The Hivemind of Swifties, and why They Like the Chiefs Now

by: Lawrence Adkins

Across the realm of modern pop culture, fandoms exist to obsess over their favorite celebrities. BTS fans call themselves “ARMY,” fans of Nicki Minaj call themselves “Barbz,” and Harry Styles fans call themselves “Harries.” However, no group stands out to be more obsessed with their idol than the Swifties.

Taylor Swift is one of America’s biggest pop icons, boasting hundreds of awards won for her music including multiple Album of the Year awards. As she continues to gain more recognition for her music, her fandom continues to grow larger and more passionate. The Swifties seem to follow her every move for hints for new tour dates or songs. Or more importantly, who the album is about.

Taylor’s newest “Love Story” gained immediate attention when Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, was spotted at a concert during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Shortly after, he confirmed that he did try and fail at wooing the singer with a bracelet he made with his phone number on it. Cute, isn’t it?

More attempts at wooing Swift followed in September when Kelce offered Swift VIP seats in a section reserved for his family where she cheered him on to his eventual win against the Chicago Bears!  Kelce eventually spoke about his relationship on his podcast New Heights., addressing that her being there as “pretty ballsy”, noting her and his mom high fiving and “slipping away in a getaway car” at the end of the game.  Swifties all over the world gained a new interest in not only Swift’s most recent partner but also football itself. Kelsey’s jersey sales skyrocketed to a whopping 400%. Couples on TikTok started a trend where they would tell each other that Kelce or Swift “put [the other] on the map” and made them famous. While the Swifties gained a newfound interest in the NFL, football fans now found themselves amidst a new wave of introducing people to the game.

Football fans have been known to gamble on games to ludicrous extents, burn the jerseys of players who perform poorly, and  destroy property amid important wins or losses. This hivemind level of influence can be seen in Taylor Swifts fans, who not only follow her every move, but have been known to cheer so loudly that they cause literal earthquakes. Female-dominated fandoms often come under fire due to the amount of young women that contribute to their cause. However, it cannot be ignored that fandoms dominated by men are just as guilty. 

The minds of passionate fandoms such as the Swifties or football fans are something to be studied. Time after time they seem to show an uncanny dedication to learning what’s going on in Taylor Swift’s life, picking apart her outfits and Instagram posts to see whether she’s alluding to something for her next album. The sheer amount of gravity that the fans give her is insane.