The Super Bowl transcends football 

For many, Super Bowl LVIII — in which the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 – is all about the game. They will be glued to the screen. 

For many others – many, many others – the Super Bowl is a social phenomenon revolving around food, family, friends and checking out the commercials. According to a survey of 2,000 American adults who watch the Super Bowl,  40% look forward to attending or hosting a party for the big game but barely spend any time in front of the TV. Respondents average viewing only 29 minutes of game play, with almost two in five Americans (17%) planning to watch 20 minutes or less of the actual game during the Super Bowl this year and 9% admitting they are unlikely to know which teams are playing before they turn it on. Indeed, when asked who won last year’s Super Bowl, only one-third were able to  identify the Kansas City Chiefs as the reigning champions – proving that fame is indeed relative. 

And as if we needed further proof of that, there is the Tay factor, as in Taylor Swift, girlfriend of Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has added a reported two million fans to the NFL, although not everyone is happy. Some have even booed her at the Chiefs’ games, saying she is ruining the football experience for them. 

But we say she’s giving a once purely American sport global reach, with searches for her game- day red sweater ($695 from friend Gigi Hadid’s knitwear label Guest in Residence) soaring 300%, according to a study by the fashionistas at Boohoo. Searches for red lipstick shot up 334%, as red lipstick is a Swift signature. 

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from Boohoo said: “Taylor’s game day fashion has been a source of inspiration for many fans as revealed by the huge spikes in interest following her high-profile appearances supporting boyfriend Travis Kelce. 

“Taylor and the Chiefs are truly a perfect match. The star’s iconic connection with the color red has made for some truly stunning game day styles that will hopefully inspire many fans. It will be fascinating to see if Taylor continues to go for a more relaxed look for the Super Bowl featuring her signature color, or if she will tease fans further with a Reputation-coded outfit.”  

Ah but will she make it to the big game? A bit of drama there as she closes out the Tokyo stint of her “Eras Tour” on Saturday, Feb. 10, in the evening. If she leaves at midnight and figuring she will be traveling back in time across the International Dateline, this puts her in Las Vegas early on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 10. Still, having done the New York to Tokyo run (14 hours) on the way to Indonesia, we can tell you:  It’s a grueling trip, even with all the accommodations afforded a superstar. Plus, a week of performances and jet lag?  

Let’s see if she can do it, though. Call it the game within the game.