"The Chiefs is Still the Chiefs" Football Fans, Swifties, & Pickleballers Unite for the Big Game in Sin City

by Kelly Campbell

As the country gears up for the Chiefs and 49ers to battle it out in Las Vegas to become Super Bowl LVIII champions, we’re also excited about how the game could have an effect on pickleball discourse (of course). This time last year, we wrote about the downs-and-dinks connection and how the Super Bowl would bring some extra pickleball love to Phoenix, one of the country’s pickleball hot spots. This year, there’s going to be even more pickleball representation on the field, considering Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s 2023 pickleball investments.

It’s been such a chaotic season for the NFL in general, but specifically for the Chiefs, who are back in the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. From Kelce attracting Taylor-Swift-level stardom to their incredible regular season, we’re thrilled to have some pickleballers present at the biggest game of the year.

Read on for all of the pickleball prep you need to know ahead of the game this Sunday.

Get Your Dink on in Sin City for the Super Bowl

We keep hearing about more and more popular US cities becoming pickleball hotspots, and Las Vegas is no exception. TrackitHub has even hosted leagues in the Vegas area, so we know firsthand how great of a place it is to play. Best Life even rated Las Vegas #3 on their list of The 10 Best U.S. Cities for Pickleball Lovers.

If you’re heading into the Vegas area for the game and want to prep for some touchdowns with some dinks, here are the best places to stay and play in Vegas for Super Bowl weekend:

Mahomes & Kelce –– Pickleballin’ Super Bowl Champs

One reason we’re rooting for the Chiefs at TrackitHub is because of their star players’ connection to our favorite sport. We know that Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Tight End Kelce are both pickleballers from both a recreational and business standpoint. In 2022, Mahomes invested $1-3 million in a Miami-based Major League Pickleball team.

In 2023, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes teamed up off the field to invest in a local Kansas City Chicken N Pickle location. Chicken N Pickle is an “eatertainment” venue that combines indoor/outdoor pickleball with a restaurant and bar. Chicken N Pickle is the same company that the Premiere Pickleball League hosted their pregame event introducing their leagues. Outside of the business world, we know that some Chiefs players sometimes play together–maybe for some teammate bonding in the offseason. A member of the Pickleball Forum Facebook group posted about seeing Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and Eric Fisher play pickleball in KC a few years ago. Kelce also recently purchased a $6 million mansion in KC, reportedly as a getaway court for him and Taylor Swift, that includes a pickleball court.

PicklebAll Too Well – Calling All Swifties, Pickleballers, & Football Fans

Considering the media frenzy surrounding the Chiefs amidst Kelce’s budding romance with Taylor Swift, and Kelce’s connection to pickleball, we obviously have to touch(down) on what it could mean in the dinking world. There might even be a way that Swift will influence the pickleball world––whether directly in the future or indirectly through her relationship with Kelce. The more popularity she brings to Kelce through her fans, particularly those not already invested in sports, and the more Kelce invests in pickleball, the greater opportunity there is to reach a new audience of pickleball players.

The Swift-Kelce connection could even influence Super Bowl viewership this year, especially when you consider how her attendance at Chiefs games drastically increased ticket sales, jersey sales, and overall NFL viewership. Does Taylor Swift play pickleball? Is there a market for her fans to start playing? Considering Kelce’s investments, is it possible that Swift might make a pickleball investment of her own in the future?

We’re open to all of the possibilities. Do you have any football fans or Swifties in your life? Whether or not their favorite teams made it to the Super Bowl, as we all come together on Sunday, there’s plenty of opportunity to make a pickleball pitch. Check out these Taylor Swift-themed pickleball gear options. Maybe one day we’ll even see a Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s doubles match.

Taylor Swift Pickleball Shirt