Chiefs owner Clark Hunt breaks silence on accusations of 'marketing stunts' over Travis Kelce dating Taylor Swift
The Taylor Swift effect is clearly on display, with Kansas City Chiefs fans welcoming the 12-time Grammy winner with open arms since she started dating tight end Travis Kelce.
However, there have been a few naysayers who have been claiming that Swift's impact has been on the negative side. NFL legend Tony Dungy was among the latest to pin the blame on Taylor Swift for the fans' supposedly declining interest in the league.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, though, does not hold that view.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt waxes lyrical on Taylor Swift's impact on the franchise
In an interview with CNBC this week, the Kansas City Chiefs owner made his thoughts on Taylor Swift crystal clear.
"It’s been a very interesting, very fun year, having the two of them dating," Hunt said. "The attention that’s been focused on the Chiefs. Our female audience has grown leaps and bounds."
In response to wild theories on the NFL lobbying Swift to date Travis Kelce to bump up ratings, Hunt responded:
"It was purely organic. When they were just starting off dating, there were a lot of people saying, ‘No, it’s a marketing stunt,’ but no, it’s very real, and the most important thing is we’re very happy for the two of them."
Taylor Swift's Travis Kelce-themed jacket goes viral during NFL Playoffs
Taylor Swift was in attendance when Kansas City faced the Miami Dolphins in the NFL wild-card round at Arrowhead Stadium last weekend.
Despite rumors of the game being postponed, the two teams locked horns as Kansas City came out on top in dominant fashion with a 26-7 win.
While the scoreline relayed a story of dominance in and of itself, another story that stood out from the game was Taylor Swift's apparel.
Travis Kelce's teammate Kyle Juszczyk's wife, Kristin, shot her shot at Swift and designed a custom jacket for the "Blank Space" singer for the playoff game.
Swift's attire soon went viral, with San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle's wife, Claire, also admiring her taste in fashion.
"@kristinjuszczyk sheeesh the detail on that jacket tho!" Kittle commented before tagging Kyle Juszczyk. "@juicecheck44 must be proud."
Kristin Juszczyk has also designed gameday attire for gymnastics legend Simone Biles. A downside of her popularity was that fake jackets were being sold for over $600 each.
Juszczyk issued Chiefs fans a warning shortly after that, saying:
"Hi everyone! I just want to say that I am not selling any of these jackets. It's not legal & I need licensing in order to do that. We're trying to figure out how to get these to you all but in the meantime please be smart and don't partake!"
Kansas City takes on the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park on Sunday.