Local sporting good stores are benefiting from a rumored romance between Kansas Chief Travis Kelce and singer Taylor Swift.
After the pop superstar shared a suite at Arrowhead Stadium with Donna Kelce, Kelce’s mother, on Sept. 24 during the Chiefs’ 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears, interest has soared for the Chiefs’ tight end.
Sporting goods stores are cashing in
At Rally House’s Kansas Sampler Oak Park location, Kelce’s merchandise has seen a bump in sales and attention.
“I have a lot of people that have been buying Kelce jerseys, a lot Kelce shirts lately and, of course, the biggest question they’ve been asking is ‘When are we going to be getting any Swift-Kelce merch?'” said Store Manager Sophia Isaac.
The store has a wide array of Kelce gear, from jerseys to shirts to baby socks to a bobblehead with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
Swift-Kelce dating rumors have dominated the internet
Data analysis of Google Trends by betting site Replay Poker indicate that searches for ‘Travis Kelce jersey” increased by 1,267% worldwide on Sept. 26 compared to the previous seven days, overtaking star quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the first time in history.
Fanatics, the NFL’s official e-commerce partner for jerseys and other apparel and gear, reported that it saw a nearly 400% spike in sales of Kelce jerseys.
The Kansas City-based clothing brand Charlie Hustle also saw huge interest in its unofficial line of Swift-Kelce “In My Red Era” shirts and hoodies.
On top of that, fans of Swift, known as “Swifties,” have been searching for the Chiefs merch she wore at the game, including an unreleased jacket.
“Even myself, I kind of looked online and it hasn’t been released yet. I don’t know if and when we’ll get that beautiful jacket,” Isaac said.
Everyone is getting in on the action
Isaac said between Swifties and Chiefs fans, it’s been an interesting mix of people she’s encountered that have been interested in the rumored Swift-Kelce relationship.
“We do have some Swifties on our team. They’ve been kind of hyping for it. Ironically, it’s been kind of the older group of people … They’ve been kind of showing some interest,” she said,
While she’s not sure where the wave of sales will go if the relationship is confirmed, it’s been a fun week watching the uptick in traffic and interest.
“Give it a few more weeks and we’ll probably see even more interest,” she said.
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