Taylor Swift may swear in song that she’s never been a natural (all she does is try, try, try, etc.), but fan footage of the performer at Sunday evening’s Chiefs game shows that her nickname for beau Travis Kelce is totally natural.
Yes, Swift is the queen of coded messages and allusions (for example: the Swiftie corner of the internet losing their collective minds over the mention of “blue dress on a boat” in the recently released “From the Vault” track, “Is It Over Now?”), and she and former flame Joe Alwyn may have refashioned him as “William Bowery” for co-writing credits on her pandemic albums—maybe not the most obvious pet name—but her nickname for Kelce is far more simple.
“Come on, Trav!” Swift can be seen bellowing from her perch in the VIP box at Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers. Trav! Like Travis, but less. Saves time. It’s only practical. The very definition of a diminutive.
Of course, Kelce appears to have adopted a similarly groundbreaking sobriquet for Swift: In the latest episode of New Heights, the podcast he co-hosts with brother Jason Kelce, a fellow NFL-er who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, Travis thanked Swift for her social media support after she liked a Chiefs Instagram post celebrating Travis’ latest record for achievements in tight end-ing.
“Alright now,” Travis said of the shoutout. “Um, thanks Tay. I appreciate you on the Chiefs page supporting the Yeti.”
For the record, “the Yeti” appears to be a pre-existing nickname, not a Swift original.
Tay, for Taylor? You just can’t knock logic.
For the record, Swift’s fervent cheering at Sunday’s game didn’t ultimately make a difference: The Chiefs fell to the Packers in a 19-27 loss, their first defeat with Swift in attendance. Olympic gold-winning gymnast Simone Biles was also in attendance, cheering on husband Jonathan Owens, a safety for the Packers. Biles and Swift may be superstar WAGs, but their respective partners were the ones taking center stage in the final play of the night. When Kelce tried to turn the tides by receiving a Hail Mary pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a push from Owens forced him to miss the catch and ended the game.
It was Swift’s fifth appearance at a Chiefs game, and her first time witnessing a loss for the team in person.
