NEW ORLEANS — As the cameras pan around the Caesars Superdome on Sunday during Super Bowl LIX, they’re sure to find Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce’s girlfriend and one of his biggest supporters.
Swift, one of the world’s biggest music stars, is famous for putting on an entertaining show during her lengthy tour schedule.
When asked Thursday if he could take anything from Swift’s work ethic, the Kansas City Chiefs star tight end said he had plenty to admire.
“What I saw on that (Eras Tour) last year was pretty remarkable,” Kelce said. “To see the week in, week out, traveling from one country to the next, how excruciating it is on her body and on her mind, and it’s not just her, it was her entire tour. It was the dancers, it was the band, the singers, it was everybody involved.
“It was an absolute machine, and it was something I could admire watching, and I think about it all the time.”
The noise of fame surrounding Swift, as well as Kelce’s dabblings in entertainment (such as his podcast with brother Jason as well as some acting) are things that Kelce has managed well, as pointed out by his teammates and coaches.
What is his secret?
“My balance is you’ve got to take yourself out of the media world, and it’s a reality whenever you’re not doing media,” Kelce said. “What’s real is the people around you, your loved ones, your family, your support system. Who are you to them, and how is that affecting your life?”
–Safety Justin Reid is one of the few Chiefs with connections to the New Orleans area, having gone to school down the road at Dutchtown High in Geismar, La.
“It’s a cool feeling, because you grew up (in the area) talking about two things: playing in the Superdome and playing in the Super Bowl,” he said, “and I get to do both of them right now.”
Reid’s older brother Eric, an LSU product, never played in the Super Bowl but did play in the Superdome as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
The younger Reid, who joined the Chiefs for the start of their current Super Bowl run at the start of the 2022 season, vividly remembers coming to the Superdome to support his older brother.
“We grew up as Saints fans, but we never actually got to make it to any Saints games,” Reid said. “My first time actually going to the Superdome was when Eric was already in the league playing for the 49ers. So, I was in the Superdome wearing red, same as I am this coming Sunday.
“But I do remember when New Orleans won the Super Bowl (in February 2010), Drew Brees, and how the whole city just exploded in that moment. That’s a core memory for me.”
–Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins joined the Chiefs in a midseason trade from the Tennessee Titans, and he spoke Thursday about his appreciation for his first Super Bowl opportunity and the Chiefs’ commitment toward involving multiple offensive players.
“It’s beautiful. That’s why we win,” Hopkins said. “I’ve been on offenses before where there is a No. 1 receiver, and I’ve been that No. 1 receiver, and not having won, and it’s funny, because my grandfather and I would always watch football, and we’re like, âMost Super Bowl teams don’t have just one guy that they get the ball to, but they spread it around,’ and that’s a reason these guys are here.”
The Chiefs’ offensive ability to spread the ball around might call to mind memories of one of Hopkins’ favorite Super Bowl memories, that of the high-flying St. Louis Rams and their “greatest show on turf.”
“My first Super Bowl memory is of the Rams, when the Rams had the greatest show on turf,” Hopkins said. “I watched that game, and I was like, âMan, these dudes are pretty good.'”
