Taylor Swift Is Drawing Up Plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. Here's Why That Is a Great Lesson for Career Couples. Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes says the Kansas City Chiefs have a star offensive coordinator working behind the scenes.
By David James
Key Takeaways
- Taylor Swift is asking "a lot of questions" about football and is even drawing up plays for the Chiefs, says QB Patrick Mahomes.
- The Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory garners record viewership, with Swift's relationship with Travis Kelce credited for rising NFL popularity among women.
Taylor Swift is reportedly contributing more than just her support from the sidelines while dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. In an interview with NBC's Chris Simms, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared that Swift has become a backup coach.
"She's really interested in football and she asks a lot of great questions," Mahomes said. "She started drawing up plays, we might have to put one in."
Since Swift and Kelce started their high-profile relationship, the NFL has reportedly seen a surge in female viewership, essentially merging two dominant realms of the American entertainment industry. This union is believed to have played a part in Super Bowl viewership — 123.4 million average viewers watched the Chiefs' recent victory over the San Francisco 49ers, making that game the most-watched U.S. television event since the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, according to NFL stats.
Mahomes highlighted the profound impact Swift's interest in the game has had on increasing the sport's appeal, particularly among young girls and women. "I know being a girl dad, how cool it is for me to see these little girls – these daughters – and how much they're loving to spend time with their dad, watching football," he said.
It's hard to say if Swift's game plan is actually going to make it onto the field or not, but Mahome's revelation does point to a vital ingredient that is key to high-performing couples finding health and happiness together. In the McKinsey study Making It Work: How Dual-Career Couples Find Career Fulfilment, the authors write that power couples who thrive, "exhibit distinctive team spirit, a sense that they are in this race together for the long haul."
One interview subject explains that balancing two high-powered careers is not easy, but the rewards can be huge. "Because we both work, there are times when I feel I can take more risk, and the same [goes] for him."
Another executive interviewed said, "I help [my husband's] career [by] networking, mingling at events, [and giving] marketing and reviews advice. He's great at communicating as a lawyer and has helped me with things."
Taking interest, pride and genuine joy in a partner's success are the cornerstones of a lasting relationship. And while haters may scoff at Swift's attendance at games or Kelce's attendance at her shows, their support for one another only points to these two stratospheric superstars going even further.
