In their ‘Red Era’: How Kansas City Swifties are preparing for Chiefs season
People of the Kingdom: This story is part of The Star’s ongoing series highlighting what makes Kansas City Chiefs fans a special part of the team’s success and history. Looking for more? Sign up for our free Chiefs newsletter.
This year’s Chiefs training camp, expected to set attendance records, was bolstered by a fresh-faced generation that wouldn’t have been evident a year ago:
Taylor Swift fans, aka Swifties.
Early in camp, the superstar entertainer’s boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce, threw a yellow football glove to an overjoyed fan wearing a T-shirt that read “In My Red Era” — a play on Swift’s Era’s Tour.
Other Swifties hoped for at least some connection with Kelce.
Ainsley Ward, 11 years old and clad in a red hat with gold lettering saying “I’M JUST HERE FOR TAYLOR,” held up a sign calling herself “THE BIGGEST SWIFTIE!!!” (and asking Kelce for Swift’s phone number).
More realistically, she said she came to camp on the campus of Missouri Western State University to “meet everybody” and get autographs on her sign. While Swift remained her primary draw — she went to a concert at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium last year and couldn’t believe she was “breathing the same air as her” — she has embraced the Chiefs in a whole new way because of Swift’s relationship with Kelce.
“Now,” she said, “I’m really into it.”
As Ainsley spoke the other day, another young girl, in a Chiefs hat and shirt, gently approached and — in the spirit of Swift — asked to exchange friendship bracelets.
It was a sweet gesture and moment, made all the more so by two children standing nearby and watching.
Along with her mother, Kristin, who first took Ainsley to a Swift concert when she was 4, Ainsley is thrilled that Swift feels like part of the team they began supporting when they moved to Overland Park from Arizona six years ago …
Right about as everything changed for the Chiefs, with Mahomes becoming the starting quarterback in 2018.
“We’re good luck,” Ainsley said.
Then there’s the flip-side of the Swiftie engagement, such as with Leslie Hernandez and 10-year-old daughter Shelley — who was holding a sign noting she had a “BLANK SPACE” (a nod to a Swift song) on her No. 87 jersey that could be signed. (Kelce’s jersey sales soared after Swift attended games last season and has become a main fashion choice alongside sparkles by fans at Era’s Tour concerts.)
In their case, the mother came to embrace Swift but first was a forever Chiefs fan.
“Probably since the day I was born,” she said. “My dad just raised me that way.”
Including after moving from Overland Park to Denver from the time she was about 10 to 24. She has many memories of Broncos fans “not liking us too much” when they’d go to Chiefs-Broncos games at Mile High Field.
Back home for years now, her four kids began going to Arrowhead wearing ear protectors as “babies,” she said.
Wearing a “New Heights” hat in tribute to Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast, Leslie said she’d become a Swiftie along the way.
Not only that, a few years ago she said out loud that she thought Kelce and Swift would make a great couple.
“I swear it to you; I called it,” she said, smiling and later adding, “They need to thank me for it.”
Meanwhile, as Swift’s fandom continues to grow at Chiefs functions, no doubt the franchise’s does, too. On recent trips to Michigan and Chicago, Leslie said, she saw Chiefs gear all over.
Not to mention something else she particularly enjoys seeing on social media: Children of her friends back in Denver wearing Chiefs hats.
That helps account for why she knows something else comes with this success. The Chiefs have long since gone from being the franchise with a tortured playoff history and the cuddly underdog role to being the envy of all.
“It’s funny how quick you become the enemy,” she said. “We don’t want to share the wealth quite yet. Remember how long we went through the pain? We’re not the Patriots yet.”
Meet more People of the Kingdom
The Star is following Kansas City Chiefs fans this season. We’d like to introduce you to a few other fans we met during camp this season:
