Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce has seen his celebrity skyrocket after he began dating pop star Taylor Swift.
That newfound fame is changing the fortunes of his team.
And Travis Kelce was stunned when the Kansas City Chiefs announced one movie project.
Taylor Swift increases the popularity of the Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have become the most successful team in the NFL after winning three Super Bowls in five seasons.
Now the team’s profile is growing beyond the world of football after Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce began dating pop megastar, Taylor Swift.
Swift’s legion of fans began to take an interest in the NFL after the couple went public with the relationship last September.
She became a regular at Chiefs games during the team’s run to the Super Bowl last season.
The Taylor Swift effect came to the NFL with the added attention she brought to the league.
Kelce’s jersey sales skyrocketed by 400% the day after Swift attended her first game.
The next week, NBC’s Sunday Night Football game between the Chiefs game and the New York Jets saw an increase in viewership with women.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell welcomed the attention one of the biggest celebrities in the world brought.
“Taylor is obviously a dynamo,” Goodell said before this year’s Super Bowl. “Everything she touches, there are people following, so we count ourselves fortunate, we welcome it.”
Kansas City Chiefs are involved in a romantic movie from the Hallmark Channel
Now the Chiefs are parlaying the interest in Kelce and Swift’s romance into a Hallmark Channel Christmas romance movie.
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story will begin filming this July in the Kansas City area, using locations like Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs play.
The movie stars Tyler Hynes, Hunter King, and Ed Begley Jr.
“We are honored to partner with Hallmark on a project as unique as this,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said. “As a club, we pride ourselves on exploring new ways to grow our brand, as well as connect with new audiences.”
The plot of the movie follows the classic Hallmark formula.
“Alana Higman (King) is sure that her family’s lifelong history as Kansas City Chiefs super-fans makes them a frontrunner to win the team’s ‘Fan of the Year’ contest. Derrick (Hynes), Director of Fan Engagement, is tasked with evaluating how Alana and her family stack up against the other two finalists,” the movie’s synopsis states.
The two characters fall in love and have to overcome obstacles like a vintage Chiefs winter hat given to King’s character by her grandpa going missing.
Tyler Hynes said that there was some crossover between sports fans and Hallmark channel viewers.
“I feel like there is a bit of a mirror image with that specific fandom and Hallmark Channel,” Hynes told Variety. “I think there’s a bit of a crossover and there’s a mix of that audience that’s into being very passionate and sincere in their wholesome pursuit of entertainment and being inspired by whether it’s athletes or a nice story. It feels like it’s all part of the same universe.”
Taylor Swift is bringing a newfound attention to the Chiefs and opening up more possibilities for the team.
