Jim Alexander: There is a lot to talk about as we careen toward Super Bowl Week, which could otherwise be known as America’s Week of Wretched Excess. (Especially since it’s in Las Vegas, which should be rechristened the Wretched Excess Capital of the World. (For some reason, variations of that phrasing have been rattling around in my head the last few days.)
So let’s get right to the subject that everyone – and I mean everyone – will be talking about, regardless of football allegiance, political viewpoint, whatever: Is Taylor Swift good or bad for the NFL, or the nation, or the world?
Did we say wretched excess? Already, those on one extreme end of our political divide are portraying the presence of Swift, boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs (in that order) as the roots of a conspiracy theory. The reasoning: The NFL made sure Kansas City would be in the Super Bowl so Taylor Swift could help get Joe Biden re-elected. That was offered up by a commentator on the OAN cable network, among the fringiest of the fringe, describing this as a “psy op.”
Even by the normal nuttiness standards of the Super Bowl runup, this is insane.
And beyond that, there’s the question of whether Swift – who has a show scheduled in Tokyo on Saturday (Japan time) – will be able to get back in time to watch her guy in Sunday’s game against the 49ers. The carbon footprint that will result from her flying back here (and then flying back to Australia for the continuation of her tour) has become a hot topic. Also, there is the matter of where her private plane could land – available spots for private planes at Las Vegas area airports are going fast.
(Here’s an idea, since we’re helpful people: Land her plane at San Bernardino International Airport and take a limo up the 15 to Vegas.)
Bottom line: When they’re talking and obsessing about you, you are an incredibly powerful person. I’m not a Swiftie by any stretch of the imagination – not my…
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