Taylor Swift's Olympic surprise: Is she cheering on Travis Kelce?

Did Taylor Swift just give a sweet and subtle nod to her boyfriend turned fiance Travis Kelce?

On February 6, the 14-time Grammy winner appeared in a pre-recorded video message during the NBC broadcast of the Opening Ceremony in Milan and Cortina.

She expressed her gratitude for all the athletes, praising them for their "sacrifice, determination, and hard work."

The sold-out Eras Tour superstar even described their journeys as "really inspiring,” while wearing a Ralph Lauren Team USA Polo Bear sweatshirt, noting her official alignment with the U.S. Olympic team.

While the Cruel Summer chart-topper received widespread acclaim for her gesture toward the athletes, some questioned why the pop star was getting involved in the sport in the first place.

Following might be some potential reasons:

An ode to Travis Kelce:

Taylor's appreciation for the athletes’ lives could be interpreted as a heartfelt homage to her fiancé, who is also a professional athlete.

Being engaged to Kansas City Chiefs tight end might have given the Lover songstress a closer look and a rare perspective on the pressures athletes face, including the sacrifices they make, the major life moments they miss, and the constant demand to perform at the highest level for their teams.

That understanding may explain why she chose to record the message, not only to admire athletes across the sport, but also as a subtle nod to her NFL star fiancé.

Additionally, her song Opalite set in the background centered on their relationship.

Opalite is a man-made version of an opal. The 36-year-old artist uses this as a metaphor for the idea that "happiness can be man-made."

The song itself is deeply personal and the title is a direct nod to Travis, whose birthstone is Opal.

A promotional move for her new music video:

Taylor’s video tribute aired on NBC just hours after the Opalite music video premiered exclusively on Spotify and Apple Music.

She might have leveraged and strategically used the global spotlight of the Games to maximize the commercial impact of her second single from her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl.

Notably, not only the tune of the song was playing in the background of her Olympic cameo, eagle eyed fans quickly pointed out that the shirt she was wearing has the same retro aesthetic she promoted for the Opalite video on social media.

Moreover, by bypassing YouTube for the first 48 hours, her team aimed to boost the song's Billboard Hot 100 ranking by concentrating streams on platforms where they have the highest chart impact.

Critics and some fans view the Olympic crossover as a "smart PR move" that allowed Taylor to support Team USA while ensuring her latest creative project remained at the center of the global cultural conversation.