It’s a literal hat tip.
Travis Kelce enjoyed a day of golf with friends recently, and Taylor Swift fans quickly noticed a nod to the songstress in his outfit for the occasion.
Along with his striped polo shirt and chinos, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end sported a Sherwood Country Club baseball cap embroidered with “1989” — the year the club’s golf course opened.
Of course, “1989” also happens to be the name of Swift’s smash-hit fifth studio album, as well as both her and Kelce’s birth year.
“his hat says 1989 AND has an archer on it,” one Swiftie posted on X (formerly Twitter), referring to the club’s logo also featured on Kelce’s cap. “you can’t make this stuff up!”
“Hat saying 1989 he’s so Pookie,” another quipped.
As seen in footage posted on NBA star Chandler Parson’s Instagram Story, Kelce’s pals tried to throw the three-time Super Bowl champ off his game by blasting Swift’s “1989” track “Bad Blood” — only for the tune to improve his swing.
“Oh no — this backfired,” someone can be heard saying in the clip. “He likes it!”
“@killatrav cannot be rattled,” Parsons wrote atop the video.
“travis’s friends saw him strollin in with 1989 on his hat and thought playing his fav album would distract him? oh they dont know the tayvoodoo,” one X user joked of the viral moment.
It’s not the first time Kelce’s paid tribute to his girlfriend via fashion; when Swift attended her first Chiefs game in September, her beau returned the favor by rocking a KidSuper Studios set in the same blue-and-cream color palette she used for her “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” album artwork.
In a brilliant marketing move, the brand behind Kelce’s painterly jacket and pants even added “1989” to those style names after the fact.
Since then, Swifties have spotted Easter eggs for “Evermore” and “Red” in the tight end’s stadium arrival looks — even suspecting the sports pro of drawing inspiration from Swift’s brown velvet curtains for one game-day getup.
The “Cruel Summer” singer, for her part, has shouted out Kelce with her clothing choices countless times since the couple got together last summer; she’s shown up at Chiefs games wearing everything from a custom Kelce jersey jacket designed by fellow WAG Kristin Juszczyk to friendship bracelets beaded with his nickname and team number.
