Warning: If you are not familiar with the miles-long rabbit hole that is Taylor Swift, Swifties, and friendship bracelets, then proceed with caution. Then again, even if you are a novice on Swiftian friendship bracelet folklore, you’ve surely at least heard of Travis Kelce’s friendship bracelet that jumpstarted a relationship some might call “The Last Great American Dynasty.” And you probably saw Swift wearing a friendship bracelet at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday (October 22).
Eagle-eyed Swifties noticed one of the bracelets on Swift’s wrist during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 31-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers featured two heart beads on either side of “87.” Yup, Kelce wears No. 87 for the Chiefs. This accessory puts the red scarf to shame.
oh my heart ♥️ pic.twitter.com/yTgA1DPbZZ
— 𝔟𝖗𝖎 (@tscrystalskies) October 22, 2023
87 on her friendship bracelet tayvis nation when i tell you i'm sobbing pic.twitter.com/2I0jqfH30q
— Tayvis Nation 🏈🫶🏻 (@tayvisnation) October 22, 2023
Taylor Swift is rocking a bracelet with Travis Kelce's #87 at the Chiefs game ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RsE3P5HKAd
— ESPN (@espn) October 22, 2023
category is: supportive football gf pic.twitter.com/zdZYvquQxA
— Tayvis Nation 🏈🫶🏻 (@tayvisnation) October 22, 2023
Now, the backstory (Condensed Version): In July, Kelce attended one of Swift’s two The Eras Tour shows at Arrowhead in Kansas City, Missouri. A few weeks later, Kelce shared on the July 26 episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother, All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, that he’d attempted to slip Swift a friendship bracelet.
“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after the shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” the two-time Super Bowl champion said. “So, I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her. If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets, and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it.”
A lot went on between then and Swift attending her first Chiefs game on September 24, but Kelce and Swift hard-launched their relationship with PDA-filled outings in New York City on October 14 and 15 — including cameos at Saturday Night Live. The weekend was punctuated by Travis attending Jason’s Eagles game against the New York Jets, and while Swift was not present, an invisible string was: Someone gave Travis a friendship bracelet saying “on the map,” a nod toward the September 27 New Heights episode where Jason joked that Swift had “finally put [Travis] on the map.”
Travis Kelce was given a friendship bracelet that read "on the map" at the Eagles-Jets game 😏
(via krissylasance / TT) pic.twitter.com/1Kgk6Hgcp3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 16, 2023