Global pop star Taylor Swift appears to be a Kansas Jayhawks fan

Taylor Swift, arguably the world’s most famous and popular musician, had fans all over the world Friday excited with the release of her latest album “The Tortured Poets Department.” But her music isn’t the only thing that had fans ecstatic – and no, we aren’t talking about the Swifties.

The Kansas Jayhawk fanbase was buzzing on social media following a Youtube Shorts video that Swift posted to her Instagram Friday night. In the video, which offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of her life recently off stage, Swift can be seen donning an eccentric Kansas-themed sweater with “KU” in big yellow letters on the front, the word “Jayhawks” on the sleeve, and the popular “Beak Em” logo toward the bottom.

To see the world’s biggest current entertainer and one of the greatest recording artists of all time rocking KU gear is a pretty special thing, especially considering Swift never appeared to be much of a sports fan before dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce – at least not publicly.

To be clear, this isn’t your everyday celebrity. Swift has the type of megastardom and cultural impact like no other actor, musician, or sports star in the world right now.

After Swift and Kelce made their relationship public, Swift brought the equivalent of $335 million in brand value to the Kansas City Chiefs between September 2023 and January 2024. She also brought an entirely new demographic to the NFL, increased ticket sales and viewership numbers, and brought unfounded attention and profits to local Kansas City businesses.

Kansas is already a well-established brand throughout the country – in large part thanks to the prominence of its men’s basketball program – but Swift has the rare type of influence and ability to intentionally (or unintentionally) expand brand awareness exponentially in a single night.

Not saying that’s guaranteed to happen here, but Swift associating with KU at the height of her global popularity is certainly not a bad thing for KU Athletics or the university itself.

However, this isn’t the first time Swift has been connected to KU.

It’s been well reported that Swift once visited Lawrence to see one of her best friends, Abigail Anderson, who was a student and swimmer at KU back in 2009. Swift was spotted with Anderson in her journalism class and at the popular Lawrence college bar, “The Hawk.”

In an interview later recorded by the Oprah Winfrey Show, Swift was asked where she would go if she could travel anywhere in the world or go back to a place she had been.

“Kansas. I love Kansas,” Swift said with a smile. “My perfect day off would be going to visit my best friend Abigail in Lawrence, Kansas.”

After all these years, it seems the love for Kansas never stopped for Taylor Swift, and it's a "love story" many Kansas Jayhawk fans hope will continue for years to come.