Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan shut down speculation that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship is manufactured.
Donovan appeared on Wednesday’s episode of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where he was asked if he “predicted” the attention Swift has garnered toward the NFL team.
“I’d love to say that it was a marketing strategy, but it is an authentic relationship, and we’re happy to have it, and it’s been nothing but good for us,” he said.
Donovan agreed that there has been a positive “impact” on the Chiefs, however, as fans see Swift’s genuine love of the sport.
“Taylor Swift is an authentic member of the Kansas City Chiefs kingdom,” he said. “She’s an authentic fan, and that matters to our fans and our fanbase, and it matters to us, and we’ve tried to respect that.”
Donovan has previously raved about Swift attending various Chiefs games, sharing on the “Front Office Sports” podcast in September that the singer “wants to be a fan.”
“This is her off time,” he said on the podcast. “She wants to be there to support Travis. We’re going to create that opportunity where we provide that.”
Donovan also acknowledged that the Grammy winner has brought a “pretty valuable, targeted demographic” with her new interest in the Chiefs.
“We’re not trying to capitalize on this,” he reiterated. “We’re trying to celebrate it, but it’s not about doing too much or showing her every touchdown or anything like that.”
Swift, 34, has introduced a new demographic to the sport and even reportedly helped the Chiefs reach a staggering value of $4.85 billion, according to Forbes.
Just a few days after Swift attended her first Chiefs game in September 2023, her boyfriend’s jersey saw a 400 percent spike in sales and quickly skyrocketed to one of the highest selling NFL jerseys.
Kelce, 35, later gave a sweet shoutout to the “Cruel Summer” singer after sharing the big news on his and brother Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast in December 2023.
Swift has attended several of Kelce’s games ever since they made their relationship public last September.
Most recently, she sported a Versace red and black plaid set while seeing the Chiefs defeat the Denver Broncos on Nov. 10.
However, she has skipped a few away games due to both security reasons and her ongoing Eras Tour schedule.