In 2007, singer and now-fashion mogul Jessica Simpson showed up to a Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles football game wearing a pink Cowboys jersey to support her then-boyfriend Tony Romo, the Cowboy’s star quarterback.
The Cowboys lost that game after Romo played what is widely considered one of the worst game of his career, statistically speaking. Somehow, despite the fact that Romo was the actual human who played the game, Simpson was blamed by many of the team’s more superstitious fans for the loss – a reaction widely criticized for its misogynistic undertones.
Recalling the “unbelievable, ugly backlash” that Simpson receiving during her Romo era is what motivated Kansas City Chiefs supporter Todd Chance to welcome Taylor Swift’s loyal fanbase, known as Swifties, to Chiefs Kingdom with open arms in September, when the team’s superstar tight end Travis Kelce started dating the superstar singer.
“I knew that there were going to be toxic elements within that fan culture that they were coming into with the NFL,” Chance, 48, told CNN in an interview. “I wanted to let them know that there are plenty of people in Chiefs Kingdom who are welcoming.”
To Chance’s delight, he was also warmly welcomed by Swift’s fans. On his TikTok page, Chance offered his knowledge of Chiefs history to the Swifties of the internet and in return, the Swifties who took notice offered him guidance on which of Swift’s many albums he should listen to first.
In a world often driven by division, Chance and football lovers like him represent a refreshing flavor of fan – one open to not just taking a crash course in Swift Music 101 but crashing into a corner of music culture that is all at once admirable for its power, intimidating for its learning curve and rooted in the core belief that In Swift We Trust.
A swift understanding
Swift first appeared at a Chiefs game in September before the now-couple confirmed their romance. Her presence at the many Chiefs games that have followed has since been met with a variety of opinion, but there is a group of people who have found joy in both.
The amalgamation of the two has brought Swifties into the exciting world of football, and football fans into Swift’s intricate world of music and riddles. As Swift once sang, call it what you want. But who are the “Chiefties,” exactly?
When the Kansas City Chiefs first came to the bustling Missouri town in the 1960s, Chance’s father Harold was a passionate supporter of the team. He went on to become part of a group of fans who called themselves the “Wolfpack,” which was representative of the team’s Wolf mascot.
Harold watched and regaled as the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 1970 and, always a passionate fan, passed down his knowledge and love for the team to his son, who was born shortly after that Super Bowl win.
Chance, now a resident of rural Kansas, grew up as passionate of a Chiefs fan as his father Harold, but they never got to share watching a Super Bowl victory together before Harold passed. Now, as the Chiefs head to Sunday’s Super Bowl as defending champions, on the verge of cementing themselves as a dynastic team, Todd is thinking of his father.
“I think of him and his influence on me being a Chiefs fan and being so patient with me as he explained the rules of the game, and why he loved it as much as he did,” Chance said.
Chance took that same approach on social media when he posted videos to his TikTok page welcoming Swifties into Chiefs Kingdom after the first game Swift attended. He had only been a casual listener of her radio hits. But his interactions with Swifties on social media made him Swift-curious.
“The thing that turned it for me was when all the Swifites – who were so unbelievably welcoming and kind and helpful – steered me toward ‘Folklore,’” he said of the singer’s 2020 album. After he studied the lyrics and understood Swift’s imaginative storytelling through her music, Chance was hooked. “I get it now,” he recalled thinking at the time.