The Super Bowl (Taylor's Version): Top Chiefs fan takes spotlight

NEW YORK — The Super Bowl, already a spectacle of American football, music and advertising, kicks off Sunday with yet one more attention-grabbing lure: megastar Taylor Swift cheering from the VIP suites.

The 34-year-old pop culture icon has been very publicly dating tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, who will face off against the San Francisco 49ers in a bid to take the Lombardi Trophy back home.

It's all but assured that legions of fans who don't care a lick about the outcome will be tuning into the game on the basis of Swift's mere presence.

There's also speculation over the ability of Swift -- who just made Grammys history by scooping her fourth Album of the Year prize -- to make it to Las Vegas for Sunday's game after she plays a string of dates in Tokyo on her blockbuster Eras Tour.

Normally anticipation builds for the artists booked to play the field at halftime; recent performers include Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Last year, Rihanna's set dominated the conversation after she revealed a second child was on the way.

This year, Usher is slated to take one of the most watched stages in music, but the pop and R&B singer behind chart toppers including "U Got It Bad" and "Yeah!" has been somewhat sidelined, with Swift's name on everyone's lips.

"If I were performing in that halftime show, I would be thinking, 'Why did they have to book me during the Taylor Swift Super Bowl?' said pop culture and media professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University.

Kansas City Chiefs games -- where Swift has been a regular in a private box -- have smashed a series of ratings records this past season.

Most recently, the Chiefs playoff game against the Buffalo Bills last month was the most-watched Divisional Round game in NFL history, and the first to surpass more than 50 million viewers.

The Chiefs game against the Baltimore Ravens similarly was the most watched AFC conference championship ever.

The Super Bowl is already television's crown jewel: last year, the event drew 113 million US viewers –- or roughly a third of the country.

And the Taylor Swift effect could boost those already mammoth ratings even higher.

The National Football League is all