.
While she was performing, Swift dropped two re-recorded albums, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” and her latest, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
During her appearance on the podcast, the singer’s trademark easter eggs immediately stood out to Swifties and ultimately led to the announcement of her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Swift said that she wrote this album while on tour, commuting from the stage to Sweden each week to record. While a glittery orange square with teal initials “T” and “S” might not resonate with sports fans, the best comparison would be imagining the Chiefs revealing their schedule through hidden clues about their opponents. Safe to say, the satisfaction of feeling in on a secret is a reliable constant across both sports and music fandoms.
Swift’s love for football did not begin when she started dating Travis, but her knowledge of the sport has certainly grown exponentially since. Her father is a lifelong friend of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who personally vouched for the tight end when he tried to ask the singer out through his podcast. Once the couple started officially dating, Swift immersed herself even further in Chiefs Kingdom, spending time in the friends-and-family suite at Arrowhead. Although she may have first thought an offensive lineman for one team and a tight end for another could be on the field at the same time, her knowledge has now expanded to surpass that of even some NFL veterans.
Swift’s “Welcome to the NFL” moment certainly encapsulates the chaos of dating one of the league’s top tight ends.
Following the 2024 AFC Championship game, in which the Chiefs beat the Ravens 17-10, Swift was escorted to the field to celebrate. Swift said in the recent episode that the intensity of media coverage in that moment was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. While the couple says they didn’t discuss a potential win to avoid jinxing the result, they both cherish the memory shared together. To quote Travis, Swift “had a great rookie year” as the season ended with the Chiefs winning their fourth championship in franchise history.
Beyond the implications of this appearance for their relationship, Swift has had a significant impact on female participation in the NFL audience. Sales figures for Kelce’s jersey sales jumped 400% after Swift’s first game day appearance. Swift shared that one of her favorite effects she has seen take course is more father-daughter pairs at games. The numbers speak for themselves: female viewership for Thursday Night Football was up 10% from the 2023 to 2024 season.
Does it matter that Taylor Swift has entered yet another male-dominated space through the “New Heights” podcast? Some may dismiss it as irrelevant—but as both a Swiftie and a lifelong sports fan, I say otherwise.
Swift refuses to love quietly. The fairytale she’s spent years singing about is now playing out in real life—and her relationship with a professional athlete in a male-dominated league has opened new pathways for boosting female viewership. As if the story weren’t sweet enough, the “Swift effect” has created new opportunities for fathers and daughters to bond—sharing the thrill of a game-winning touchdown or the joy of spotting their favorite singer in a setting far beyond her usual stage.
Kate Oliver ’26 (koliver@college.harvard.edu) is LOSING IT over the engagement announcement on Instagram!