I have absolutely nothing against Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as a couple or as individuals. Their relationship is theirs and only they know the ins and outs, struggles, and idiosyncrasies that make it uniquely theirs. I think they are both incredibly
talented in their respective careers and deserve the accolades, hype, awards, etc they have
received as they both worked hard and I applaud them both for their work ethic and dedication. And Taylor’s new role has her joining the ranks of supportive sports partners around the country.
But, I do have a problem with Taylor being portrayed as the poster child of supportive sports partners, while many other partners are being completely ignored.
Being a sports partner of any kind, whether your partner is the player, the coach, or the athletic trainer, etc. means you are the behind-the-scenes support arm for a schedule that involves long hours. This means sometimes they leave before you get up and come home after you and the kids are in bed. Their schedules take over the collective family calendar. You are left as the main doer in your family. You do it because you support them 100%. You are in the trenches with them, in every game and practice during the regular season and beyond. You become a part of it too.
While I believe that Taylor is supporting Travis, the problem is that rarely has any broadcaster, sports channel, blog writer, or television host acknowledged a sports partner. At the AFC Championship game last week, not one other couple was photographed hugging or holding at each other, because to the sports world and media right now, very few sports partners exist outside of Taylor. But we do, we are there, and we have always been there.
Other wives and partners were in those stands, cheering their partners on. They felt every 4th down deep within their bones, held their breath for every field goal, and jumped and yelled at every touchdown. They also felt the ache of every dropped pass and missed score, and could feel every emotion their partner felt on that field. I know they did because I do too. We always feel it right along with them. Taylor has been doing it for about 4 months, but we have been doing it for years.
We support our partners without the resources Taylor has, and that means at times we miss big games because traveling is not functional or financially feasible for our families. We miss because sometimes our children have something on the schedule and as the primary parent, we make sure whatever it is, is taken care of. And there are times we miss because our jobs mean we can’t be there. But we are still there supporting them, behind them 100%. We always have been there.
As the questions fly to whether Taylor will make the Super Bowl from Tokoyo, I can assure you all the other wives and partners will do everything within their power and resources to be there. They will juggle kid’s schedules, the financial impact of that kind of trip (FYI not everyone in sports makes millions), commercial travel, hotels etc. to get to the Big Game to support their spouse.
This Sunday, sports partners will be in the stands, unseen by millions, but still there.
About Whitney Peper
Whitney P. was raised in the Houston area, the third oldest of six children. After high school she attended and graduated from Texas A&M earning a degree in Communications and Political Science where she met her husband Tim. After college, Whitney worked as the Communications Director for a private school in Austin before returning to Houston in 2008 to work as a corporate fundraiser for non-profits before her the call into ordained ministry. Whitney resides in Katy and is an Associate Pastor at St. Peter’s UMC overseeing Care and Special Needs ministries. Whitney and Tim adopted their first child Jase {March 2013} in 2013, and he is living his best dinosaur loving life. Besides her work and family, Whitney’s greatest passions are reading, discussing and celebrating anything related to Harry Potter, traveling near and far, and training for half-marathons.
