‘Gives Me the Ick’: Why Taylor Swift Fans Are So Upset About a Signed Travis Kelce Jersey

Taylor Swift fans seem to like the relationship she has with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. But those same fans seem to not like a Kansas City Chiefs jersey that pays homage to the couple. It was recently revealed that Kelce signed a Chiefs jersey with his number, 87, printed on the back with the name “Swelce” at the top. The mashup is one of Kelce and Swift’s “ship names,” and Swift fans do not like it. 

On social media, one person wrote that it “gives me the ick just like him.” Others said they liked the name “Traylor” or “Tayvis” more than “Sewlce.” The jersey was auctioned off on Chiefs Bid, an NFL-ran auction website where fans can bid on gear that is signed or worn by the players. According to US Weekly, the jersey was sold for more than $500. 

Swift and Kelce have been dating for a few months and showed support for their careers. Kelce visited Swift while she was on her Eras Tour in South America, and Swit has attended multiple Chiefs games during the season. While speaking with Time Magazine, Swift talked about how the two were dating before she was seen at her first Chiefs game in September. 

“By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date,” she said. “When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she declares. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.” 

Swift also talked about the attention she receives when attending a Chiefs game. “I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in,” she says. “There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once.”