Well, it was not to be. I was hoping for a Lions versus Chiefs Superbowl matchup, but Detroit let me down. They blew a seventeen-point first half lead and ended up losing to San Francisco by a mere field goal. Meanwhile, Kansas City plucked the Ravens clean, earning themselves yet another Superbowl berth. But play on the field will have to take second or maybe third billing. Perennially, all of those big sweaty guys have to take the backseat to the parade of new ads that are the main attraction for many in the audience.

This year, even Madison Avenue will play second fiddle to the newest show in town, the Taylor and Travis extravaganza. In case you have been living under a rock, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are an item. Last night’s penultimate Chiefs game was punctuated with repeated coverage of Travis making great plays, followed by a quick cut to Taylor, who was shown cheering him on. CBS repeated this combo so often that she eventually mouthed her disapproval.

The straw that seems to have broken her back, was when CBS took the opportunity to promote their coverage of this Sunday’s Grammy awards. Taylor is nominated for six. The two-week lull between the last weekend of real football and the Superbowl is normally saturated with hype that begins to wear thin after fourteen days, but this year it looks like the hype well is overflowing.

I’ve covered the sports and entertainment aspects of this trifecta but have yet to mention the political ramifications of the Taylor-Travis relationship. Swift has campaigned for the Democrats and Kelce has promoted Pfizer’s Covid vaccinations. Positions that are guaranteed to garner scorn from Republicans and their ilk. The internet incels have already worked themselves into a frothy rage. One can only imagine where they will be by game time.