Sports Betting
To quote Martina McBride, this one’s for the girls!
Here we are, 138 days since Taylor Swift went to a Chiefs game, left hand-in-hand with Travis Kelce, and set off the cultural avalanche that is the world’s most talked-about relationship (for now). The conversation around the couple has reached a fever pitch in this liminal space between Grammys Sunday, when Swift won her fourth Album of the Year, and Super Bowl Sunday, when Kelce will play for his third Super Bowl ring.
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Granted, that fever pitch has many of us feeling unwell, with press conferences acquiring a distinct circus atmosphere. But, per Kelce at a media event on Wednesday, “I guess I’m just comfortable in the atmosphere and the chaos that goes around us… For a week, why not go through all this craziness and showcase my story, my family and everybody that has gotten me to this point.”
Whatever your feelings on Swift personally, “the Taylor Swift effect” — as it has been dubbed by many, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — is undeniable. The NFL had its highest regular-season viewership among women, and Apex Marketing Group claims that Swift helped generate an equivalent brand value of $331.5 million for the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL.
A recent poll from the Stillman School of Business’ Center for Sport Management found that 21 percent of respondents said Swift’s presence influenced their decision to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday. Among the 18-34-year-old demographic, that number leapt to 41 percent. We’ve felt it here at The Athletic, too, with reporting by our news team about her travel time from Tokyo to Las Vegas popping up on the “Today Show.”
But it’s not just morning TV or NFL viewership feeling the Swift effect. Sportsbooks are also rippling with it. At October’s Global Gaming Conference, FanDuel CEO Amy Howe and DraftKings CEO Jason Robins confirmed the two sportsbooks had significantly more betting action on Kelce with Swift on the scene, with Howe saying Kelce bets had doubled. Robins agreed, “the demand goes through the roof.”
A rash of articles covering “Taylor Swift bets” have popped up online (this one now included). Like every year, the Super Bowl is a big event for prop betting – player props, novelty props, halftime props, etc. Props are the kind of bets that any casual viewer can understand and get excited about. Will Patrick Mahomes throw an interception? Who will get the most touchdowns? What color will the Gatorade poured on the winning coach be?
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Legal sportsbooks in the States are limited to bets more closely related to the outcome of the game and action on the field with some notable exceptions like betting on the Gatorade color in certain states. So, while Swifties and football fans in the U.S. won’t be able to bet on Swift herself, there are plenty of props you can use to guide your party prop sheet. (Get ours here.)
Here are some of our favorite Taylor Swift props along with predictions for the outcome.
I’m going “Bad Blood” with this one. It’s low-hanging fruit, and it fits into any conversation about a sports rivalry.
Brittany Mahomes is the best pick here, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed Swift brings some of her other famous friends. You could add Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds to this list, as well as models Cara Delevingne and Keleigh Teller (married to actor Miles Teller). These celebs have all accompanied Swift to past Chiefs games.
Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift and Blake Lively in the suite watching the Chiefs game tonight! pic.twitter.com/TNgsm7N9mX
— Taylor Swift Updates (@SwiftNYC) October 2, 2023
It’s gotta be over, right? You can’t hold down a cameraman with a lot of time to fill and a lot of eager eyeballs to please.
This is basically just a straight “Will the Chiefs win?” bet. My pick is yes.
Something tells me Jason isn’t a big hugging Taylor Swift guy. High-fiving? Definitely. Hugging? That’s for his wife Kylie and their kids.
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Yes. Is the pope Catholic?
The internet’s new favorite thing seems to be making inaccurate lip-readings of Swift and her cohorts. In the Chiefs’ Week 15 game against the New England Patriots, Swift appears to yell the f-word after Patriots cornerback Myles Bryant pushed Kelce in the end zone.
Let’s go with “Love Story.”
This is a tough one for me. Reba McEntire will be singing the anthem, and Swift came up in country music. It makes sense to show her. On the other hand, the anthem is a more solemn moment.
Yes. Taylor made a splash on social media wearing a Kristin Juszczyk creation featuring Kelce’s number, 87. Repping a name or number is a classic WAG (“wives and girlfriends”) aesthetic, and Taylor has been opting for classic in her NFL outings.
You can also find props on whether Taylor will rep Juszczyk again. My guess is that would send mixed messages since Juszczyk is the wife of 49ers player Kyle Juszczyk.
Since making the custom puffer jacket that Taylor Swift wore to watch her Kansas City Chief boyfriend, designer Kristin Juszczyk has landed a licensing deal with the NFL, the league said. https://t.co/FEuqmh4Vt9
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 31, 2024
What does this have to do with Swift, you ask? Well, 1989 is the title of Swift’s fifth studio album and her birth year. And 87 is Kelce’s number. American Airlines is one of the many brands looking to capitalize on the commercial possibilities of the “Swelce” romance. The airline added flights “AA1989” and “AA87” for Super Bowl weekend between Kansas City and Las Vegas. (There are also three Flight 15 options, referencing Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes’ number.)
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According to aviation analytics company Cirium, American Airlines clocked in as the third most on-time airline with 80.61 percent of its flights arriving on time.
Amid an ocean of wacky, ridiculous props (which is this entire article), the alternate timeline where Kelce proposes at the Super Bowl seems the most outlandish to me. But, you could always add this to your prop sheet.
To get in on our party prop competition, check out our 2024 Super Bowl party props sheet.
(Photo of Taylor Swift: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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Hannah Vanbiber is a staff editor for sports betting at The Athletic. Hannah previously wrote for Gaming Today, New York Sports Day, Rocky Top Insider, MLIVE, and other sports betting outlets as a freelance writer. She started her journalism career in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a reporter and editor covering local sports. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahVanbiber
