Featured Image Credit: Jason Hanna/Getty Images/David Eulitt/Getty Images
Topics: US News, Celebrity, Music, Taylor Swift, NFL
Katherine Sidnell
Topics: US News, Celebrity, Music, Taylor Swift, NFL
It seems anything Taylor Swift touches turns to gold, literally!
Although the ‘Anti-hero’ singer has yet to confirm her relationship with Travis Kelce, the NFL star has had a major boost in popularity in recent days.
After having been recently spotted with Swift, the Kansa Chiefs plays has reportedly gained over 300,000 new followers on social media as sales of his merch have also gone up by 400 per cent, according to business investor Joe Pompliano.
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Earlier this year, Swift was said to have split from her long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn after six years – in a move that shocked fans.
And since then, Swifties have been speculating about who the singer will date next.
As interest in her love life reached fever pitch, the ‘Bad Blood’ singer was recently spotted watching a Kansas Chiefs game with Kelce’s mom.
Later the same day, Swift was seen leaving the stadium with him by her side.
And Sunday’s sighting (Sept 24) seems to have already boosted Kelce’s popularity and bank balance.
Pompliano explained this in a tweet, saying: “Travis Kelce has had a busy 24 hours: 7 catches for 69 yards and a TD, gained 300,000+ social media followers, 400% increase in the NFL, Top 5 selling jersey in the NFL.”
He then joked: “That's the Taylor Swift effect.”
Kelce’s Instagram seems to confirm his huge surge in popularity, with the American footballer’s page finally passing 3.1 million followers over the weekend.
According to USA Today Sports, Boardroom noted that his follower count had increased by 250,000 this week.
And incredibly, fans aren’t just showing their support on social media though as sales of the player’s merch have also reportedly skyrocketed.
Sports retailer, Fanatics, reported that Kelce was among the top five bestsellers in the NFL as people have been purchasing his NFL jersey - with a site spokesperson telling TMZ that there was 'nearly a 400 percent spike' of sales throughout their sites.
And whilst the ‘Taylor Swift’ effect might be helping raise his profile, the Kansas Chiefs player was already having a pretty great year.
After winning the Super Bowl, the 33-year-old is expected to be taking home a bumper bonus of $157,000 (£128k).
And if that weren’t an epic enough pay day, he has reportedly earned an extra $5 million (£4.1m) thanks to major brand deals with Nike, T-Mobile, McDonald's and Old Spice.
However, he’ll have to go some way to out-earn his rumoured girlfriend.
Business Insider estimates that he earned roughly $12.3 million annually as the tight-end for the Chiefs – even after clinching the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, Swift earned a staggering $13 million each night of her Eras tour and could gain even more once her sell-out concert is made in a blockbuster.
We can’t imagine that kind of bank balance, not in our ‘Wildest Dreams’.