Taylor Swift’s Romeo Travis Kelce is setting new standards for men
Taylor Swift, the biggest pop star in the world and the Jane Austen of music, is to be married to NFL star Travis Kelce.
The pair, who have been dating for two years, announced their engagement via Instagram with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married”, set to the soundtrack of her 2024 song, seemingly inspired by Kelce, So High School.
Love makes you do strange things. It’s even made Donald Trump forget that he hates Swift. The one-sided grudge started in 2018 when she endorsed a Democrat politician for a Senate position and has continued since. Just three weeks ago, he called her a “woke singer” who is “NO LONGER HOT”.
When told of the news, the thrice-married leader of the free world wished the couple “a lot of luck” and praised Kelce. “I think he’s a great player. I think he’s a great guy,” he said. He’s right. It’s also a momentous day for blokes.
While the world is happy The Man singer got her man, we should be thankful the man she chose is a role model for men.
For all the talk around the crisis in masculinity, it’s wonderful to see Swift settle down with her biggest fan and for Kelce to be so open with his emotions.
“I love being the happiest guy in the world all the f..king time,” Kelce said in a GQ interview.
The union of Swift and Kelce started with the jock publicly declaring his crush on her and telling his New Heights podcast of mainly male and sports-loving listeners he made her a friendship bracelet (a signature of her record Eras tour) with his phone number on it. He expressed his disappointment – of being “butthurt” – that he didn’t get to meet Swift at the time.
Fast forward from 2023, where they finally met, fell in love – a love which even saw Kelce dash to Australia for a few hours just to visit her while on tour.
The footballer has also publicly spoken about finding an ideal partner who shares the same qualities as his mother, Donna Kelce.
“Their kindness, their genuineness, their ability to say hello to everyone in the room … Their ability to show love and support no matter what. And on top of that, their work ethic. I saw my mother reach goals that she had set for herself, go from being a teller to working all the way up in the KeyBank building,” he told GQ.
“I’ve seen Taylor do the exact same thing of setting goals for herself and exceeding the expectations and really captivating the world in that regard.”
The news landed on the day former West Coast player Mitch Brown became the first AFL player, past or present, to come out publicly as gay or bisexual.
His candid chat with The Daily Aus about his sexuality, and struggles, saw the athlete lauded by his ex-wife, his friends and former teammates and drew a plethora of positive comments from clubs and officials.
“Mitch has shown great courage today in sharing his story and personal journey. This is an important moment for him, and for our entire game,” AFL boss Andrew Dillon said.
“Today is a step forward, and building on Mitch’s story we hope that others feel encouraged to be their authentic selves and share their own journeys, and that these stories are met with support from teammates, clubs and the wider football community.”
His news, off the back of the AFL being embroiled in another homophobia scandal that resulted in Adelaide Crows star Izak Rankine being suspended for four matches, was courageous.
Forget zooming in to Swift’s engagement ring.
We should zoom out and take stock of the giant steps made by Kelce and Brown.
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We love you, Mitch! â¤
— West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) August 27, 2025
We're proud of you and how you're living your values to make footy and our society a better place. pic.twitter.com/Q4jgba1FoM
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A love story, like the kind the pop star wrote and sang about nearly 20 years ago, has come true.