Super Bowl LVIII: How Taylor Swift’s lucky number 13 connects to Chiefs
Travis and Taylor: The number 13 figures prominently among Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs and Super Bowl LVIII. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Super Bowl? Taylor Swift? The number 13? Look what you made us do.
Numerologists are having a field day with Swift’s connection to Super Bowl LVIII and her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The Grammy Award-winning singer, who was born Dec. 13, 1989, has always had an affinity for the number 13. If she makes it to the game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, it will be the 13th time she has rooted for the Chiefs and Kelce in person.
There is a pattern here.
Never mind that the number 13 is considered unlucky in some cultures, according to USA Today. There is actually a word used to describe the fear of the prime number, and it is listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: triskaidekaphobia.
Swift’s self-titled debut album was released in 2006, Billboard reported. It went gold in 13 weeks. Her first No. 1 song on the Billboard Country charts, “Our Song,” and her first song to top the Hot 100, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” each have 13-second introductions.
In an interview with MTV News in 2009, Swift said that 13 has always created good karma.
“I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first No. 1 song had a 13-second intro,” Swift told the music news outlet. “Every time I’ve won an award I’ve been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter. Basically, whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it’s a good thing.”
So, here are some connections between Swift and the Super Bowl
Super Bowl LVIII
Starting with the number itself. This is the 58th Super Bowl. Add 5 plus 8, and the sum is 13.
Date of the game
According to People, the date of this year’s game is also aligned with the “Anti-Hero” singer’s favorite number.
Feb. 11 is also configured as 2/11. Add the two numbers together, and they total 13.
The 49ers
The Chiefs’ opponent in Super Bowl LVIII is the San Francisco 49ers. Add the 4 and the 9 to get the sum of 13. And the 49ers’ quarterback, Brock Purdy, wears No. 13, RotoWire points out. Purdy is trying to become the second quarterback to win a Super Bowl, after Kurt Warner did it with the St. Louis Rams. Warner, by the way, is 1-2 in Super Bowls.
Seeded teams
The 49ers were the No. 1 seed in the National Football Conference heading into the postseason, while the Chiefs were No. 3 in the American Football Conference as the playoffs began. As People notes, put the 1 and the 3 together, and voilà! Another reference to 13.
Kelce’s numbers
According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Kelce has caught 23 passes in the Chiefs’ three playoff games this season. The tight end has gained 262 yards and scored three touchdowns during the postseason. So, add 2+6+2 and throw in the three touchdowns, and that number 13 shows up again.
Playoffs
The Chiefs hosted the Miami Dolphins in their first playoff game this season. The date was Jan. 13, and Kansas City won 26-7. The Chiefs’ defense held the Dolphins to 13 first downs and sacked Miami quarterbacks two times for losses totaling 11 yards (2+11=13). Kansas City’s defense allowed Miami to convert only one first down in 12 chances (1+12=13).
In the Chiefs’ divisional game at Buffalo, a 27-24 victory, Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton had 13 tackles, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com -- five solos and eight assists. That victory improved the Chiefs to 13-6.
In the AFC Championship Game, Kelce’s second catch of the game went for 13 yards on the Chiefs’ first possession. It was good for a first down at the Baltimore Ravens’ 28-yard line.
Overall, the Chiefs have allowed 41 points during the postseason -- or, 13.7 points per game.
While these numbers may seem obscure, sports fans are geeky about statistics.
More Chiefs trivia
On a happy note, Kelce was drafted by the Chiefs in 2013 -- there is that 13 again. And on a sad note, the founder of the Chiefs franchise, Lamar Hunt, died in 2006 -- on Dec. 13, Swift’s 17th birthday.
Flight from Tokyo
It is still unclear whether Swift can attend Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. She kicks off the Asian and Australian legs of her Eras tour on Feb. 7, with four shows at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, Billboard reported. After finishing up in Tokyo on Feb. 10, Swift could conceivably fly east to Las Vegas for the big game.
Direct flight travel time from Tokyo to Las Vegas is approximately 13 hours.
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years Here are some memorable photos of Taylor Swift through the years. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2006: Country singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 41st annual Academy of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 23, 2006, in Las Vegas. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2007: Music artist Taylor Swift performs during the Academy of Country Music New Artists' Party for a Cause show at the MGM Grand Conference Center on May 14, 2007, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2008: Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 50th annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center on February 10, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2009: Kanye West (left) jumps onstage after Taylor Swift (center) won the "Best Female Video" award during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009, in New York City. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2010: Musicians Kary Perry and Taylor Swift during the 52nd annual Grammy Awards Salute to Icons Honoring Doug Morris held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 30, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2011: Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez perform onstage during the "Speak Now World Tour" at Madison Square Garden on November 22, 2011, in New York City. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2012: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the MTV EMA's 2012 at Festhalle Frankfurt on November 11, 2012, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for MTV)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2013: Taylor Swift arrives at the 55th annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2014: Musician Taylor Swift attends the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014, in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2015: Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the 57th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on February 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2016: Recording artist Taylor Swift attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 28, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2017: Musician Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Super Saturday Night Concert at Club Nomadic on February 4, 2017, in Houston. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for DIRECTV)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2018: Taylor Swift attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on October 9, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2019: Taylor Swift performs during the TIME 100 Gala 2019 Dinner at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2019, in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2020: Taylor Swift attends the 2020 Sundance Film Festival "Miss Americana" Premiere at Eccles Center Theatre on January 23, 2020, in Park City, Utah. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2021: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Aaron Dessner accept the Album of the Year award for "Folklore" onstage during the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2021: Taylor Swift attends the "All Too Well" New York Premiere on November 12, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images) (DIMITRIOS.KAMBOURIS@GETTYIMAGES.COM/Getty Images)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2021: Writer-director Taylor Swift attends a premiere for the short film "All Too Well" at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) (Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2022: Taylor Swift speaks during a graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium in New York, Wednesday, May 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig/AP)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years 2022: Taylor Swift waves to graduates as she participates in a graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium in New York, Wednesday, May 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig/AP)
Photos: Taylor Swift through the years Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management) (Mat Hayward/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Mana)