A Taylor/Travis proposal? Every Super Bowl prediction that has nothing to do with football
By Nell Geraets
The Super Bowl is about much more than American football these days. There’s music, star-studded commercials and, most recently, Taylor Swift’s love life. In other words, it’s no longer just a landmark sports event – it’s a cultural phenomenon.
This year, the focus appears to be equally set on touchdowns and Taylor-mania, with fans feverishly debating whether Swift’s tight end boyfriend, Travis Kelce, will pop the question on the field.
From a possible Taylor and Travis engagement to the length of the national anthem, fans aren’t just watching the Super Bowl for touchdowns.Credit: Compiled by Stephen Kiprillis.
So, now that sports and pop culture have well and truly collided, here are some other seemingly irrelevant things people are predicting in the lead-up to the Super Bowl LIX.
Will Travis pop the question?
There may be more than just Super Bowl rings at play this year. Since September 2023, Swift has been spotted at over 20 of Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs games. Now that her record-breaking Eras Tour is complete, punters are divided over whether an engagement is next on her list.
Kelce fanned the flames at the Super Bowl opening night event this week, where he was asked if he planned to propose during half-time. According to People, he cryptically replied: “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
A proposal likely depends on whether the Chiefs win on Monday – romance and defeat don’t tend to pair well. While some Swifties believe it would be a romantic gesture worthy of the pop juggernaut, others question whether a stadium filled with sweaty footballers is a romantic enough environment for the woman who wrote Love Story.
How active will ‘Taylor-cam’ be?
By February last year, Swift’s presence at the games reportedly helped boost the NFL and Chiefs’ brand values by over $526 million. This was largely thanks to the number of times she was shown – the camera cut to her 11 times during last year’s Super Bowl CBS broadcast, according to the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter.
NFL fanatics are split over whether they’ll see the pop star more or less this year, with some even attempting to calculate the odds.
Will Kendrick bring the beef?
Kendrick Lamar will perform fresh off the back of his Grammys success on Monday. His Drake diss track Not Like Us swept all five of its nominations, including record of the year, so some are certain the hit will open the show. Others believe the Super Bowl is no place for rap beef, hoping instead for Lamar’s critically acclaimed Humble.
Will Kendrick Lamar open the Super Bowl half-time show with his recent Grammy-winning diss track, or an age-old favourite?Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
How long will the national anthem be?
By now, it’s tradition to predict the length of the Super Bowl’s national anthem. Many predict soul singer Jon Batiste’s rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner will run for 120.5 seconds this year. This aligns with his past anthem performances (the 2020 NBA season kick-off, the 2017 US Open, and the 2017 NBA All-Star Game). However, he may throw in a few ad-libs to spice things up. It’s the Super Bowl, after all.
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